First trip to Mechanicsville!

S

Schon shooter

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Hello all,

I am a new poster to AZ billiards. I have read loads of stuff on the site, mostly everything I can find from Glenn and Mark. I have always loved the game of billiards, been playing since I was, well ever since I can remember.

So I decided it was time to put a new pool table in the basement. Long story short, I found three Brunswick tables in a storage unit. So I bought all three sight unseen for $1500. That was risk number one. They did not come with bed cloth, but I was told they were in good shape otherwise.

It turns out I was not lied to. I now have three 9 foot Brunswick Centurion tables and all in very nice condition. With two exceptions, they need new cloth and the rails are shot. First I called around to Brunswick dealers and quickly realized they know nothing about billiards. I then called diamond and talk to my new best friend Phil Smith! Great guy by the way as is Aaron at the same place. I know have Black diamond K55 profile cushions, cushion facings and Simonis 860 on its way.

So here comes risk number two. I will be installing the cushions myself, at the pro cut dimensions of a diamond. Now, I know a bunch of people just cringed, but note I have done my homework and I am quite handy. I've truly believe I can do this. Plus, if I don't get it right the first time, I still have two more tables. LOL!

Here is the question, to anybody that has undertaken this project, what major unexpected hurdles have you come up against, I would appreciate hearing about them now. I have done my research, I know I will need to extend the rails, I know the cushions are 64th of an inch lower, I believe I can correct this by shimming the rail. I know of the 141° angle and 15° undercut. To end up with a 4.5 inch pocket opening. That will except balls like a dream, mainly because it doesn't have the longer shelf. Any advice, wisdom, or humorous anecdotes would be appreciated! Sorry this was so long!
 
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I finished my first set of rails this weekend (replaced old super speed with K55 Black diamonds), extended them by 3/8’’. Sorry this took longer than expected and I did think to take photos.

I want to say I changed the pocket angle to 141, but truth is I trued up the pocket angles to 141 degrees. They ranged from 138 to 142 on the Brunswick. I was pretty surprised to see the issues with the table when I took it apart, not sure if someone hacked on it before, or if this was from the factor. My guess is the later as the cushions looked original.

QUESTION… after thinking about the changed to 141 and 15 degrees, I decided not to change the down angle, I left this at 13 degrees. I have Brunswick Brazilian slate, thus NO deep shelf. I believe the 15 degree angle is to help feed the balls over the deep shelf of the diamond. Did I do right here???? I could shill shape the pocket facing to get the 15 degree angle if needed? Thoughts?
 
I have the exact same setup. I did the 15 degrees with 4" pockets. They're tight, but I can rifle a ball down the rail and it will fall. You may want to increase the shelf depth while you are at it. It will make the table a bit tougher and great for practice.

Best,
Mike
 
A few notes to people thinking about this project…

Measure your table before you take it apart. You need to know what size wood to buy too get the pocket opening you want! ¼, 3/8, ½, etc. before you remove the rails.

To put the plywood extensions on, I rough cut them a touch large, put them on with wood glue, and 9/16 inch staples to hold them. Left them over night and removed the staples in the AM. The 9/16 inch staples worked well as they did not seat completely with my electric staple gun, thus they were easy to remove. Shaped them to match the rails and achieve the 141 degree angle with a palm sander and files.

The biggest hurdle I found was cutting the diamond cushions, I finally found an old serrated knife in a drawer that worked decent, then finished the shaping with a belt sander which was quite large for the job, but shaped them well none the less. If you don’t have a belt sander or access to one, I have no idea how you would shape the vulcanized rubber cushions! A palm sander will not even scratch them.

If you ordered the pocket facing from Diamond (these are a good quality rubber much better than the extra set I ordered from Seybert's), you will need a VERY sharp knife to cut these! I used an extremely sharp top quality Hunting knife (this knife is sharp enough to cut a golf ball in half) to cut the rubber facing. A utility knife with a new blade MIGHT get the job done, I had one but the blade was a bit dull and of course the box of extras blades was empty, thus the knife was not up to the task. If you have the other ones that you get from other online retailers they cut quite easy.
 
Finally got the table done, this job was a lot of work! Pockets or little later than the 4.5 inch corners I was looking for. But maybe this was fate as the table plays great if you hit it well. Three balls lined up on the rail test hit hard dropped right in the corner. You must be precise though.
 
Nice! After you play on it for awhile, I'd like to know how the rails are working out for you. I used the Black Diamond rails a few years ago before they transitioned to the newer rails. :(

At first, everything banked about a quarter diamond short, but as time goes by, they seem to be getting a little better. Not right, but closer. I wondered if they changed the Black Diamond rails, too.

Best,
Mike
 
Today, I was shooting Bank shot's just to test the table. No cue ball just using the object, ball single ball Bank shot's. Shooting from the side pocket, two rail bank to the corner went right in when aiming one and a half diamonds from the side on the other rail. Hitting the center diamond Shoretrail took it right to the other corner. So short banks crosstable played great, I was having some trouble with the long banks. But that could just as easy being me as I have never played on a nine footer before. I will update again after I've played for a while on it and the rails are Broke in well.
 
If I use a little bit of speed, the rails really shorten up. Double banks are nowhere close.

Best,
Mike
 
Mike, sorry took so long, the table is at my dads house I only get up there a couple times a week. No room for it here at my place. So I tried a bunch of Bank shots tonight, I increased the speed and you are absolutely right. They shorten up substantially. The two rail bank to the corner that I talked about earlier is not possible with a harder stroke. If I really hit it, the ball actually reverses on the second rail. Now I am curious if the diamond tables play this way as well? Or is it just the Blackdiamond cushions when on another table?
 
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