9' table room sizing

Spikestta

Spikestta

Registered
Hi,

After hurricane sandy flooded out my basement I made the decision when I rebuild I was going to make a billiard room. So I went out and purchased a used GC lll . I went on the brunswick site and looked up room sizing . It said that the room should be 14'x 18+ I don't remember exactly what the length was . So I made the room 14' 1" wide . Now I'm being told By the installer that its really not wide enough. Is this going to be an issue or do I need to get the contractor to move the wall . Which after speaking with the contractor turned out to be a big job. I really screwed up. I shoot with a 58" stick . Any help would be appreciated. Thanks
 
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15 x 20 is better! :D

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

Spikestta said:
Hi,

After hurricane sandy flooded out my basement I made the decision when I rebuild I was going to make a billiard room. So I went out and purchased a used GC lll . I went on the brunswick site and looked up room sizing . It said that the room should be 14'x 18+ I don't remember exactly what the length was . So I made the room 14' 1" wide . Now I'm being told By the installer that its really not wide enough. Is this going to be an issue or do I need to get the contractor to move the wall . Which after speaking with the contractor turned out to be a big job. I really screwed up. I shoot with a 58" stick . Any help would be appreciated. Thanks
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Best to add it up yourself. Playing area of a 9' table is 50x100 inches. Plus about 58" for the cue (plus the rubber bumper at the base of the cue) plus about 4 inches of back stroke.

If you are really close you can measure your backstroke to be sure. And realize that you probably elevate around 30 degrees on a rail shot, which effective reduces the horizontal plane backstroke distance an inch.

My room is not a rectangle, so I created a to scale drawing of the room and a to scale cutout of the table+stroke and moved the cutout to various spots to see what would work best.



- Jeff in Frisco
 
Why would brunswick & diamond web sites both say 14' wide for the room size . I really don't under stand. They really screwed me up. Thanks
 
You will not be able to shoot all shots with a 58" cue, I mean you can but not being able
to do a normal backswing makes the shot a lot harder.
Get a 52" as backup for the tight spots and you will be ok, 14'6" is probably as narrow as you can go with a full length cue.

gr. Dave
 
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Jeff is right. You have to do the math yourself. The table manufacturers sites are going to go the absolute smallest instead of going with what's most comfortable so they can sell more tables.

If you understand the math, you can never make a mistake.

The math is:

Playing surface of table (cushion nose to cushion nose) + length of cue + length of cue + length of backstroke + length of backstroke

For a 9' that would be:
width: 50" + 58" + 58" + 3" + 3".
Length: 100" + 58" + 58" + 3" + 3

Now, you can fool around with the stroke length and stick length, but that would be a compromise.

Another consideration, if you are tall, your back foot may actually be further from the table than the end of the stick.

Finally, the above assumes no furniture. If you want a chair or table you need more room.
 
I wouldn't get too concerned over the situation. In my previous home, I was in a similar predicament. One of your concerns in playing cue ball position will be to minimize the times when the wall becomes a problem. That will not be so easy for some games like 14.1 and 1P. But there are other games that where that additional challenge will just be part of the game. You will be surprised at how inventive you can become at keeping this minor issue from becoming a substantial problem.

For me, the main reason for having a table at home is for practice and for having fun. I think you should be able to make this work.
 
Thanks for all the info guys. What really upsets me is that it's new construction. If I was just buying a table for my basement I would deal with it . But I went on the brunswick web site and laid out the walls for the contractor and the electrician for the lighting. I guess you can't believe everything you read on the Internet . Lol . I spoke with the contractor he wants $800 to move the wall and the electric . I haven't decided yet. Thanks
 
You know now that I think of it brunswicks measurement was with a 58" cue stick. I'm calling them Tuesday and asking them where they get there info from. Thanks
 
Just move the wall if you have the room to do so, you'll forget the expense in time but if you don't every time you're up against the wall you'll kick yourself.

I have an 8' table in my basement and there's one bad shot where the cinder block juts out 4" from the wall. I hate it, but have no other option short of major structural changes to my home involving steel beams. As one of the previous posters said you learn to avoid the bad shot but sometimes you just can't.

I really want a 9 footer so when the market improves I'll be selling my home. That's how I feel about it anyway.
 
I think pogmothoin hit the nail right on the head. I went through all this trouble to get a 9' table and every time I go to take a shot and my cue hits the wall ill be sick. While the contractor is still here I might as well move the wall. What makes it a little complicated is that this wall has double pocket doors so they need to come out. I guess $800 is a bargain considering the situation. Thanks . I'm still calling brunswick. Lol
 
Why are their measurements short? If you add it up you'll probably find out they do not account for back stroke at all. If you do a Google image search for "pool table size chart" you will see different numbers because of this. Also they may assume a 57 inch cue (I believe these are more popular today), although my 1986 Helmstetter is 58 inches.

Here is something to consider if you want to convince yourself not to move the wall: The worst case scenario is a ball on the rail and you have to shoot perpendicular away from the rail. How often does that happen? Rail shots where you are shooting off at an angle will not be an issue. Shots with the CB an inch or two away from the rail and shooting perpendicular away will not be an issue.

I made the exact same mistake as you. I looked at a room size chart, concluded I could fit a 8.5 foot table, then spent a few months shopping for the table. Only after I ordered the table did I realize I should have manually calculated the size requirement. I panicked when it seemed I would be a few inches short. Only after doing an exhaustive analysis of a rail shot from every spot on the table (including from the pocket shelf) I finally concluded I was ok. If the CB is in one pocket shelf and I'm shooting at a certain angle, I bump up against a wall, but that happens once a blue moon.
 
jeffj2h said:
The worst case scenario is a ball on the rail and you have to shoot perpendicular away from the rail. How often does that happen?

that happens once a blue moon.
Click to expand...

Correct.
I kept a rough track of how often I needed to play perp. to head or foot rail with CB on said rail before deciding on a 9 footer instead of an 8 foot pro. It is very rare indeed - but maybe more so for me as I have no restrictions on side rails, just the head & foot rails.

But for $800, considering the cost of the pool table, I would get the wall moved if it were me.

Cheers.
 
Spikestta said:
I guess $800 is a bargain considering the situation. Thanks . I'm still calling brunswick. Lol
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Do it. Make the room right. It cost a little extra but you'll always enjoy it. $800 is a good deal.
There are no mistakes in life...everything is a learning experience. I miscalculated the custom light I had made. It is too low and too long. 6 foot might have worked. It is 8'. I hit my head if I lift and the edges are sharp. I love the look but hate it's position.
Brunswick's room sizing is a low blow/cheap shot.
Another thing about Brunswick is their lifetime warranty. It's pretty bad. They do everything to make the warranty unaccommodating.
 

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800$ assuming you can spare them without problems would be a no brainer for me.
I just had my basement dug out an extra 14" at about 10x the cost so I can have a 9-foot.

That basement is exactly 15x19, perfect for 9-foot with no worries about having enough space.

gr. Dave
 
800 do it! Sure it's your money not ours, but you'll enjoy the table a lot more.

What is your distance in the other direction? Are you double sure about the amount to move the wall now? What's on the other side of the wall and how important is that space?
 
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