Cue rack with gun sights

M

mikeiniowa

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I remember a few years ago seeing a wooden rack that had gunsights on the corners for aligning the rack consistently.
I'm having trouble finding something like that.

Any ideas?
 
Having been to more than a few ranges throughout the years, and seeing the targets from others shooting, I'm not so sure that gun sights would deliver anything that could be labeled as reproducible.
 
The Diamond racks have a notch or mark in the middle of the bottom row. The Diamond needs to be at the top and a line from the spot to the foot rail is helpful. I didn’t know this until recently but I quickly discovered I was not the only one. People have used them for years without knowing/ noticing.
 
I dont know why anyone would use a Diamond wood rack and not put the Diamond at the front. The Delta elites also have a notch to line up with the table centerline if your table is marked. I usually stand back and up a little when racking before removing the rack to see if it is square on the table, the increased height and distance make a little more obvious if the rack is crooked.
 
JPB2 said:
The Diamond racks have a notch or mark in the middle of the bottom row. The Diamond needs to be at the top and a line from the spot to the foot rail is helpful. I didn’t know this until recently but I quickly discovered I was not the only one. People have used them for years without knowing/ noticing.
Click to expand...
For perfect alignment, a small cross for the center of the back of the Diamond triangle plus two small straight lines on the left and right ends of the back are sufficient. That's much easier than drawing the whole outline. The cross along with the mark on the triangle gets left/right correct and the two lines ensure straightness and up/down position.
 
Is there any benefit to slightly tilt the rack playing one pocket?
And if so would this be cheating?
 
  • Wow
Reactions: bbb
yes tilting can be both beneficial or punishing depending on who is breaking and how he breaks. in all games. and it's cheating in many circles. in gambling it may or may not be as its up to the non-breaker to challenge any bad racks. as he is the ref.
in one pocket especially the balls react differently if the head ball is slightly forward or back off the divot of the spot.
 
Last edited:
measureman said:
Is there any benefit to slightly tilt the rack playing one pocket?
And if so would this be cheating
Click to expand...
If you tilt the rack and break into the thin side you are less likely to scratch.
If you break to the fat side you are more likely to scratch.
I do not know if or to what degree a tilt will affect the spread.
 
Last edited:
fastone371 said:
I dont know why anyone would use a Diamond wood rack and not put the Diamond at the front. The Delta elites also have a notch to line up with the table centerline if your table is marked. I usually stand back and up a little when racking before removing the rack to see if it is square on the table, the increased height and distance make a little more obvious if the rack is crooked.
Click to expand...
I drew the line from the spot to the rail like is used in 1P and straight pool. It gives no doubt that the rack is aligned. Works with template racks too. I wish the diamond plastic rack had a little notch on the inside of the rack, would make racking easier IMO. I may put a little paint pen dot on there someday.

EDIT: Forgot to mention I use a pink sharpie on tournament blue, you don't really see it unless you're using it to align balls. The contrast and color cause it to just kind of blend in and no be noticeable until you use it, then it's easy to see.
 
Last edited:
Bob Jewett said:
For perfect alignment, a small cross for the center of the back of the Diamond triangle plus two small straight lines on the left and right ends of the back are sufficient. That's much easier than drawing the whole outline. The cross along with the mark on the triangle gets left/right correct and the two lines ensure straightness and up/down position.
Click to expand...
I thought that the outline of the rack was for 14.1 so you could see if the last ball interferes with the rack and the players could easily identify an intruding ball? If a ball does interfere with the rack what do you do??
 
the whole idea of a wood rack is so the rack is not the exact same every time. this way no one can find a way to eliminate the luck or minimize greatly it on the break.
there should be no way to control the balls on the break which there is with these new racks.
 
fastone371 said:
I thought that the outline of the rack was for 14.1 so you could see if the last ball interferes with the rack and the players could easily identify an intruding ball? If a ball does interfere with the rack what do you do??
Click to expand...
Yes, and depending on which ball it is and some other things: into the kitchen; on the head spot; on the center spot; on the foot spot. There are lots of different cases. The rules describe them all.

Many rooms don't allow the line to be drawn. I played in a US Open 14.1 where the room owner forbid the proper marking of the table.
 
You could buy some Tritium night rifle sights, you know in case you ever want to play in total darkness
 
the rack and its exact position was never a major concern for a hundred or more years. until some players found out that with a special rack they could control some of the object balls. then pro pool changed dramatically when tournaments catered to those players.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top