Why pay to recover table

mvp

mvp

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
It makes me sick what people are paying to setup tables, I think I might take this on as a side job. People really should try and do this themselves at least once before calling a installer. I'm really anal when it comes to setting up mine and my friends table from using machinest levels on the frame work, then the slate. Corner squares for 90* corners and straight edges for the side rails. The hardest part is folding the rails. Which I think someone could easily skip the rails if they were scared to mess up the first time.
Try it once!!!! Level, square,cover with cloth! Watch YouTube if you need, only takes a few hours. Enough pool league guys at least 1 of em knows how to do it, have him help you, play on his table setup for a season then strip it down and do it to your standards! My rant is over! Please carry on
 
Texas Carom Club

Texas Carom Club

9ball did to billiards what hiphop did to america
Silver Member
I am tmrw when I get a pool table home

Plus I'm going to be setting up and putting new cloth on my billiard table as well

Never done either but will take me time
I know stretching billiard cloth correctly makes all the difference


Wish me luck!
 
O

one stroke

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
mvp said:
It makes me sick what people are paying to setup tables, I think I might take this on as a side job. People really should try and do this themselves at least once before calling a installer. I'm really anal when it comes to setting up mine and my friends table from using machinest levels on the frame work, then the slate. Corner squares for 90* corners and straight edges for the side rails. The hardest part is folding the rails. Which I think someone could easily skip the rails if they were scared to mess up the first time.
Try it once!!!! Level, square,cover with cloth! Watch YouTube if you need, only takes a few hours. Enough pool league guys at least 1 of em knows how to do it, have him help you, play on his table setup for a season then strip it down and do it to your standards! My rant is over! Please carry on
Click to expand...

I've done mine twice once moving the table I didn't do the rails , I did pretty good not perfect but certainly good enough and as good as Iv seen in some places ,, I going to buy new rails extended so this time I'm going to pay a friend a installer to get them cut right mans got to know his limitations so I'll leave that to the pro ,,

1
 
mvp

mvp

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
The rails are the hardest part, don't take the old off until you are gonna do that rail, you will use the old fora template and if you take em all off at once you may get em mixed up, after you do it a few times you won't even need that! Also the first time get cloth for the next size table (9ft for a 8fter) the extra will give you enough to do the rails twice if you are learning
 
jasonlaus

jasonlaus

Rep for Smorg
Silver Member
RKC will be along to tell you exactly why.....and to give advice(most likely) although it could turn out different lol
Jason
 
KRJ

KRJ

Support UKRAINE
Silver Member
I don't even install my own tips, why in the heck would I attempt a job like recovering a table ??

Somethings are just best left to professionals. Folks always think I know how to install a tip, and I tell them I never even tried when I can just use the local guys to do it, why do I need to bother.

Of course, if you're one handy dude, and want to risk it, go for it. But for the rest of us "mechanically inclined" we'll just pay a few hundred to do the job ;)
 
Black-Balled

Black-Balled

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
ChicagoRJ said:
I don't even install my own tips, why in the heck would I attempt a job like recovering a table ??

Somethings are just best left to professionals. Folks always think I know how to install a tip, and I tell them I never even tried when I can just use the local guys to do it, why do I need to bother.

Of course, if you're one handy dude, and want to risk it, go for it. But for the rest of us "mechanically inclined" we'll just pay a few hundred to do the job ;)
Click to expand...

I can take anything apart.
 
Texas Carom Club

Texas Carom Club

9ball did to billiards what hiphop did to america
Silver Member
I can give you the perfect reason why I'm doing it


Broke
As
Hell


I'm also not an aspiring player,
If it don't play perfectly, I probably wouldn't even be able to tell
 
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B

bbb

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
why pay
because you want it done right...:smile::smile::smile::smile:
and reap the benefit of alll the mistakes which hopefully were teaching experiences of the installer
 
G

gxman

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
How much is going rate for labor, not including cloth and other needed supplies?

$300-400?

For many its not worth the hassle and frustration.
 
Celtic

Celtic

AZB's own 8-ball jihadist
Silver Member
jasonlaus said:
RKC will be along to tell you exactly why.....and to give advice(most likely) although it could turn out different lol
Jason
Click to expand...

RKC does a lot more then re-cloth tables. Most of his truly impressive work (and like him or not the guy DOES do killer work) is in rebuilding rails and complete table rebuilds that are more of a woodworking craft.

Anyone who thinks the stuff is simple need look no further then to how truly awesome the Fatboy rails played on TAR and how gaffy the new "Fatboy" rails TAR replaced them with that were supposed to be the same played.

The same pocket size, both diamond tables, but balls shot cleanly down the rail with speed on the Fatboy rails were taken cleanly by the pocket while the replacement rails spat the same well hit balls out and soured both the players and the fans on the new tight table.
 
