I didn't want to post on here again but this is a scam. WOW now I know I am a magician because this table is sitting 3 feet away from me waiting for delivery in Niagra falls this weekend. I want to thank you for finding this auction. It will not be on ebay by the end of the day I assure you. Well you wanted to see my work. Its so good people are stealing it I guess. $1999 buys you the ball box if you want it.
thanks again, I have shipped tables all over the country but NOT this one.
and if you can make this table look like I did from where I started you you might be a magician to.
If I ever saw a deal like that I would buy a 100 of them
Good work, you see I wasn’t hiding at all was I. Now if you want to see my work that bad you can go to Mark Twains house they need visitors. I have thought about many times posting pictures and wasn’t prepared to do so upon entering this site as I didn’t think I needed to prove myself and still don’t and most of my pics are of high res pics and I only see a cap of 100k here for pics. So what I am going to do to is load my website with pics so you can see. I will put what I want there.
Today I have received several ph calls and emails about how to level a table with laser’s etc. Never before have I gotten that. Bit of a coincidence don’t you think. I looked on YOUTUBE for guys doing pool table things and didn’t see anything, anyone care to post a link so I can see someone from this forum that had to prove them self there before.
There are plenty of vids on using laser levels there though in case you have never used one. I just don’t believe in sharing something just because someone says I have to.
I honestly think that this forum should be closed only to people in the business. I think sharing information is not that good of an idea after reviewing some of these pages. I am self taught for the large part and create at every opportunity but that doesn’t mean I am going to tell everyone.
If I told you that I weld the bottom cups of GC’s to the threaded rod to make them have less vibration, would I have to show a picture of that. Yeap, I came up with that idea. Does that mean everyone has to do it? Nope My scientific method is placing a glass of water in the middle and bumping it with my leg. Looking for movement in the waterline. Yeah I got time on my hands and have a lot of off the wall ideas. A lot of the them didn’t work, some do. I don’t have to prove anything to anybody. I have hacked up as many tables I can’t even remember when I was learning and now I only experiment with them. If you saw the things I have done I wouldn’t blame you for laughing. However, most of those days are over..Struck out a lot, some hits and better. Although I still keep asking myself why I am I doing something a certain way, is it the best way. Glen told me about using that bottle jack and I thought that was a good idea and I have straps, use a bottle jack and will try it someday when I need to, I didn’t ask him to post it on Youtube or post pictures. Thanks for the trick Glen. I spoke with Glen and he is surely an expert.
Now I thought my idea on using a SS BB and plate was clever, note I didn’t say you could level your table that way, only check it. I see in here quick responses to posts that aren’t even read correctly and then answered with a bunch of material not even related to the question.
Some people liked what I said about using a square built up to match the nose height of the rubber. Useless data that can be collected with a durometer( in others opinion). I know what the slate is made to in tolerance and I have had it made in Italy , I know that I don’t bring my most accurate level of .0003 to level a table, but guess what, if I put it on a table and it read perfect, how good does that look. I showed you a picture of my GC V with 3 levels at.0005 almost perfect. Showed a pic of my big 28 inch machinist level. Showed you a pic of my my first snooker table 1992.
I have looked through this forum and seen pics of nothing more than what I have posted. I would like to see pics but don’t have to for me to believe someone.
Pictures are nice videos are better, but all that matters really is if the customer is happy with you. That’s the only person I have to please. I mean did he just pay you $25,000 for a table because he didn’ like it.
A month ago I installed a Kling 1.5 inch slate, restored it, didn’t take pics but can always get them later, anyways while I had the frame there with the slate and on it the customer was asking me if it would stay level so I got up on the thing and walked around on top and told him it would now. He flipped and my helper was laughing his ass off. It’s a fun business and I like it. You are more than a mechanic at least I am. I like restoring tables, I go to tournaments, I play. I have had world Champions play on tight tables that I have setup for $10,000 head to head matches and I watched them play as well as about a hundred other people if you want references. None of them complained about bad rolls and they told me they loved the table.
I don’t move bar tables, don’t like doing pool rooms. I can if I want though. I can show you receipts from years ago of where I buy contact adhesive rollers for gluing tables and cushions(hint). I didn’t think gluing was that big of a deal. I have all of my records on spreadsheets from day 1 and I haven’t been in the business any where near as long as a lot of people., I keep track of costs to the penny and don’t work for pennies..
