scaredbutwillin
New member
I have this 9' Gandy Sportsman table that I bought before I had a refined understanding of performance features, in 1999. It is basically well-made, but it has three performance problems that I have yet to correct.
The first problem is the pocket cut-outs in the slate. The corner cuts are beveled so severely that the distance between mouth and the edge is less than 3/4". I don't find any tables anywhere else, that have such shallow pockets. Before I consider replacing the slate (I would probably sell the table instead of that), I would like to consider options for deepening the pockets. If I were able to find a material that could be added to the slate, that would reliably bond to it, I could deepen the pockets. Just eliminating the highly rounded bevel would gain about 1/2" of pocket depth.
I have been considering auto body filler as a material that could be used for this. I see it recommended for crack and chip repair, but I don't know how it would perform over time with balls rolling over it and occasionally colliding with it when balls are bouncing around within the pocket. Does anybody who has already been around the block a few times have any experience with what I'm considering? It would be nice to hear that someone has already "been there, and done that, and that the idea is a good one, but watch out for ....", or "did that, and it didn't work at all..."
The second problem that I have been living with, that I would like to correct (I've tried three times, so far) is to get far better cushion perfomance. I had new standard rubber installed on it by the local retailer from whom I bought the table 2nd-hand (found out in short order the rails were shot after they installed the table). I have only had Simonis 860 cloth on it. I became aware, after my skill increased and I began to compete in local pool halls, that my rail action was noticeably poorer than that of all these other tables. Cue ball maximum travel was no more than 3 1/2 rails (up and back). In 2000, I hired a scrub who represented himself as a top-notch table mechanic to take of the problem. He wasn't successful (Very different subject). In short order, I took my rails to another retailer/mechanic, and had a discussion with him about my rail action problem. He gave me run-down of options. Standard rubber should be fine, Superspeed is one of the fastest, Artemis is the fastest, but they don't have a profile that works. I chose Superspeed. He applied superspeed. Well, now cue ball max travel is 4 1/4 rails. That's better, and I've lived with it like that through one recovering. Additionally, I bore out the wood in the slate frame so that the T-nut would press against the slate directly, but that didn't add any noticeable improvement. I also suspect that the superspeed profile is not correct for this table. There is a step between the bottom of the rubber the subrail, and the length-to-width ratio of the table is just slightly off. And, I still think the rail action is insufficient. I went ahead, last Christmas, and bought Artemis K-66 cushion rubber from an internet retailer, but I haven't attempted to install it. Does anyone have any concern about the Artemis K-66 for this table, or some insights regarding its rail action?
The third problem with the table is pocket width. I can confirm what I've read in other threads - the Gandy pockets are cavernous. In order to counteract that, I asked my retailer/mechanic to "double shim" my pockets, when he was changing the cushion rubber. Well, he did use 2 cushion facings on each pocket side, and the pockets were now very narrow (2 balls could just fit side-by-side at the mouth, and go no further in). The price I paid for narrowing the pockets in this manner was extremely "thuddy" ball reaction around the pocket mouth. Balls that hit the "tit" just don't rebound properly. I'm ok with this pocket width, but would like to finish out the pocket in a different way that would give rebound characteristics closer to the normal rail rebound characteristics. I have an idea to use one cushion facing piece to "extend" the sub-rail behind the rubber, and then either face the pocket with thin pliable suede leather, or add a second standard rubber facing to finish the close-out. I am certain that I would get excellent action on corner rebounds. I am uncertain whether there might be reliability problems with finishing a pocket this way. Does anyone have some comments to the basic approach or the idea of using thin pliable leather as the finish facing?
The first problem is the pocket cut-outs in the slate. The corner cuts are beveled so severely that the distance between mouth and the edge is less than 3/4". I don't find any tables anywhere else, that have such shallow pockets. Before I consider replacing the slate (I would probably sell the table instead of that), I would like to consider options for deepening the pockets. If I were able to find a material that could be added to the slate, that would reliably bond to it, I could deepen the pockets. Just eliminating the highly rounded bevel would gain about 1/2" of pocket depth.
I have been considering auto body filler as a material that could be used for this. I see it recommended for crack and chip repair, but I don't know how it would perform over time with balls rolling over it and occasionally colliding with it when balls are bouncing around within the pocket. Does anybody who has already been around the block a few times have any experience with what I'm considering? It would be nice to hear that someone has already "been there, and done that, and that the idea is a good one, but watch out for ....", or "did that, and it didn't work at all..."
The second problem that I have been living with, that I would like to correct (I've tried three times, so far) is to get far better cushion perfomance. I had new standard rubber installed on it by the local retailer from whom I bought the table 2nd-hand (found out in short order the rails were shot after they installed the table). I have only had Simonis 860 cloth on it. I became aware, after my skill increased and I began to compete in local pool halls, that my rail action was noticeably poorer than that of all these other tables. Cue ball maximum travel was no more than 3 1/2 rails (up and back). In 2000, I hired a scrub who represented himself as a top-notch table mechanic to take of the problem. He wasn't successful (Very different subject). In short order, I took my rails to another retailer/mechanic, and had a discussion with him about my rail action problem. He gave me run-down of options. Standard rubber should be fine, Superspeed is one of the fastest, Artemis is the fastest, but they don't have a profile that works. I chose Superspeed. He applied superspeed. Well, now cue ball max travel is 4 1/4 rails. That's better, and I've lived with it like that through one recovering. Additionally, I bore out the wood in the slate frame so that the T-nut would press against the slate directly, but that didn't add any noticeable improvement. I also suspect that the superspeed profile is not correct for this table. There is a step between the bottom of the rubber the subrail, and the length-to-width ratio of the table is just slightly off. And, I still think the rail action is insufficient. I went ahead, last Christmas, and bought Artemis K-66 cushion rubber from an internet retailer, but I haven't attempted to install it. Does anyone have any concern about the Artemis K-66 for this table, or some insights regarding its rail action?
The third problem with the table is pocket width. I can confirm what I've read in other threads - the Gandy pockets are cavernous. In order to counteract that, I asked my retailer/mechanic to "double shim" my pockets, when he was changing the cushion rubber. Well, he did use 2 cushion facings on each pocket side, and the pockets were now very narrow (2 balls could just fit side-by-side at the mouth, and go no further in). The price I paid for narrowing the pockets in this manner was extremely "thuddy" ball reaction around the pocket mouth. Balls that hit the "tit" just don't rebound properly. I'm ok with this pocket width, but would like to finish out the pocket in a different way that would give rebound characteristics closer to the normal rail rebound characteristics. I have an idea to use one cushion facing piece to "extend" the sub-rail behind the rubber, and then either face the pocket with thin pliable suede leather, or add a second standard rubber facing to finish the close-out. I am certain that I would get excellent action on corner rebounds. I am uncertain whether there might be reliability problems with finishing a pocket this way. Does anyone have some comments to the basic approach or the idea of using thin pliable leather as the finish facing?
