Advice on buying a table for my house

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cue8chalk

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So, I recently finished getting rid of a few walls to make room for a pool table. An 8 foot table would probably be the largest table that would fit pretty comfortably, but I kind of have my heart set on a 9 footer so that I can practice and maximize my potential improvement.

The space for the table is kind of awkwardly shaped in an open layout. The only really tight spot being where my fireplace is and for that corner, I'd definitely need to use a shorty cue.

Here's a diagram of the room. One part I forgot to put dimensions on is the depth of the bay window area, which is about 2 feet at it's deepest: https://www.dropbox.com/s/guwezbuyd8bvxg3/2015-11-25 11.37.54.jpg?dl=0

I'm looking to buy a used Olhausen, but I haven't seen many 9 footers go up for sale, so I've been getting antsy, re-considering the 8 foot option.

So my question is do you think I should be patient and wait for a 9 footer and deal with using the shorty stick in one of the corners? Or do you think I'd probably be happier on an 8 foot table even though it would be slightly less of a challenge (once I got better).

Also, is there anything else I should be considering that I haven't brought up already?
 

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I think that fireplace is really, really in the way, even for a 7' table. I'd strongly recommend drawing the room to scale on graph paper, and then cutting out a to-scale pool table, with a to-scale stick and then moving the pool table around on the paper to see what you will be dealing with. Then make an 8' version, and a 7' version. The graph paper cutout of the pool table should be of the playing surface only.
 
Ok, so I forgot that I had gotten this graph paper from a local pool table store, so I transferred the layout to that.

With the 9' table, it has tight corners on the right side with the fireplace being the worst spot, but I feel like it might be manageable:

With 9' table: https://www.dropbox.com/s/ilewv3qhka8fpcc/2015-12-08 00.24.33.jpg?dl=0

With 8' PRO table: https://www.dropbox.com/s/yi8s74ol4524xfx/2015-12-08 00.26.38.jpg?dl=0

With 8' table: https://www.dropbox.com/s/stu88wrd82c1o97/2015-12-08 00.25.56.jpg?dl=0

If this was you were dealing with, what size table would you go for?
 

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I have an oversize 8 foot table, where I need to use the 4 foot cue in several spots. despite what the "odds" would suggest, these shots come up a lot. Using the short cue (for me) means a compact stroke, where I miss the shot too often....:frown:

knowing what I know now, I would have purchased a smaller table, for the size room I have.
 
put in a smaller table to avoid having to change cues for different shots. Have the table professionally installed so it plays as good as possible, maybe even have it tightened up a bit to make it a bit more challenging.
 
Actually your 9' layout may work. The corners of the table are the most forgiving areas of the room layout when it comes to space with a 58" cue stick. What you need to do is to setup an artificial play field at 50"x100". It doesn't need to be anything more than maybe 4 tv trays (they work well) or something similar and place them at each corner where a 9' table would be placed. Then you can use anything (chalk, a pencil, or string line... anything) as markers on each surface to indicate the inside cushion edge location of a 9' table... 50" and 100".
Now take your 58" cue stick and rest your hand back where the (imaginary) table rail would be and stroke as if there is a ball frozen to the (imaginary) cushion edge. If you're bumping the wall at anyplace then try setting it up for an 8' and try it... then 7'. This will give you a good feel for what you're going to be dealing with once a large heavy table is setup inside of your room.
If you don't have any tv trays to use, then just place some off-cuts of 2x4 on the floor and get down on your hands and knees... it will still give you a pretty accurate idea of what kind of stroke you will be limited to on a rail shot. Also move the artificial surface around to any other problem spots along the sides.
You will find that the space around the corners of a table are quite forgiving compared to the space along the rails.
Also make sure that whatever size that you choose, hang a plum-bob of some sort dead center to the table, or some other way to make sure that whoever sets up your table is placing it exactly where it needs to go. In tight spaces 1" off center can make a huge difference.
Good luck... hope that you get the 9' to work without a short stick.
 
Diogenes said:
Actually your 9' layout may work. The corners of the table are the most forgiving areas of the room layout when it comes to space with a 58" cue stick. What you need to do is to setup an artificial play field at 50"x100". It doesn't need to be anything more than maybe 4 tv trays (they work well) or something similar and place them at each corner where a 9' table would be placed. Then you can use anything (chalk, a pencil, or string line... anything) as markers on each surface to indicate the inside cushion edge location of a 9' table... 50" and 100".
Now take your 58" cue stick and rest your hand back where the (imaginary) table rail would be and stroke as if there is a ball frozen to the (imaginary) cushion edge. If you're bumping the wall at anyplace then try setting it up for an 8' and try it... then 7'. This will give you a good feel for what you're going to be dealing with once a large heavy table is setup inside of your room.
If you don't have any tv trays to use, then just place some off-cuts of 2x4 on the floor and get down on your hands and knees... it will still give you a pretty accurate idea of what kind of stroke you will be limited to on a rail shot. Also move the artificial surface around to any other problem spots along the sides.
You will find that the space around the corners of a table are quite forgiving compared to the space along the rails.
Also make sure that whatever size that you choose, hang a plum-bob of some sort dead center to the table, or some other way to make sure that whoever sets up your table is placing it exactly where it needs to go. In tight spaces 1" off center can make a huge difference.
Good luck... hope that you get the 9' to work without a short stick.
Click to expand...

This is great advice. I have 9' table in a space where two corners come into play sometimes... From your chart it looks like even a 7' table might have the occasional hiccup due to the fireplace.

Before I went through with the purchase of my table, I used blue masking tape on an area rug and set up template outlines of 9' and 8' playing surfaces. This also allowed me to move my imaginary table around to best spot, and leave it there for the installer. to use as a guide.