I do think posting pics of work you have done is good and if you haven’t looked at my website you will notice that even though I say I am the Caretaker of the Mark Twain table I have no pics of it there. Once again, I don’t think I need to show it but I am going to start putting pics there. A customer has never even asked the question, How do I know you did it? Show me a picture.
In Closing, to me: Pool tables are sort of like cars. Go to the car wash, $5 car wash, go to the garage, detailing $100. You get what you pay for. You go into a pool room, the tables need new facings, need leveling, rubber needs gluing, missing screws, pockets are dirty, things are broken. Are you suppose to fix all that for free and still give a great price of $100, I’m not and from what I have seen in many pool rooms either are other mechanics. Pool rooms get what they pay for and they get every penny worth. Now pay $200 per table and it will be done perfect. I had a pool room(mine) with a 6 x 12 snooker 5 x 10 billiard table and Gold crowns as well as many others. So I have to dig up the grindings of rubber from where I put on new L rubber on the snooker table, show you my templates for the pockets and bla bla bla abla. I consider it all hot air also and that’s why I don’t save pics. Give me the job, pay me and I will do it.
My motto, if you don’t like it, don’t pay. I always get paid.
I deal with some of the biggest dealers in the country. Do you think someone would send me a $50,000 table on my word that I would install the table, collect the money and send it to him because he knew I was a hack. Or would he do it because he was confident I would do the job. If that doesn’t tell you something I don’t know what else to say. I would have no problem sending him the same deal and I have also provided other dealers profit by giving work their way and I don’t even ask for anything. I have given 3 complete pool halls away because I could care less about them. I could have gotten the tables, set them up etc but I really don’t like pool halls because of the lack of money. I would rather pan for gold.
I said I was a VP of MFG, Plant manager and so on. Do you want to see my business cards, I can scan them for you. Its interesting that when I got out of high school I worked in a textile mill that made felt for Brunswick and then later in my career was the Plant Manager of a 300 employee thread factory. I didn’t go to college so how did I do it.
My bosses use to tell me, do it this way, it’s the best way, the only way. So when they weren’t looking I would try it my way. If my why failed I wouldn’t say anything but if it did and was a success, guess what. It was promotion time. So in today’s world a kid goes into a factory and starts out as a press operator and ends up running the entire show he must be unique don’t you think. The only people I ever promoted were the ones that took chances, worked hard and took responsibility for themselves.
Now my last word. When I lived in Dallas playing pool at a nice poolroom called CLICKS I remember going up to a guy and asked him if he wanted to play some, just fun. He looked at me and said” theres lots of other tables, go play over there”.
Ok thanks I said. I went over to one of only 4 9 foot tables in the room and was playing when a guy came up and said “ that’s my table and it’s the action table”. I told him that’s nice, but I am not in stroke and if you can beat me I will give you the table. He said”one pocket” I said fine. I beat him the first game and he told me,” That’s the last game I will ever beat him” He was right, Glad he showed me his speed because I would have hated to pay for it.
Went to that poolroom alot in the early 90’s( and I did tables in TEXAS also) and they had some of the best one pocket I have ever seen. They always played on that table. And every chance I got to get there early and get the table they would have to beat me off it. I’m not going to play that game here.
Lots of guys here have done thousands of tables. I came on here looking for what I don’t know or do, you don’t have to tell me how you to do something, if I want to know I will ask or as I and probably all of you know, just figure it out.. Thought I would share something I didn’t think others did ie the plate and SS BB. Since NOT a single person did it, I guess you at least got to see something different. Don’t attack other peoples ideas or they won’t share them with you. They might be 90% on the right track.
So now I am going back into hibernation, Not going to comment about what I see, just read it and decide if I like it. I am NOT going to answer questions, I am not here for a test. If I think I can add something, I might.
Remember I think we ALL need to be careful about knowledge and the transfer of it.
If we sat down and wrote a book for dummies on pool tables who do you think would buy it. Then there would be that much less work for everyone. This is the reason why there isn’t an internet college. What would happen to the teachers and professors, Its too bad a union wasn’t made a long time ago.
Now get back to work!
Think of it this way, You spend 30 years playing pool and you think you know everything and you are a great player for sure. Then some little kid comes up and whips your ass. Guess what your still a great player.
