Brunswick Table Problems...

DaHo Player

DaHo Player

Retired Student of Pool.
I have a new house with 2 year old Brunswick 8' table with 1" slate. I ended up having supporting braces installed under the house for the table after having some leveling issues. The problem is that if the table is bumped much at all, the seams in the slate will 'adjust' causing uneven seams. I can usually get them to 'return' by more bumping, but I have never had a table that didn't have a firm, solid bed that had any of these types of problems before. I am assuming that mine is not the only Brunswich that has such problems and was wondering if there is a fix to somehow add support to the bed/frame to firm it up?

Thanks, in advance for all your advice.

Lanny
 
DaHo Player said:
I have a new house with 2 year old Brunswick 8' table with 1" slate. I ended up having supporting braces installed under the house for the table after having some leveling issues. The problem is that if the table is bumped much at all, the seams in the slate will 'adjust' causing uneven seams. I can usually get them to 'return' by more bumping, but I have never had a table that didn't have a firm, solid bed that had any of these types of problems before. I am assuming that mine is not the only Brunswich that has such problems and was wondering if there is a fix to somehow add support to the bed/frame to firm it up?

Thanks, in advance for all your advice.

Lanny
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There is a product that can help slate popping. Jeez... my geezer memory can't find it in my head. It's stored on a drive that is not accessable at this time :rolleyes: Do a search for slate popping or popping slate. Somebody will remember the stuff I'm talking about. It worked great for me.. whatever it was:o
 
The problem with your table is not the floor, it's whoever set it up. If a table is set up right, the seams will NOT come apart bumping it or not. Some of the slate screws must be striped out, because in order for your slate seams to move or change like you described, they're not holding down the slate firmly. And, had the outside edges of the slate seams been super glued together, loose screws or not...they wouldn't come apart.

Glen
 
realkingcobra said:
The problem with your table is not the floor, it's whoever set it up. If a table is set up right, the seams will NOT come apart bumping it or not. Some of the slate screws must be striped out, because in order for your slate seams to move or change like you described, they're not holding down the slate firmly. And, had the outside edges of the slate seams been super glued together, loose screws or not...they wouldn't come apart.

Glen
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Glen,

The slate is not screwed down to a base on this table, I don't think - which is the basis of the problem. The bottom sides are slanted and rest on the legs. There are crossmembers attached to the slanted side rails that the slate seams rest on. So, the 'strength' of the slate 'base' is from the corners and the cross members attached to the base side rails and there is obviously some flexiblity in it all. The guy that installed the table is the local expert, but this is DaHo... He had all the right equipment and does a lot of tables. The problem is that this design seems to have 'flexibility' in it, that is not solid enough to hold it all together firmly when bumped or nugged.

All my other tables have basically been a solid base frame, with varying amounts of artistic flash, to put the slate on and bolt the rails onto the slate. This one has no solid base frame. If it was some lessor named table, I would figure it got what I paid for, but this was a new Brunswick and wasn't cheap...

I was assuming that this is not the only 'issue' with this design and would have been dealt with before and hopefully, there was some known way to fix it. I am not sure if more bolts on the cross members or supports on the side frame rails, or what is needed, but something is not working right.

I hope this helps...
 
If this is a 3 piece slate table...it'll be the first table in 24 years that I've been a technician that didn't screw down to something in order to mount it one way or another. If it's an undersized 8ft slate, the rail bolts won't go through the slate and the slate will just sit in a frame with wood around it...but it'll still have some sort of screws that still mount it...I would think? Never the less...if I can level a 3 piece slate laid out on 2 x 4's and super glue them together and they won't come apart at the seams...your slate/table is still not set up right.

Include some pictures of your table and lets get down to the bottom of this problem. The model of the table would be helpfully as well. I'm not familiar with as many different kinds of home table models as a lot of people on here are...but I do know pool tables

Brunswick may make some real cheap pool tables in their lower lineup, but they don't build stupidly designed tables, I can assure you of that.

Glen
 
I have done hundreds of brunswicks, from top to bottom of line. I have never seen one of their frames, when set up properly, have any amount of slop or travel. The Corner Supports holding the frame might not be tightened enough, the cross support brackets may not be tight. Legs are a common culprit on Brunswick tables due to their lack of quality supporting system. The Problem with Brunswick is that you have to pay attention to detail with all there hardware and such. I'm not saying whoever did your table was inadequate. I am just saying I have seen a lot of problems soley caused by improper techniques or simply rushing.
 
