Advice on max. table size for room...

Don't get anything bigger than a bar box

Howdy-

I really could use some advice on the maximum size of pool table I can fit in my basement. The usable dimensions are 17.83 feet X 15.20 feet (17'10" X 15' 2-1/2" for the non-surveyors :D).

-Measly

Dude, if you put anything bigger than a 3 1/2 by 7 bar box in your basement, you'll be shooting pool like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7enkHIEkKZ8

I speak from years of experience shooting pool in a game room that was too small for my 8 foot pool table. I speak from years of experience playing pool on a big table in a small room. It's a miserable experience to play pool in a room that's too small to accommodate your pool table and having to use a little short stick to avoid hitting a wall or some obstacle.

You barely have room to comfortably accommodate a bar box. The minimum size room to comfortably accomodate a bar box is 13 X 17. That gives you 5 feet of usable space on each side of the pool table so you should have just barely enough room to not run into a wall on any shot with a 58" standard length cue, unless you take a long back swing then you might need a slightly shorter cue for these shots. You also have to take into consideration the width of your stance when shooting a shot where the cue ball is frozen on a rail. If you have a wide stance like I do, your back foot will likely run into a wall with your normal stance, and you'll have to narrow your stance uncomfortably for these shots.
 
I think I'll change the orientation...

...of the table by 90 degrees. I would have fewer obstacles to deal with since the "short" dimension actually opens up to well beyond 19 feet. I really need to provide a drawing of what the room looks like and do some more math- both (hopefully) to follow.

FWIW, I tried creating a PDF drawing of the room with my surveying software yesterday but I messed up on the plotting settings... maby I'll try it to-day.
 
Now if I could figure out...

...a way to attach or display a PDF-

Spinning the table 90 degrees is definitely the answer IMO! The one issue I wind up with is in the NE corner where a short stick would definitely be required. I wind up with 3.91 feet of clearance from the NE corner of the table to a room corner. This iteration gives me 70" (58"+12") around the south and west sides, no problem at all on the north and east sides with the exception of that one nasty corner.

I think since I've been on vacation for two weeks that my brain is 90 degrees out-of-phase and both brain cells went for a walk and one pushed the other over the waterfall...
 
AOS_poolroom-Drawing1.png


The circle is a 70" radius about point #15. As I mentioned earlier, there is 3.91 feet between #8 and #15 with this iteration. Pretty tight here.

There is 5.66 feet between #3 and #14. The 1.64' on the far west is a "bench" in front of a never-used fireplace.

If I do go this route I'll have the kitchen at the east end, IMO this would be better but any and all suggestions are appreciated.

This just might be do-able...??!!
 
AOS_poolroom-Drawing1.png


The circle is a 70" radius about point #15. As I mentioned earlier, there is 3.91 feet between #8 and #15 with this iteration. Pretty tight here.

There is 5.66 feet between #3 and #14. The 1.64' on the far west is a "bench" in front of a never-used fireplace.

If I do go this route I'll have the kitchen at the east end, IMO this would be better but any and all suggestions are appreciated.

This just might be do-able...??!!

That one corner is your only problem. It will come into play I assure you, but not too often. Just make sure you break toward the bench, so most of the play is on the other end of the table. Too bad you can't cut a diagonal piece out of it, about one foot deep.
 
Indeed, I wish I could. But it's part of the concrete foundation and that particular section is holding up a longitudinal beam! Oh, well...

Overall it seems likely to me that- even though the obstruction in that corner is not insignificant- the advantages of having a nine-footer or even an oversize eight-footer versus a small bar box outweigh the drawbacks.
 
Indeed, I wish I could. But it's part of the concrete foundation and that particular section is holding up a longitudinal beam! Oh, well...

Overall it seems likely to me that- even though the obstruction in that corner is not insignificant- the advantages of having a nine-footer or even an oversize eight-footer versus a small bar box outweigh the drawbacks.

Then by all means, GO FOR IT! :thumbup:
 
Looks do-able on paper. Is that an oversized 8' table you have the dimensions for?

It should be for a nine-footer- 8.33 feet is 100 inches and 4.16 feet is 50 inches. There might be some way to set my software to dimension in feet/inches but for surveying work we use decimal feet.

OT but a few years ago in our office where I work we had a VERY penny-pinching secretary who did the ordering for us. We had to order some new handheld tapes so I explained to her that they were cheaper because they only had ten inches to a foot instead of twelve! By George if she didn't order the wrong tapes... GRRR!
 
It should be for a nine-footer- 8.33 feet is 100 inches and 4.16 feet is 50 inches. There might be some way to set my software to dimension in feet/inches but for surveying work we use decimal feet.

OT but a few years ago in our office where I work we had a VERY penny-pinching secretary who did the ordering for us. We had to order some new handheld tapes so I explained to her that they were cheaper because they only had ten inches to a foot instead of twelve! By George if she didn't order the wrong tapes... GRRR!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the 100" x 50" measurement represents the playable surface of the table. When you include the rails and frame of the table, the measurements should come out to 9' x 4.5' ... Like I said, this could be wrong, and if so, I will re-insert my head into my rectum :p
 
As far as I know you are 100% correct. Length of potential cue stroke is what I used for my constraining factor.
 
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the 100" x 50" measurement represents the playable surface of the table. When you include the rails and frame of the table, the measurements should come out to 9' x 4.5' ... Like I said, this could be wrong, and if so, I will re-insert my head into my rectum :p


Sorry Marksman, but you're right and wrong. 50" x 100" is the playing surface and the most important measurement for Measle Ball. The overall size of the table varies by make, but is larger than 4.5' x 9'. Not so much on some tables, but about 6" by 12" is average, making the overall dimensions about 5' x 10'. This measurement is important when designing a pool room.
 
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Sorry Marksman, but you're right and wrong. 50" x 100" is the playing surface and the most important measurement for Measle Ball. The overall size of the table varies by make, but is larger than 4.5' x 9'. Not so much on some tables, but about 6" by 12" is average, making the overall dimensions about 5' x 10'. This measurement is important when designing a pool room.

Got it, thanks Jay!
 
I would also like to thank Jay and the rest of you folks for the advice given. I really do appreciate it!

Thanks again.

I reckon a nine-foot table it is!!!!!!!!!
 
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