M

mistamikel

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Ive done my own tips, changed a couple linen wraps to leather all by hand and even took a couple of my shafts down from 13.5mm to 12mm by hand, Ive also done my bar box (when I had one) a couple times, but right now my table needs a re-cloth REALLY bad and I have the cloth too, I'm just too chicken shit to attempt it on a normal table. Ive seen a ton of youtube vids and am almost gung ho enough to give it a go, but its the rails that I don't wanna touch...
 
classicjay17

classicjay17

Registered
I bought a 9 foot table and ended up setting it up myself, with money being one of the major factors in that decision, and I have no regrets. RKC's guide to leveling 3 piece slate worked like a charm (Sticky thread in table mechanics section).

I bought the RKC Simonis dvd set for bed and rail cloth installation, watched them a couple of times, then got started. I played the DVDs as I did the installation, watching a section, then Pausing the dvd to complete each part, step by step. The bed cloth was really not that bad. The rails were a little tricky, but I went slow, and was able to figure it out. The Simonis 860 on my table came out perfect. The dvd really is worth the money, it shows exactly how to properly stretch any worsted wool cloth.

Table covering took me about 6 hours the first time because I went really slow to ensure no mistakes, and I was by myself. I'm sure it will go quicker the next time. If I can do it, I'm pretty confident anyone can as long as they follow the video and take there time...

 
GoldCrown

GoldCrown

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
Why pay?
To have it done right.
I don't have the tools.
I have watched skilled people take hours and struggle to get things right.
And mainly..... it's cheaper than a Chiropractor.
 
GoldCrown

GoldCrown

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
classicjay17 said:
I bought a 9 foot table and ended up setting it up myself, with money being one of the major factors in that decision, and I have no regrets. RKC's guide to leveling 3 piece slate worked like a charm (Sticky thread in table mechanics section).

I bought the RKC Simonis dvd set for bed and rail cloth installation, watched them a couple of times, then got started. I played the DVDs as I did the installation, watching a section, then Pausing the dvd to complete each part, step by step. The bed cloth was really not that bad. The rails were a little tricky, but I went slow, and was able to figure it out. The Simonis 860 on my table came out perfect. The dvd really is worth the money, it shows exactly how to properly stretch any worsted wool cloth.

Table covering took me about 6 hours the first time because I went really slow to ensure no mistakes, and I was by myself. I'm sure it will go quicker the next time. If I can do it, I'm pretty confident anyone can as long as they follow the video and take there time...

Click to expand...

Nice table. Looks good.
 
realkingcobra

realkingcobra

Well-known member
Silver Member
mvp said:
It makes me sick what people are paying to setup tables, I think I might take this on as a side job. People really should try and do this themselves at least once before calling a installer. I'm really anal when it comes to setting up mine and my friends table from using machinest levels on the frame work, then the slate. Corner squares for 90* corners and straight edges for the side rails. The hardest part is folding the rails. Which I think someone could easily skip the rails if they were scared to mess up the first time.
Try it once!!!! Level, square,cover with cloth! Watch YouTube if you need, only takes a few hours. Enough pool league guys at least 1 of em knows how to do it, have him help you, play on his table setup for a season then strip it down and do it to your standards! My rant is over! Please carry on
Click to expand...

Then it would make you puke to see some of the work I've had to follow behind from people just like you who have no idea what really goes into doing the work correctly. Read post 14, look at the work he did on his pool table, then take some pictures of your work and post up....I'll take a look at what you did and be the judge as to whether or not you should continue to knock those that do work hard to make a living working on pool tables, that honestly try to do their best. By the way, what do YOU do for a living?
 
Last edited:
KRJ

KRJ

Support UKRAINE
Silver Member
mvp said:
It makes me sick what people are paying to setup tables, I think I might take this on as a side job. People really should try and do this themselves at least once before calling a installer. I'm really anal when it comes to setting up mine and my friends table from using machinest levels on the frame work, then the slate. Corner squares for 90* corners and straight edges for the side rails. The hardest part is folding the rails. Which I think someone could easily skip the rails if they were scared to mess up the first time.
Try it once!!!! Level, square,cover with cloth! Watch YouTube if you need, only takes a few hours. Enough pool league guys at least 1 of em knows how to do it, have him help you, play on his table setup for a season then strip it down and do it to your standards! My rant is over! Please carry on
Click to expand...

also, just curious if it pisses you off that I also pay my HVAC guy, landscaper, electrician, plumber, auto mechanic, painter, carpenter, flooring guy, roofer and barber ?
 
7

7forlife

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Here is that ever so thin line that we cross from time to time.
That thin line between being a "hand guy" or one who employ the serves of others. See even the handiest of guys had to first be the guy willing to try but when do we take into account the work that we are taking away from "the small guy" the local guy. If everyone (capable) decided to do their own work or team up and do it then we would only have (a) very little for or need for the guys who actually do it or (b) a demand for guys who actually do it walking into horror shows, thus of course forcing them to charge more since you done turned this job into a nightmare.

There are some things that we should know or learn how to do, there are some things that we should take on ourselves due to financial reason cause let's face it not everything requires a technician but there has to come a point when you sit back and let some men eat.
 
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