Why use slate?

Baby PacMan

My bias makes me RIGHT!
Silver Member
I know slate is used because it's heavy, flat, and doesn't warp. But why not just use a slab of steel? Steel can be flat, heavy, I don't know if it warps though.

Just curious.
 

Tokyo-dave

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Not an expert, but I believe that slate either dries quickly or absorbs moisture. If ya ever get a chance to see a piece of exposed slate, take a damp cloth and wipe at it and notice how quickly it dries. Metal would not only keep moisture in the cloth, but I would assume that rust would be an issue too.
dave
 

Measle Ball

King of the .99-ball run.
Silver Member
Interesting question.

I think slate may have better dimensional stability than steel WRT temperature and warpage. One could possibly make a table bed from Invar- a very low-expansion alloy- but the cost would be astronomical. I don't know how a steel bed would sound, either; jump shots might ring.

How about synthetic bowling alley surfacing for a table bed? Even though it would probably wear well, I still have a feeling that slate- at least in the foreseeable future- will be king over any man-made stuff.

Still a good question, though.
 

Hambone

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
They tried it around 150 years ago. Its still not a good idea.
Besides the sound and rusting issues, check the prices on a one
inch thick steel sheet large enough for a table bed.
 

RunoutKing

Registered
I agree with the other posts, steel might rust or because it attracts heat and moisture it may cause parts of the table to warp. I've always wondered if there will ever be a replacement for slate(too heavy) but I don't think there will be one.
 

nathandumoulin

WPBL / RUNOUT MEDIA
Silver Member
They tried it around 150 years ago. Its still not a good idea.
Besides the sound and rusting issues, check the prices on a one
inch thick steel sheet large enough for a table bed.

Who says it needs to be an inch thick though? Why not a quarter inch corrugated steel?

As for moisture, why not make a ton of tiny holes in the surface? Because it's corrugated, the moisture could pass through the hollow center without any loss of strength.

A small area heating device underneath could also be set to a specific temperature. The metal would act as a heatsink, and would ensure that the table always plays consistently, similarly to a 3c table.

(I dont know what I'm talking about here...just throwing out ideas)
 

easy-e

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
Who says it needs to be an inch thick though? Why not a quarter inch corrugated steel?

As for moisture, why not make a ton of tiny holes in the surface? Because it's corrugated, the moisture could pass through the hollow center without any loss of strength.

A small area heating device underneath could also be set to a specific temperature. The metal would act as a heatsink, and would ensure that the table always plays consistently, similarly to a 3c table.

(I dont know what I'm talking about here...just throwing out ideas)


You have me convinced:thumbup:.
 

mattb

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
there are a few problems with wood tables. First they can dent leaving a bump. Second they can act as a springboard. Try jumping a ball on a wood table compared to a slate table. Third issue would be warpage. A lot of those old wooden tables turned into a soup bowl over the years. I actually went out to recover one a long time ago and you could set a ball next to the rail and it would slowly roll to the center of the table and stop.

As far as the steel goes, there are issues there as well. The major would be the rust issue. Second would be cost. Third would be a weight factor. A table has to be so heavy to keep people from moving it, if you lightened up on the steel plate you would defeat the weight purpose. Even with several hundred pounds of slate we all know a big guy can bump a table hard and knock it out of whack.
 

TimKrazyMon

Kid Delicious' Evil Twin
Silver Member
Who says it needs to be an inch thick though? Why not a quarter inch corrugated steel?

As for moisture, why not make a ton of tiny holes in the surface? Because it's corrugated, the moisture could pass through the hollow center without any loss of strength.

A small area heating device underneath could also be set to a specific temperature. The metal would act as a heatsink, and would ensure that the table always plays consistently, similarly to a 3c table.

(I dont know what I'm talking about here...just throwing out ideas)

Wouldn't these "tiny holes" create divots for balls to settle into and throw off shots?
 

Dave Nelson

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Slate is obviously top choice for a variety of reasons but I think that fine grain cast concrete highly polished on the top surface could be used with good results. In fact, I would be surprised if it has not already been tried.

Dave Nelson
 

smashmouth

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
the time is long past due for a replacement to slate

some of the composite materials they can produce now are incredible, anyone here play softball????

it's the same old story, the evolution of pool moving at a snail's pace
 

jridpath

Registered
Just a thought here, what about bullet proof plexiglass? No warpage, no rust (which would be a problem with steel), able to handle the impact of bouncing balls, and much lighter than slate. Although, I would think the heavy weight is desirable in a pool table since you don't want it to move when you bump it.
 

Hambone

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Who says it needs to be an inch thick though? Why not a quarter inch corrugated steel?

As for moisture, why not make a ton of tiny holes in the surface? Because it's corrugated, the moisture could pass through the hollow center without any loss of strength.

A small area heating device underneath could also be set to a specific temperature. The metal would act as a heatsink, and would ensure that the table always plays consistently, similarly to a 3c table.

(I dont know what I'm talking about here...just throwing out ideas)

1/4 inch isn't heavy enough. 1/2 inch would actually be real close to the weight of 1 inch slate. The problem with any mild steel is its going to corrode slightly no matter what. Its just a matter of time.

You could always try a stainless piece. A 4x8 half inch thick sheet will run you about $2200.
 

nathandumoulin

WPBL / RUNOUT MEDIA
Silver Member
1/4 inch isn't heavy enough.

Other than reducing cost, the whole idea is to reduce the weight so that the single piece can be transported and installed easier.

The table can be lagged to the floor, or the missing weight can be compensated by putting weight in the legs or feet.

Again, I have no idea what I'm talking about...I'm simply trying to think outside the box for the sake of making conversation. :p
 

justadub

Rattling corners nightly
Silver Member
Just a thought here, what about bullet proof plexiglass? No warpage, no rust (which would be a problem with steel), able to handle the impact of bouncing balls, and much lighter than slate. Although, I would think the heavy weight is desirable in a pool table since you don't want it to move when you bump it.

This is the second comment regarding weight being necessary to prevent the table from being bumped. To me, if there is a lighter material that could provide the consistent flat surface necessary, I would think that it would be a simpler matter to come up with material to put in the table for weight/movement purposes. Ballast, if you will. Such material could no doubt be simpler to move than one large piece of slate, and installed under the new playing surface.

As Nate said previously, I don't know nuthin', I'm just thinking out loud "in theory"...

*** Funny enough, Nate posted much the same thing as I was typing this! ***
 

jridpath

Registered

I like the idea of the glass bed (as long as it can handle the impact of bouncing balls), but transparent? I would prefer something more opaque. Seeing reflections on the surface and the table legs while lining up for shot would be very distracting. They say that the surface replicates the resistance of cloth which would be interesting to see if its true, and I wonder if it wears down over time. It would eliminate humdity slowing down the speed of the table though.
 

ric23

no stroke!!!
Silver Member
I'm not an expert either specially with pool tables but I figured I'd chime in on the metal side. I work with mostly steel, titanium and aluminum in a very, very precise manner. And this much I can tell you, steel and aluminum is very hard to control. a degree of temperature causes them to shrink or expand. Holding a 24" x 24" steel plate on a flatness of .001 is attainable. But, temperature will be a factor if it stays that way. And we check this on a -guess what! - a 5'x8' x 9.5" thick slate!!! Certified grade A slate is accurate up to .0006 with a repeatability of .00008 on a temperature controlled room at 70 deg. controlled since the slate "moves" too. As far as rust, there are coatings that can prevent this. just my 2 cents...
 
Top