"Antique" Diamond Ball Polisher

R

RobM

Member
I am going to build a Diamond "like" two platter pool ball polisher to match my grandfather's 110+ year old antique pool table. The table was made in my hometown of Buffalo, New York by William Dethloff. I have the matching ball rack, cue rack, a brass table light (that will be hung eventually), chairs and spitoons.

My goal is to make a polisher that will blend in with my decor but function as well as a Diamond. I want to give credit right away to Scott (rexus31) for his help in sourcing all the parts and pieces I need to complete this project (and answering my endless questions), and Glen (realkingcobra) for his beautiful original design. As they say, imitation is the highest complement. I am not building this to save money. Quite the opposite, this will end up costing me far more in materials (anyone bought oak planks lately?) and time than buying a brand new Diamond polisher but with Scott as my inspiration I thought I'd give it a try.

Let me start out by saying I am an amature pool player and an amature wood worker. I am always happy to receive constructive feedback but have no interest in dealing with some of the nonsense that Scott had to on his thread (grammer police, arguments about the design and spiraling of the balls, etc.) Lets all be friendly!!!!!!

I thought I'd start out showing everyone my baby....
Table2.jpg


I will be building the polisher out of 3/4" oak panels and staining it to match the table as closely as possible. I am thinking of maybe making it into a bench with a lift up lid but not sure of that yet though.

Here is the mechanical deck....
IMG_7238.jpg


I worked up the design in Autodesk Fusion. Here is a link if you are interested. https://a360.co/3Vjf11B

I'll post more photos shortly.

Rob
 
Steve, I’m not sure I want to tackle it but was thinking of a dark brown padded leather seat cushion, maybe a hammered nail head border, never done leather work before but might give it a try.
 
So the next installment of how to build a really expensive polisher;)

I bought a lot of 1"x12" oak planking and an equal length of 1"x8" planking. Home depot will sell it by the foot but Lowes will not. Home Depot got the business and even cut the planks down to a more managable length for transport.
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Grain matching the planks before gluing.

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Gluing up the panels. The painters tape at the joint helps keep the glue from causing issues when you apply stain.

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After the tape was removed. (Not the same panel but you get the idea.)
 
RobM said:
Steve, I’m not sure I want to tackle it but was thinking of a dark brown padded leather seat cushion, maybe a hammered nail head border, never done leather work before but might give it a try.
Click to expand...
Send the seat board out to an upholsterer.
 
You guys that can fabricate stuff and make it look good just piss me off. I've tried, but all my projects end up looking like they were completed by a child. Looking forward to seeing your progress.
 
Thanks everyone, but it’s not done yet. We’ll see how it looks when it’s done. Hopefully it won’t be a bust.
 
IMG_7314low.jpg


I've started gluing up the case for the polisher. Despite my best efforts when picking out the boards some of them had a bit of cupping. My solution has been to clamp them flat with an accessory board (tall vertical board on the front left of the case and the iron pipe on the right side) before gluing them to the legs. The glue joint, once set, should hold them mostly flat.
Hopefully the joints hold over the long haul...
 
RobM said:
View attachment 763315

I've started gluing up the case for the polisher. Despite my best efforts when picking out the boards some of them had a bit of cupping. My solution has been to clamp them flat with an accessory board (tall vertical board on the front left of the case and the iron pipe on the right side) before gluing them to the legs. The glue joint, once set, should hold them mostly flat.
Hopefully the joints hold over the long haul...
Click to expand...
Looking good! I recommend some screwed and glued 1" x 1" furring strips at the inside corners for added structure. Glue may not be enough to keep it together when it's operational and vibration is transferred from the motor running.
 
I wouldn't trust glue alone to hold a cupped board straight over time. I probably would go even bigger than 1x1 backing boards if there is room. You might even put a 1x1 or so backing in the middle of the long sides if there is room.
 
Yes, I’ve already thought of that and will be placing 1x1’s in the corners to hold the mechanical deck in place. But will be using glue and a nail gun to secure them.
 
RobM said:
Yes, I’ve already thought of that and will be placing 1x1’s in the corners to hold the mechanical deck in place. But will be using glue and a nail gun to secure them.
Click to expand...
I would use screws from the inside, piloted and countersunk. Much more secure. Once the deck is installed, you'll never see them.
 
Sorry to say, no……no updates. We are having all of the bathrooms in the house remodeled at once and let’s just say it’s going to be a while😡
 
But as I’m thinking about it, anyone have thoughts on 1/4” vs 1/2” self adhesive neoprene rubber on top of the platters and under the microfiber bonnets?
 
RobM said:
But as I’m thinking about it, anyone have thoughts on 1/4” vs 1/2” self adhesive neoprene rubber on top of the platters and under the microfiber bonnets?
Click to expand...
Personally, I think the half inch isn't needed. You aren't dropping the balls on the platter. IIRC, Diamond doesn't use any padding, just the carpet.
 
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