Table markings for new cloth

maxeypad2007 said:

My table is getting recovered here shortly and I have a few questions about how to properly mark the spot line, kitchen, etc.


The table is a diamond pro am and I will be using a very narrow/thin sharpie to draw the lines.

#1 - Kitchen markings

For the kitchen should I be marking from the outside edge of the second diamond or through the middle of the second diamond across the table. The difference is subtle but I wanted to do this correctly.


#2

Second, where should the spot be aligned to? Should the front/middle circle or what part of the spot should be lined up with the adjacent diamond and at what position on the diamond itself? Outer edge or middle?

The spot line is easy of course right through the middle of the spot all the way to the middle diamond.

#3
What about drawing on the rack? I've seen a this on tables where a lot of people play straight pool but the actual method of applying the lines is a mystery. So should I rack the balls and raw around the rack or the balls with no rack? The intent I know is to show where the rack is going to be in straight pool in particular for the break ball.

For straight pool, what if the balls cannot be racked in a rack with the break ball being nearby? what would I do in this situation. Obviously I could rack by hand one at a time but that is less than optimal

Thanks in advance!

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1&2, center diamond for everything.
3, Start with a rack you will be sure to use for years, i.e. get a good quality one. Very precisely rack the balls in the triangle you will be using, with the head ball perfectly centered on the spot. I use a magic rack to get the balls perfect before I put the triangle on to be marked. I also measure from the nose of the rail to the back of the triangle (in a few places) to make sure it is perfectly parallel. Once you have it set 100%, have a helper clamp the rack down while you mark with a new medium sharpie around the outside of the rack, keeping the sharpie very tight to the rack.

When playing, a ball is considered "in the rack" if any part of it is over the edge of the sharpie line, so you will always have room to remove the rack as there is a sharpie line thickness buffer all the way around.

Hopefully this is clear.

Edit: Also, I draw a spotting line from the spot, all the way to the back rail center diamond. Makes it easier when spotting balls for straight pool.

Edit 2: I'd also wait a week or so before marking your lines, it'll give the cloth a chance to settle into it's final state.

Very informative, Bob, thank you for the detailed and organized post. I have no doubt that it is correct, as you are the expert on this kind of thing, in my opinion.

I took your advice of using the tailor's chalk pen for marking table cloth: the Dritz 667 Tailor's Marking Set, which I think you very specifically recommended. It comes with multiple colors of lead. I used white on my gray Simonis.

Dritz 667 Tailor's Marking Set on Amazon



For the OP, the tailor's chalk can be quite durable, and can be touched up, of course. And, it is reversible, erasable, which a Sharpie is not (at least not easily).

Mine is marked for 14.1 and for snooker. I also use the pen for marking spots for different practice drills.

jv

I would certainly start with something easily erased, as you are sure to make initial mistakes. After you have successfully drawn all the lines a few times (and decided which of them might be superfluous for your needs), then you could use something indelible.
P.S. I find the ‘string’ lines can be distracting, and not necessarily required since you can always line-sight the diamonds to determine ball location, but if you play much 14.1, the rack lines & an ‘X’ marking the head/center spots are mandatory.

I’ve always marked the inside of the triangle for the rack area...
...triangles come in different widths.

Bob Jewett said:

Well, OK, but that's not the rule and it results in some break balls that not only must be marked to allow racking but result in unplayable break balls. An example such ball is one that is almost frozen to the side of the rack.

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I marked them that way because we were using Dufferin triangles....
...they were excellent telephone case plastic with a wide flange....
...the marked triangle area would’ve been pretty big.

In my experience, a Sharpie (even a fine pointed one) will bleed a bit into the felt and not make as sharp of a line as a good ball point pen.

IMO the delta-13 rack is an excellent triangle to draw the rack shape for 14.1

robertod said:

IMO the delta-13 rack is an excellent triangle to draw the rack shape for 14.1

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Which one, the $90 one, or the $180 one?

Bob Jewett said:

If you have an old belt or know where to find cork, the $90 one is the $180 one.:wink:

But I agree that the Delta-13 is a good triangle and is the best once it has the sound suppression installed.

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Bob, I don't understand, will you please elaborate?

The lines/ markings to draw on your new cloth are basically determined by what games you mainly play on your table. When we have our tables recovered every year or so, I prefer to do the lines myself rather than the professional installer, as I know exactly what I want and I feel like I’ve gotten pretty good at it after all these years. You only have one chance to do it right, so if I screw up I’d rather know I screwed up myself, since I paid for everything.

I utilize a laser level that shows two perpendicular laser lines, which makes the job easy and incredibly accurate. The line designating the kitchen goes across the table through the center of the second diamonds. I indicate just a quarter inch hash line in the very center of that line, which is needed for 14.1 play. In the racking area, since our main tournament game here is 9-ball, I like to lay down crosshair lines - extending about 4 inches to the left and right of the spot and extending vertically from about 6 inches above the spot extending down to about a foot from the end rail. These lines allow you a visual check in order to perfectly square up a rack or a template extremely accurately when you are racking the balls.

If you play much straight pool on the table it is very helpful to have an outline of the rack drawn on the cloth, with a sharpie. Warning – this is much trickier to do than you might think and if you make a mistake, you’ll have to look at it for the remainder of that cloth’s life. After you make sure the rack is lined up absolutely squarely, the tricky part is holding down the rack with your hand while you are drawing the sharpie line around the entire outside edge of the rack with the other hand. Brand new Simonis cloth is extremely slick and slippery and it’s very easy for that rack to slide on you while you are marking it, if you are not keeping your hand pressure straight down and very firm during the entire process. Good luck!