American Hertiage Table Worth Upgrading?

pogmothoin

pogmothoin

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I have an 8 foot American Heritage table that has a problem with the slate popping.

I have had 2 different table mechanics attempt to fix it but the problem recurs. The last guy bonded the slates together but they popped again anyway.

I am currently at the point where it could use new rails and cloth. I would also like to reduce the pocket size from 5" to 4.5".

My question is can the slate and or slate bed be properly repaired to make the expense worth it?

I know that AH does not have the best reputation but I got the table before I knew that. Also 8' is the biggest I can fit in the space that I have.
 
PoolTable911

PoolTable911

AdvancedBilliardSolutions
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pogmothoin said:
I have an 8 foot American Heritage table that has a problem with the slate popping.

I have had 2 different table mechanics attempt to fix it but the problem recurs. The last guy bonded the slates together but they popped again anyway.

I am currently at the point where it could use new rails and cloth. I would also like to reduce the pocket size from 5" to 4.5".

My question is can the slate and or slate bed be properly repaired to make the expense worth it?

I know that AH does not have the best reputation but I got the table before I knew that. Also 8' is the biggest I can fit in the space that I have.
Click to expand...

IMHO I would sell the table and buy a decent American made table.
 
Club Billiards

Club Billiards

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I agree with Pat. There are things you can do to help prevent the slates from popping on an American Heritage, but by the time you put money into modifying the rails, I think your money would be better spent on a better table with less structural flaws.
 
Crash

Crash

Pool Hall Owner
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I'm not a mechanic but my 2¢ worth ... I personally hate plywood bathtubs with fancy legs trying to look like an 100 year old antique. I had one for a couple of years till I got my Medalist. There are a lot of nice 8 foot older Brunswicks looking for a nice home. Just Sayin'
 
pogmothoin

pogmothoin

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Thank you for the input. Kind of what I thought but I'm not an expert. I guess I'll look for a used 8'er when the time comes.
 
pogmothoin

pogmothoin

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I'm in NJ thanks. For what it's worth I sent a message to AH asking them if they had an extended warranty for what appears to be a common problem. They did send a reply asking for photos and the nature of the repairs.

I have yet to reply to the message because they have asked some specific questions on who did the repairs and the methods used along with photos. I suspect that they will tell me how poorly the work was done and that's the reason for the problem instead of taking responsibility for a poor design.

I hope I'm mistaken. The last guy to work on it is fairly well respected and he was up front on the problems with the table when he did the work. He used machinist levels and bonded the slate, it played great, never better, until it popped again.

I will update when I'm able to reply to AH and get their response.
 
pogmothoin

pogmothoin

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American Heritage Reply.

Here is the reply I received from American Heritage. For all who took the time to read and reply to this I thought it might be of some interest to you. Even if this doesn't turn out well in the long run I certainly have to give them credit for trying.

Hi Mr. Meehan,

I have reviewed your photos. Pool tables that experience ongoing slate seam pops typically have not been perfectly leveled prior to the slate installation. There are two different methods used to level pool table slate in the industry, dependent on the table design . The service crew(s) performing the installation and/or service of your table have combined the two methods. Installers accustomed to alternative manufacturer’s installation techniques “float” the slate above the table cabinet. Perfectl leveling of the legs is not required and they are often quick to blame the manufacturer for the results. This differs from ours, which requires leveling the table prior to installing the slate. When encountering an installation technique that is unlike what they have typically used in the past, they unfortunately try to incorporate them both. While the leg height was adjusted through the use of shims, I assume they were not exact. The use of large wooden wedges under the slate and between the slate pad, confirms this. If one (or more) leg is out of level in the slightest, it will cause table cabinet torque (or twist). To correctly install your pool table, it will be necessary for the service company to dismantle the table, remove the slate and slate pad, replace the pad, level the cabinet from under the legs, recover the rails, re-attach the slate (using only a fine adjustment), and then secure the pockets and rails.
With that said, I have entered an order for a replacement slate pad (the MDF substrate between the slate and cabinet), a replacement set of hardware and a complete set of Burgundy bed cloth, all to ship directly to you and under warranty. I have also requested a work service order to be sent to our regional table installer. This should correct your issue once, and for all.

Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.
Respectfully,
Dave

David Oswald
American Heritage Billiards
630 Mondial Parkway
Streetsboro, Ohio 44241
(P) 877.998.0908 Ext. 158
(F) 330.626.3910
Description: AHB[/COLOR]
 
Club Billiards

Club Billiards

Absolute Billiard Service
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Good luck! I don't know what alternative slate leveling method they are referring to, but ANY table of any build that I know of should have the frame leveled to the floor before the slate is fine tuned to the frame.

The problem with the American Heritage tables is that slate liner sticks out horizontally too far from the vertical support of the frame. If you wedge out near the outside edge of the table to raise the slate, it is more rigid than the liner, so you end up just warping the liner. On those, you have to wedge from the inside closer to the structural support. I also like to replace the slate screws with machine bolts on those so you can nut on the bottom and better control tension. This seems to help keep everything tight and keep the seams from moving.

Also, you may have some frame sag in the middle where the frame is not supported by legs. This is very common on those tables and it's not out of the question to have to bring up the center slate as much as a half inch sometimes. They do tend to settle quite a bit. If this is the case, wood wedges wouldn't indicate a bad install. What you don't want is the whole slate bed floating on wedges, or one end up in the air and just the other end touching the frame. This would usually indicate the frame wasn't leveled to the floor.

Just a couple things you might look for when they come to fix it. Now what recovering the rails will do to help, I just can't figure out. ;)

Good luck and let us know if you have any more questions.
 
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pogmothoin

pogmothoin

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Customer Service

Since I started this thread and some of you took the time to reply I figured I'd provide the final update.

After contacting customer service at American Heritage I was in contact with Dave Oswald. Twice he sent mechanics to my home in an attempt to fix the table. Neither time was successful.

After the second time he told me that he was going to just replace the table. I bought this table in 2008 I believe so I was really shocked that he offered to replace it.

Today the new table was installed and I couldn't be happier with how this was resolved.

I know the table isn't a Diamond but I'm not Johnny Gotrocks either. So to have this resolved in this manner was incredible to me.

That said I have to give a big thanks to Dave Oswald at American Heritage for going the extra mile to fix the problem.
 
RackemBilliards

RackemBilliards

Player, Room Owner
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I would have to agree. It was impressive of them to completely replace the table. Did you , by chance, buy the table at Costco? In our area, Costco sells American Heritage pool tables, and makes sure that manufacturers of their products step up to the plate with the best customer service should there ever be a problem. Just curious. Congrats on your new table :)
 
pogmothoin

pogmothoin

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RackemBilliards said:
I would have to agree. It was impressive of them to completely replace the table. Did you , by chance, buy the table at Costco? In our area, Costco sells American Heritage pool tables, and makes sure that manufacturers of their products step up to the plate with the best customer service should there ever be a problem. Just curious. Congrats on your new table :)
Click to expand...

I did not buy the table at Costco. It was a local retailer that has since gone out of business so he wasn't protecting a business relationship. He just did a good thing.
 
fastone371

fastone371

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That is incredible service you received from American Heritage!!! Do you happen to know what the warranty is? I would have expected it to be expired by now if you bought the table in 2008.
 
pogmothoin

pogmothoin

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fastone371 said:
That is incredible service you received from American Heritage!!! Do you happen to know what the warranty is? I would have expected it to be expired by now if you bought the table in 2008.
Click to expand...

I don't know what the warranty is but whatever it is they did a great job of trying to resolve the problem. I had zero issues with the company rep. I truly believed that I would just get the run around when I first contacted them but I was surprised the the level of service I got.

First rate.
 
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