Finished instructions for installing and leveling 3-piece slates

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book collector

book collector

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Leveling a 3 piece slate

Thanks Glen, I have been going nuts trying to level my GC3 , I am now looking forward to working on it again with this new knowledge.
 
kybill9

kybill9

Banned
realkingcobra said:
Yes, the longer the level, the more it averages the reading of the slate, meaning the less transparent the highs and lows of the slate, or the hills and valleys if you will. To long, and the level works like a bridge over a swayback slate, or rocks on a high spot.

Glen
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That could explain why I had trouble with my eight foot level.
 
G

gmillioni

AzB Silver Member
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glen, glen, glen

i'm deflated. my hope is fading. will you come to memphis? my brunswick regina needs you. gerald 901 412 9618
 
JC

JC

Coos Cues
gmillioni said:
i'm deflated. my hope is fading. will you come to memphis? my brunswick regina needs you. gerald 901 412 9618
Click to expand...

Although Glen did an excellent job of explaining how to level three pieces of slate and I would never argue that technique as having nice results. You can achieve this with a lot less work and fuss. Note: I am not a "Pool table" mechanic and what I don't know is a lot. A whole lot. But I am a machinist and know about leveling a variety of things to small tolerances. Make sure the frame is level just as outlined by Glen. Then level the center slate more or less as described. Once you have the center slate leveled, assuming you have made certain the frame isn't sagging in the center and the ends of the other slate's wont be above that grade on the ends then use a thin 6' straight edge. Make the seams exactly flush with the center slate edges and they will have no choice but to be level too as you have made the center slate. Use your straight edge and run it out to the ends of the other two slates with about two feet of it on the center slate and you can use your eye to see light under and level the end slates. When they are running on the exact plane as the center slate, you will have three level pieces and a nice playing surface. You will usually see some visible dips and high spots but this will allow you to level the slate pretty much to it's capable tolerances. Balls will never roll off and what more do you want? Again, Glen is a master and I am a hack. I'm only talking about leveling of the three pieces of slate. Not overall pool table mechanics. I can't even stretch cloth properly but I sure can make a level surface. Done it many times.
 
realkingcobra

realkingcobra

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Silver Member
metmot said:
Although Glen did an excellent job of explaining how to level three pieces of slate and I would never argue that technique as having nice results. You can achieve this with a lot less work and fuss. Note: I am not a "Pool table" mechanic and what I don't know is a lot. A whole lot. But I am a machinist and know about leveling a variety of things to small tolerances. Make sure the frame is level just as outlined by Glen. Then level the center slate more or less as described. Once you have the center slate leveled, assuming you have made certain the frame isn't sagging in the center and the ends of the other slate's wont be above that grade on the ends then use a thin 6' straight edge. Make the seams exactly flush with the center slate edges and they will have no choice but to be level too as you have made the center slate. Use your straight edge and run it out to the ends of the other two slates with about two feet of it on the center slate and you can use your eye to see light under and level the end slates. When they are running on the exact plane as the center slate, you will have three level pieces and a nice playing surface. You will usually see some visible dips and high spots but this will allow you to level the slate pretty much to it's capable tolerances. Balls will never roll off and what more do you want? Again, Glen is a master and I am a hack. I'm only talking about leveling of the three pieces of slate. Not overall pool table mechanics. I can't even stretch cloth properly but I sure can make a level surface. Done it many times.
Click to expand...

I appreciate your birds eye view on leveling slates, what I wrote about leveling slates was to try and help out the DYI table owners as there is nothing in writing anywhere else on this subject to be found. There is a lot more to leveling slates than even you can imagine, which is why I chose to write a more simplified way...as opposed to the low-low leveling system I use myself, which is not for the faint to try:grin:

Glen
 
JC

JC

Coos Cues
realkingcobra said:
I appreciate your birds eye view on leveling slates, what I wrote about leveling slates was to try and help out the DYI table owners as there is nothing in writing anywhere else on this subject to be found. There is a lot more to leveling slates than even you can imagine, which is why I chose to write a more simplified way...as opposed to the low-low leveling system I use myself, which is not for the faint to try:grin:

Glen
Click to expand...

There's a lot more to almost everything than I can imagine. That's why I imagine things as simply as I can and learn from there. And you're right, the reason I came to my conclusions is because there are scarcely written instructions to be found so I simply had to figure it out, right or wrong. My response was to the guy who your tutorial brought DIY despair, not as a criticism of any kind.:smile: Had I had the resource of this thread first I may never even have gotten my straight edge involved. Being new to this forum I see you share your experience and knowlege here selflessly which I admire. Your pictorial thread here on fixing up the GC2 with the rail extensions was awesome. I would like to purchase any DVD's you have produced. Where and how may I do this? Thanks,

John
 
matteroner

matteroner

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
metmot said:
There's a lot more to almost everything than I can imagine. That's why I imagine things as simply as I can and learn from there. And you're right, the reason I came to my conclusions is because there are scarcely written instructions to be found so I simply had to figure it out, right or wrong. My response was to the guy who your tutorial brought DIY despair, not as a criticism of any kind.:smile: Had I had the resource of this thread first I may never even have gotten my straight edge involved. Being new to this forum I see you share your experience and knowlege here selflessly which I admire. Your pictorial thread here on fixing up the GC2 with the rail extensions was awesome. I would like to purchase any DVD's you have produced. Where and how may I do this? Thanks,

John
Click to expand...

the thing is ...if you follow the directions your table will be level....trust me I was going through the steps ...and was like this is redundant or why the heck am doing this .....but I followed exactly and the results were perfect ....so there may be easier and quicker ways of doing it ...but this is an easy to follow manual ...and you can't argue with the results.

I think your system with the straight edge would work great if the slates themselves were flat and true ...but they are not ....so a method that takes the average flatness is what you need and I think this is what this system achieves ..
 
J

janaka

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Fantastic write up.
I've got a 9' Brunswick Metro Tournament table waiting to be setup and I think with this kind of instruction I can undertake the assembly.

Can you please send me the file to : brantford_swp@yahoo.ca ?

Greatly appreciated.

Jason
 
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