dynamo leveling help

N

Nevik

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I'm hoping to get some help with a leveling problem with my table. It seems to roll great from the head rail to the side pockets, but the balls want to roll on the other side of the table. The balls roll from the foot rail to the side pokets and it tends to throw all slow rollers!:D I have taken pictures of a level on the table to help people who want to give advise. I can't figue out how to shim due to the way it sits in the table...any advise would be great! For the record when I moved it there was a few playing cards on some of the support rails that hold the slate, just need to find out where to place them to level her out!


Foot rail:
footrail.jpg


Middle of table:
middle.jpg


head rail:
headrail.jpg


The pool room:

CIMG1292.jpg
 
Last edited:
Read some of my posts, I speak directly about the problems of Dynamo tables. As I've already said, your table is swayback...the slate sags in the middle of the table...it's off on one end because the table is not leveled between the ends...one end is higher than the other end. Take the rails off, remove the slate, tape 4 thicknesses of cloth on both outside ends of the metal cross members and one pile each in the middles of them. Before you take the rails off...measure the height of the point of the cushions...you'll find out that they are below 1 7/16" of and inch above the slate. I tell you how to correct this problem in my other posts. After you shim up the slate, put it back together...and accept the fact you have a Dynamo coin-operated pool table! There's really nothing else you're going to be able to do to this table to make it level. If you find that getting the center pocket rail bolts to start bolting up because they won't line up...enlarge the bolt hole with a 3/8" drill bit in an oblong effect to get the rail bolt to line up with the rail t-nut. Once you raise the level of the slate...the rail is going to be higher than the laminate on the top rail by the side pockets...but flush on the end rails.

Glen
 
thank you for the reply, I have been finding your threads very helpful. I have ran across you rail thread and plan on using your techniques. As far as the table, I had it set up in a different room and thought moving it would fix the problem, but man it's a big difference between sides. When I installed it in this room I screwed the legs all hte way in and figured I would be able to adjust it once the slate was in.

When you say level the table, do you level the supports the slate sits on...one at a time or use a big level and lay it across both of them? Also, I don't have access to a bunch of extra felt...could I get felt like stuff at a fabric store, or shall I find some felt and use it. Sorry, I just want to try and get this table to play true... I don't want to have to get a different bar box, I assume the valley bar boxes are the same when it comes to leveling?

Thanks again
 
took the slate off last night!

frame.jpg


I tried a few different things last night...I used a few pieces of felt to make it level. It looked level without the slate...I put the slate on and still have table roll. I plan on getting the jack out tonight and going to town. I'm going to start with the legs and then move up to the supports. Those supports at the head and foot...do they need felt on them to?
 
Look, what I'm saying is place some kind of shims at the ends of the aluminum cross members closest to the top rails...that's where the cushions bolt back on. Placing shims in the middle of the cross members will do no good as they'll flex downward under the weight of the slate. Use one thickness of cardboard if you have to...to begin with. Make it as square as the cross member is wide. On the end slate supports, all you want to do with them is make sure the depth of the rail cap to the slate support is equal to the thickness of the slate and end rail combined. What's going to happen is the body of the table is going to stay swayback, and the slate is going to lay straight, and the slate is going to keep your rails straight to the slate. When you reinstall the end rails, they should be flush with the top rail laminate. The side rails are going to follow the level of the slate, which means they are going to start out flush with the corner pocket top rail laminate, then as they get closer to the side pocket, they are going to rise above the laminate in a straight line with the slate. How much above the laminate they end up being at the side pockets...is how far your table has sagged over time since it was first built...which just happens to be on the same day it was built at the Dynamo factory...because ALL Dynamos' sag in the middle. If you need to shim the slate even more...add another piece of cardboard to the first one...in all four places and check the level again from end to end. When you get done doing this...and the slate is level from end to end...you're NOT going to be able to start the rail bolt closet to the side pockets in any of the side rails...maybe not even the center bolts for that matter, so you're going to have to hog out the rail bolt holes until you can get the rail bolts to line up with the t-nuts in the rails. Make sure you start all 12 side rail bolts first before you're ready to tighten them down and secure the rails. This is all I have to say about this subject.

Glen
 
thank you so much for your time and experience!:D

Those felt pieces were there when I took the slate off...I put some felt on the ends where the supports bolt up to the table (like you mentioned) I just didn't post that pic. I'm definitely going to use this information tonight, and I'm sure I will be posting some follow up question.
 
FrameII.jpg



this is what you mean by "place some kind of shims at the ends of the aluminum cross members closest to the top rails" correct?


Thanks again!
 
Thank you Glen for all the help, you definitely, without a doubt, know your tables. I would have never been able to figure that out on my own, I'm so glad I found this site!


I leveled the table side to side last night, then I leveled from head to foot rail. Got her all level then put my shims in(4 pieces of cloth in the locations you told me). As I was doing it I was thinking man 4 pieces together is pretty think, should I just put two or three in, but I figured I would go with what you mentioned. DEAD ON, boy was I so excited :D , I have been playing on this table too long with this sag problem. Once again I can't thank you enough.

Now, I'm going to use your thread on the rails to try and dial them in:

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=50280

I would love to try and this table to play nice and true, and now it's starting to become a reality thanks to you. I bought a bar box because that is what I usually play on: leagues, touneys, etc. So I figured that would be perfect...then I seen this dynamo and thought it was unique...due to being black with little circle inlays for the diamonds. But know I know why you don't see much of them around!:mad:

I did find some shims in the table, I bet at one time they were used for this sag issue. I plan on looking into getting some new cloth and trying that next, but am going to hold off for a while because I like to use my jump cues at home :p. I'm afraid if I re-cloth I will have to ban jumping at the house :( .

There are a few other pictures I'm going to upload over the weekend that I noticed when I had the slate off: excess glue on slate, where the balls have been smacking the wood stops inside the table along the middle return, etc.

ohhh....hey Glen......THANKS AGAIN BUDDY!!!!:) :D
 
Finally, got some time for some follow-up pictures of my tear down in hopes to get a level table....so far so good, but here are some of my upcoming projects on this table to make her a nice home table!

Take a look at where the ball stops on the ball return located in the middle of the table...I decided to glue a couple pieces of cloth on there to help lighten the blow. I would like to put some sound deadening material in the table to make it quieter while playing, but have to do some research on it first. The right middle of that piece is all worn down where the ball has been smacking:
ballstop.jpg


Eventually I plan on refelting, once I get some extra cash and knowledge on rail recovery(waiting for the release of king cobra's dvd:D ). Here is a pic of the slate, take a look at all that extra not needed glue:eek: :
slate.jpg


SlateII.jpg
 
Now, down to the rails...they play great and it looks as though they aren't all stapled up:)

RailII.jpg


RailIII.jpg


what kind of cloth do you think that is? It plays great, with a decent speed to boot.

Here is the after pic of one of the rails after I shimmed in hopes to get them to a proper level. I still need to do more drilling and reaise a few spots a little more, but I couldnt resist putting it back together and palying some pool!

This is by the side pocket, you can see how it's slightly raised just a bit and needs to go just a bit higher:

railIV.jpg


Here is by the corner pocket, all nice and flush!

RailV.jpg
 
As I said before, if you level the slate from end to end, the rails will come up above the laminate, the body of the table is still swayback. You can not correct this problem with the rails, as it's a fact of the table design. All Dymamo's suffer from this same problem, might as well throw in Valleys and Globals into that same problem as well.

Glen
 
What is the best way to get the rails to the right height? Using shims behind the rail or raising them a bit by drilling out the holes....I was thinking a combonation of the two, which would result in the rails being a little bit higher than they already are.
 
Shim the rails to get the point of the cushions up to the right height, then drill the bolt holes in order to get the rail bolts started. Make sure you have all the rail bolts started loose first on each rail before you start to tighten them down.

Glen
 
thanks again, if your ever come around the IL area...please let me know, I would love to go out for a few drinks or a few games of pool with ya!:D
 
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