NineBallNut said:
I have done hundreds of brunswicks, from top to bottom of line. I have never seen one of their frames, when set up properly, have any amount of slop or travel. The Corner Supports holding the frame might not be tightened enough, the cross support brackets may not be tight. Legs are a common culprit on Brunswick tables due to their lack of quality supporting system. The Problem with Brunswick is that you have to pay attention to detail with all there hardware and such. I'm not saying whoever did your table was inadequate. I am just saying I have seen a lot of problems soley caused by improper techniques or simply rushing.
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I second that.

Glen
 
NineBallNut said:
I have done hundreds of brunswicks, from top to bottom of line. I have never seen one of their frames, when set up properly, have any amount of slop or travel. The Corner Supports holding the frame might not be tightened enough, the cross support brackets may not be tight. Legs are a common culprit on Brunswick tables due to their lack of quality supporting system. The Problem with Brunswick is that you have to pay attention to detail with all there hardware and such. I'm not saying whoever did your table was inadequate. I am just saying I have seen a lot of problems soley caused by improper techniques or simply rushing.
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realkingcobra said:
I second that.

Glen
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Thanks for the input... You are probably both right. It never did make any sense to me why a company like Brunswick would manufacture a table that wasn't a good functional design. I mean its only design criteria for the slate bed is to be stable - and look pretty... I know he 'leveled' it by putting wedges and ultimately playing cards under the cross members. Can I now just tighten everything up when its playing good? This is Idaho and that guy is the only local person that does these tables that I know of...
 
really, the only way to fix it and make it right permanently is to break it down and totally start from scratch. If it's a frame where the sides of the frame slant inward then the corner trim peices have to come off to access the bolts. The crossmember bolts that secure to the frame cannot be accessed without pull the the cross supports. Even if the frame and legs are not the culprit, then that means as Glen stated earlier that the slate is not secured well enough. That will still require a breakdown to be fixed correctly. Hope this helps!
 
I didn't have the heart to say that as I know Idaho doesn't have much in the way of technicians...LOL...but thanks for reading my mind.

Glen

PS. You might try giving the guy that set the table up a call, letting him know he kinda didn't do the job right, and would he come back out and finish it.
 
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DaHo Player said:
Twin Falls - the lower central part of the state
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Who set up your table? This company?
Professional Pool Table Service
850 Filer Avenue West, Twin Falls, ID 83301
(208) 539-0850
(810) 277-6398 (fax)


If they don't use the same people as above, you might be able to call and find out who recovers their pool tables.
The Pocket
1532 Kimberly Road, Twin Falls, ID 83301
(208) 733-9676

Glen
 
Glen,

I will check on who is the Professional Pool Table Service. I am not aware of any such current service at that location.

Also, I play in two different leagues and weekly tournments at The Pocket and the owner does the maintenance there. I can talk to him also.

The guy that did the initial setup from the local Brunswick dealer, actually came back and redid it once. The house is was new also, and I thought it was from the floor 'adjusting' to the table. I had under house supports installed and he came back and releveled it. I really didn't figure out what was going on with it until later on and the local table dealer is gone.

I see you are from WA state. The guy who did the installation was Joe Auth. I don't know if you know him or not, but my understanding is that he does a lot of tables all over the northwest.

Its been a couple of years now and I will just probably have it recovered if they have to tear into it. Its still in great shape, but faded. It is covered in 'championship' cloth, I think that was the name... I have always used Simonios (sp)860, but I was talked out of it as all the tables you play on up here use this other cloth and its good to stay with the same surface since I play on a lot of tables around here.

I found the receipt and the table is a 2004 Ltd. Ed. Maple Bradford 8'. The next line says '30/30 Tour Edition' which I am not sure if that is more table stuff, or the cloth specs...

FYI,

Lanny
 
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The other problem that occurs with those tables is the holes where the slate screws in gets chewed up and cannot be secured again properly without some work. I've seen that a lot with thier tables. They use very soft wood on their upper frame. Still, any good mechanic should be able to button that up for ya.
 
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