Then I used a similar method as above with my cue to identify my problem areas. In my case both tables had areas affected at two opposing corners. One area by a diagonal wall and the other by an offset wall to my home office. In the end, I determined that the 9' footprint was only minimally more affected than the 8' table, so the decision was actually pretty easy and I went with the table size I really wanted. The corner shots only come into play maybe 2-5% of the time. I don't do any gambling or play league at home, so I can live with it. I have a shorty cue for those situations and it's just part of the game.
 
cue8chalk said:
So, I recently finished getting rid of a few walls to make room for a pool table. An 8 foot table would probably be the largest table that would fit pretty comfortably, but I kind of have my heart set on a 9 footer so that I can practice and maximize my potential improvement.

The space for the table is kind of awkwardly shaped in an open layout. The only really tight spot being where my fireplace is and for that corner, I'd definitely need to use a shorty cue.

Here's a diagram of the room. One part I forgot to put dimensions on is the depth of the bay window area, which is about 2 feet at it's deepest: https://www.dropbox.com/s/guwezbuyd8bvxg3/2015-11-25 11.37.54.jpg?dl=0

I'm looking to buy a used Olhausen, but I haven't seen many 9 footers go up for sale, so I've been getting antsy, re-considering the 8 foot option.

So my question is do you think I should be patient and wait for a 9 footer and deal with using the shorty stick in one of the corners? Or do you think I'd probably be happier on an 8 foot table even though it would be slightly less of a challenge (once I got better).

Also, is there anything else I should be considering that I haven't brought up already?
Click to expand...

ASK yourself what kind of pool tables you compete on. Are they 9 footers or Bar Boxes...? Since I play on Both, I chose an 8 footer, kinda wish that I had a cg\hose an 8+.... but that's hindsight. If you buy a furniture table, buy one with a good set of legs. Ball in Claw are not good stable tables.

If you put your locale on here, you'd have a lot of help in finding a great table...

Good Luck
 
Your graph paper diagrams are great. Did you cut out a to-scale pool cue and move it around the table with your hands to see how much it hits things?

I'm with the other guys, if all the table sizes will have a problem corner, maybe go with the biggest one. But if one table size is free and clear completely, then it might be better to go with that one.

The other thing to consider, is if you will have lots of play with serious players at your house. If its just you most of the time and a practice table, then no big deal. Or if your playing guests will be bangers, then no big deal. But if you plan to do competitive or gambling play with serious players, they will probably not go for any requirement to use a short stick, and will ask to play at the pool hall instead.
 
I posted 3 or so years ago about the detailed measurements I did to judge my table size. In short:

Don't trust any chart or web site telling you how much room you need. Do the calculation yourself. For example, an 8 foot table is 44"x88", playing area. Your cue (including the 1/2" bumper on the bottom) might be 58 1/2". Your backswing for when a ball is on the rail and you are shooting away from the rail, might be 4".

Perhaps un-necessary refinements:
However you will have the cue elevated so the horizontal space needed is actually the Cosine of the elevation angle, multiplied by the cue length, so you actually need a few inches less than you think. If you want to get even more fancy realize that when the CB is sitting on the shelf of the corner pockets, it's an inch or so away from where it would be if the playing surface were a rectangle.

Once you do the above, cut out a rectangle representing the playing surface + cue length + backswing. Does that cut-out fit on your to-scale drawing of the room? If so you are ready to go.

-Jeff
 
Here is a scaled model based on your dimensions for 8 ft. and 9 ft. tables with circles drawn in for a 58" cue with 4" stroking distance at the 4 corners. Dashed lines are 8 ft and solid lines are 9 ft.

With 8 ft table you could use a full cue (58") and have enough room for a 4" stroke everywhere. With a 9 ft. table you will have problems around the fire place and the one corner.

Note: Your two width measurements don't add up. 12'-0" + 10'-0" = 22'-0" does not equal 15'-4" + 7'-0" = 22'-4"

Kelly
 

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@gutshot, thanks for the detailed drawing with the cue + stroke. Btw, the reason those dimensions don't quite add up is because near the stairs I didn't really measure the 15'4" and 7' precisely to the same spot. It's negligible though, as you can see, the strokes would be close to the stairs, but wouldn't interfere.

Thanks everyone for the replies. Your advice is much appreciated. I did a very loose "fitting" marking off the table corners and walking around it with a pool cue, but I think I need to take some more precise measurements as suggested and find out *exactly* where the table would go and leave the markings for the table installer. After the first few replies, I was thinking I may need to settle for an 8', but I know if I can make a 9' work I'd be much happier in the long run.

The only downside for a 9' table is finding a used one that I like, and finding it at a decent price lol. 8' tables are a dime a dozen. Olhausens are anyway, which is primarily what I've been looking at.
 
What i did

This may sound odd, but it doesn't matter how big the table is. What matters is that you have room to take a long full stroke with your cue. For me with my 61 inch playing cues it is 6' to the nearest obstacle. I could probably get by with 5.5 feet. So whether it is 7, 8 or 9 foot you need to be able to have room for a long and level cue stroke.

You can measure or lay down masking tape and set up a couple of saw horses on the tape and lay a 2x4 on them and see how much room you need by stroking the cue on the surface of the 2x4.

I like a 9' table and the only 7 footer I have liked was a tight pocket Diamond. But, any table is better then no table, almost.
 
I just took measurements and laid down tape to mark off a 9' and 8' OS playing field. 9 would definitely require a shorty cue in the corners, but a 52" cue would probably do fine. 8' OS is tight but almost ideal with a 58" cue. Looking at the tape on the floor, an 8' OS table doesn't seem that far off from a 9' so I think I'll be shopping for both.

Thanks again for all the help everyone.
 
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