I know you guys are kidding but some people might actually believe those crazy ideas. Here is the proper way. Note that the vertical scale is exaggerated for clarity.
The are basically two ways to shave the slate by the pocket. The orthodox or "straight" shave keeps a constant slope from the starting point, which is generally about an inch from the pocket drop, but is adjusted to achieve different efficiencies of pocketing.
The slope is about 2% but this will need to be increased if you use very slow cloth. By contrast, if the cloth is very fast, you should not decrease the slope to match because then you will see a lot of "creepers" where the ball will be moving very slowly for several seconds before it falls.
The "advanced" shave is very effective at eliminating creepers as the ball will accelerate towards the pocket once it has a start. There is considerable art in shaping this shave, and only truly accomplished table fitters should be employed for this task. One such fitter is being discussed right now in another thread.:wink:
I hope this clears things up.
P.S. As for how to do it, if this is your first stone/masonry project, you are making a mistake. Hire a good fitter. Do not let him take the slates away to work on them, however.
Bob <--- who really hates those creepers