Does it EVER make sense for a pool hall to re-felt the table, but not re-level it?

[quadrary]

Whoah!!

The new cloth is gonna change the weight of the table enough to make it sink into the floor???????

And you can't level the table with the rails off?????????


WHERE IS THE REAL KING COBRA WHEN WE NEED HIM??????????


It looks to me like you sir, are the one with the lack of knowledge.

you are correct everything he posted is wrong. Unless the table is a diamond to properly level it all 3 pieces of slate are leveled independently. Yes it is correct to relevel when redoing the cloth.

 

[greyghost]

I've seen both processes but I'm not an expert. So I'm asking just to see if there's something obvious I'm overlooking.

My impression is that leveling is always done at the same time as re-felting. Maybe because it helps or makes sense to do it while the rails are off. But maybe that isn't required?

Is there any good mechanic who would voluntarily re-felt the cloth, then walk away and come back at a later date to do the leveling? Is there some reason that might make sense?

Basically I'm astounded that the pool hall with the worst equipment in northern VA refelted some of their tables but didn't bother leveling them at all. You can still watch a ball drift off six inches, in the same areas it did before.

Who runs a pool hall and spends money on the cloth, but doesn't give a shit about leveling it?
What mechanic walks away from a table knowing it plays like garbage?

BS like that is all too common.......hell the fast eddies here changes the cloth once every 3 years if i had to guess last time i seen new cloth......pot holes all over the place....and it rains in the building on the tables LMFAO.......

some people and businesses just have no care or issue with quality service or products for their customers.

-Grey GHost

 

[rayjay]

This is your answer. Tell the owner or manager that you are taking your business to room X and room Y because they keep their tables with decent cloth, cushions, clean, and level. Take your friends with you if you can, and make it known to acquaintances why you are splitting.

If the room owner / manager is aware of the problem, shown the problem, and does nothing, then they are not going to change their habits in the future. Play somewhere else.

They aren't fixing things, so I'm looking for a new room now.

Exactly. Sad but true.

 

[Jim Vondrell]

I completely relevel(frame and slates) with every recovery. My price includes it with no option to not considering every table needs it and i would never put new cloth on a table without it being level, glued and waxed(yes i like wax over bondo)

 

[realkingcobra]

I completely relevel(frame and slates) with every recovery. My price includes it with no option to not considering every table needs it and i would never put new cloth on a table without it being level, glued and waxed(yes i like wax over bondo)

Nothing is wrong with using wax instead of bondo if it's used right, that's a professional choice...but to not level the slates if needed is just wrong and very UN-professional work at it's worst.

Glen

 

[Jim Vondrell]

Nothing is wrong with using wax instead of bondo if it's used right, that's a professional choice...but to not level the slates if needed is just wrong and very UN-professional work at it's worst.

Glen

Absolutely. And it isnt that much extra time could be 20 mins could be an hour but not enough extra time to not do it. Unless you dont care and you probably wouldn't be able to get it level anyway.

 

[OneIron]

Leveling the pool table should always be a step taken during changing the cloth. Problem is that most table mechanic's only want paid to install the cloth and not do anything extra so they can get in and out of the job. If they do anything to level the table, it's mostly just adjusting the feet of the table to level the frame, but not the slates as that can take considerably longer...and don't feel that the location owner will pay extra for that level of work....so, it don't get done. Yes, you can level a pool table with the rails on or off, only problem is...unless the rails are off the mechanic can't level the slates as they need to be leveled with the rails and bed cloth off first in order to get to the slate screws used to mount the slate so they can be backed out to level the slates as needed.

Another problem is that most table mechanic's don't really know how to level the slates, so their mind set is like...."I didn't set the table up first, so I'm not going to take the slates apart and redo them in order to make the table level"....as they're really only there to install the cloth, get paid for that work....and get out the door to the next job.

When I change the cloth on a pool table....it don't matter what kind of table it is....I ALWAYS level the slates if needed, but yes I do charge extra for that...but that service is not an option to the owner of the pool table....meaning, I already checked the level of the slates and determined before the work starts...that the level of the slates is going to have to be corrected...so, when I get into the slates to level them right, that's when I determine how much extra the bill is going to be. If the owner don't want the slates leveled...because they don't care....then I don't care either right along with the owner....and leave, because it's not right to install new cloth....and NOT level the pool table(s).

Glen

Good post, If I were a table mechanic, checking the level would always be part of my price. Even if the customer says they don't want it leveled, it would reflect negatively on your work if you didn't. It's a matter of pride.

 

[derangedhermit]

The guys at the room said the table mechanic used a torch to level one table. I've never heard of this, but they seemed to know it is common practice. What is that about?

And while I'm asking, is it professional to ever change one cushion and leave the other old ones on? Or should they all be changed at once?

 

[CreeDo]

Cheers glen for chiming in, I knew this whole thing was fishy. I haven't been back to the place to see if they ever leveled the tables but I'm sure they'll be just as bad as before.

Hermit's answer is the one I like the most. I don't go to the place ever except for league, basically cuz I'm forced to. I do a bare minimum of practice before league, sometimes none at all, because playing on them is just not useful to my mental game or my stroke (basically it just pisses me off, not a good state before the match).

I was planning on writing a letter explaining my problem and seeing if I could hunt down an address to send it directly to the owner and manager. I don't want to play there ever again.

Unfortunately I'm not sure if I have the conviction to dump the place if it turns out there's only one reasonably close place to join a league with all my buddies, who do not plan on leaving. If my choices are league without friends, or league with friends and shitty equipment... I might just go with plan C and just skip league. Which is a damn shame. Well, not for my opponents I guess.

 

[realkingcobra]

The guys at the room said the table mechanic used a torch to level one table. I've never heard of this, but they seemed to know it is common practice. What is that about?

And while I'm asking, is it professional to ever change one cushion and leave the other old ones on? Or should they all be changed at once?

The torch is used to melt the wax used to fill the slate seams. Cushions should only be replaced in SETS, never just one at a time....ever

 

[realkingcobra]

Cheers glen for chiming in, I knew this whole thing was fishy. I haven't been back to the place to see if they ever leveled the tables but I'm sure they'll be just as bad as before.

Hermit's answer is the one I like the most. I don't go to the place ever except for league, basically cuz I'm forced to. I do a bare minimum of practice before league, sometimes none at all, because playing on them is just not useful to my mental game or my stroke (basically it just pisses me off, not a good state before the match).

I was planning on writing a letter explaining my problem and seeing if I could hunt down an address to send it directly to the owner and manager. I don't want to play there ever again.

Unfortunately I'm not sure if I have the conviction to dump the place if it turns out there's only one reasonably close place to join a league with all my buddies, who do not plan on leaving. If my choices are league without friends, or league with friends and shitty equipment... I might just go with plan C and just skip league. Which is a damn shame. Well, not for my opponents I guess.

The BEST way to send a message to the room owner...is to fix up just ONE pool table...correctly, that'll show how bad all the other tables really are...and create a waiting list to play on the ONE pool table only:grin: