Gandy BigG Ball Return and pocket Questions

M

march11934

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hello all,
I have a black 9' Big G Gandy at my house and so far has served me well. I have been searching this site for info about ball returns for Gandys and have not found anything yet. I have noticed that they are not very well liked. Oh well, for the money it has Italian slate and rolls straight.
I do have two questions.
1 - The table is a drop pocket table and originally being form NY this is killing me. I have been searching for a rail return system for this table with no luck. Any ideas where I can find one?
2 - I noticed the pockets that the table came with don't tuck into the rail and have seen pics that do. Kind of like the way the Brunswicks do. I have a feeling this is not set up properly and would like to correct that as well. Looking for suggestions on the proper pockets and how they should look.
Would post pics if anyone is interested.
Thanks in advance for you time.
 
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Set up properly the big g can be a good playing table. As far as your return
goes, the gandy return is different from the brunswick gold crown. On the g.c the ball is funneled onto the return by a gully boot. You are right, the boot sorta tucks onto the track. on the gandy, you do not have a gully boot but a liner. A liner is usually 4 or so inches tall and the circumfence of the pocket. The ball will hit the liner then fall directly onto the track on a gandy. With the boot system i believe you get less balls jumping out the
pocket. As far as finding one maybe post in the wanted section here.
Good luck!
 
Thanks for the reply scruffy.
I currently have a ball return system that is a generic type. It works ok but I really like this table and would prefer having it set up correctly. The ball return is something i built and fits up into the pool table. It took two prior attempts before I finally got it right. My dad was a carpenter and cabinet maker and I followed that career for a while. I can make things out of wood. The return is mounted using the two original holes in the cross rail so the table was not altered in any way. I figure once i get my hands on a proper return i can fit the return to work with the rails. But as of th the return box looks like it came with the table. Same angles and over all shape. Looks nothing like the ones that the Gandy's came with. More like the Brunswicks with the box dropping straight down.
 
I have the pockets with gulleys for the Gandys, and might still have the original ball returns as well. I'll have to dig around and see.
I also have the ball counters and corner castings and various other things for them.
And an extra set of pinned slate from one if you want that,too!lol
All of the returns that I had were a fiberglass tube more or less cut in half with rubber runners down the inside to run the ball and rubber line running down the edges. SUPER FAST AND QUIET!!!
Rubber pockets with rubber extentions to reach into the ball return tubes.
And Reybestos rubber that never seemed to wear out.
I think there is still some of that left,too since I have alot of different rails stocked up for some reason.
Great tables if you get certain models, less than desireable if you get others, just like with alot of other things out there.
You can get ahold of me or N10Spool if you have any questions or are looking for any parts or something.
Not all of the Big G's were interchangeable with parts like railblinds and corner castings. There were a couple of different models that were about half an inch to an inch different in length on the blinds, so they had different attachments for the corners. You had to modify them if you wanted to mix them up.
 
Hey Cuephoric, I will take a few photos and post them to see if we can ID what table it is. As I understand, it came from a local hall after they upgraded to Brunswicks. The previous owner bought it from the hall and later decided that it just didn't fit the home. I would be interested in return system and the pockets. What ever is needed for the whole kit. I would like to try and stick with the current ball box that I have but i guess we'll see.
 
Hey Guys,
Here is a few shots of the table I have. If there are any returns anyone may have available I would be interested. Please note that the ball return box is something I made myself. There were two 1/2inch holes along the beam that I used to bolt the box to the table. No tables were hurt in the production of this project.:smile:
 

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That's a good looking table. Definitely one of the best Big G Gandy tables I have seen. The ball box does fit the style quite well and looks good. Good luck to you finding the ball return like you are looking for. It sounds like Cuephoric may have just what you need!
 
johnf_34 said:
That's a good looking table. Definitely one of the best Big G Gandy tables I have seen. The ball box does fit the style quite well and looks good. Good luck to you finding the ball return like you are looking for. It sounds like Cuephoric may have just what you need!
Click to expand...

JohnF, Thanks for the compliments on the table! I am very happy to have it.

Cuephoric, can you give me an idea on availability of the parts necessary for a complete ball return? I hope the pics are good enough to ID the table model.

Thanks all.
 
I think your table is from the early mid 80's unless you have pinned slates. Also it looks like you have the longer blinds with the coner miters that pinch on with a metal piece bent like a wierd "w" as a clamp usually 2 per corner miter. Your legs on the table should have 4 bolts 2 on each side and the strecher bar was made of real plywood, thier cheaper model only used 1 bolt on each side and used particle board for the stretcher bar to add to the stability of the table. Most table were made of Mahogany frames with Mahogany rails and a few used Poplaur or Alder wood make the rails. Looks like you have I think the thinner castings that acually took a shine better or they chrome plated them.

If your table uses 4 bolts per leg Cuephoric and I have the orginal frames and ball returns that should be able to drop in or swap out frame tops and reuse your old legs. Only you would need to change is our ball boxes are covered in walnut or dark mahogany formica laminate. You would just need to relaminate in black or epoxy paint to recolor it.

Down side were in Sacramento California but we all know people with big trucks that bring you the parts.

Craig Herman
916-825-2036
 
I did a lot of work for Gandy living in Ga.I don't work on tables often anylonger but If I recall the Big G blinds where straight and the Hustler had the blinds that are tapered in like your picture's shows.The Gandy Big lable on the end of your table was used on the Sportsman,Big G and Hustler tables.
 
OK after having read your replies and went under the table to confirm your descriptions, this is what I have found.
Don't know about the pinned slates. Not sure what that is. I would need a batter explanation of that as I did see the table go together so I might recognize it. The slates do have an OSI sticker on them.
The W clamps are correct. That is how the corners are connected to the skirts.
There are 2 per corner.
The legs are bolted to the table 2 bolts per corner. Yes the cross box is made of plywood and bolted with 2 bolts per end. So I guess it is the better of the two models.
Looks like everything you mentioned I was able to confirm on this table. I am happy with the black laminate as it matches with some of the stuff in the room. No big deal to me about it not being wood. The main thing about this table is that it plays well.
So you got into some detail about the returns and the frames etc. I will need pretty much everything accept the actual ball box the balls finally deposit into. The one I currently have is what I would like to make work if at all possible. It is made of poplar and glued at every joint. My father was a cabinet maker/ carpenter and I picked up on his trade skills from working with him for so many years. If there are any adjustments that need be, I can alter the current ball box to fit.
So please let me know if you guys come to a conclusion of what you have and how much and how to get it out to Apex NC.
Again, thanks for your time.
 
Here's a picture of the ball return system to give you an idea.
I'll see if I have any pictures of the pins for the slate.
Should be basically some small brass dowels the set into brass insert in the other slate.
Helps with the alignment and maintaining the leveling when you put it together.
Just like the Gold Crowns and some others out there, just not as big.

http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t64/momofawhitelighter/1190836462.jpg

Looks like you got a really great looking table!
That's one of the cleanest I've seen in a LOONG time-
Suddenly I don't like my table so much anymore...lol
Judging from your pictures, I don't think you'd have to modify too much to get the ball return system to work with your box, although there are a couple of things I could recommend to help the ball return, at the box end to help protect things just a little bit more, that they didn't do originally.

I'll get together with Craig sometime this weekend and see what we can put together for you.

Shane
 
Cuephoric said:
Here's a picture of the ball return system to give you an idea.
I'll see if I have any pictures of the pins for the slate.
Should be basically some small brass dowels the set into brass insert in the other slate.
Helps with the alignment and maintaining the leveling when you put it together.
Just like the Gold Crowns and some others out there, just not as big.

http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t64/momofawhitelighter/1190836462.jpg

Looks like you got a really great looking table!
That's one of the cleanest I've seen in a LOONG time-
Suddenly I don't like my table so much anymore...lol
Judging from your pictures, I don't think you'd have to modify too much to get the ball return system to work with your box, although there are a couple of things I could recommend to help the ball return, at the box end to help protect things just a little bit more, that they didn't do originally.

I'll get together with Craig sometime this weekend and see what we can put together for you.

Shane
Click to expand...

OMG! That looks like a subway map of Mahattan! Too cool. I was thinking it would be something like the Brunswicks where the return system runs down the sides. That looks very cool. I'll be standing by to see what you guys find.
Thanks
 
OK. So I'm still trying to get this figured out. I was playing on a Brunswick the other day and low and behold it had ball returns. In NC! Imagine that. I'm originally from NY and never found a pool hall that had buckets rather than a return system. I have been to a lot of halls in my time of playing this sport.
I was looking at the table and noticed that the pockets were shaped in a way that they went down and turned down into the return rails. I have already set up some return rails out of 1/4 in round steel. I set up a jig to be able to repeat the spacing and dropped the whole thing when i realized that getting a pocket to feed into the rails was going to be impossible unless I found the right ones. The standard GC3's is what i think is at the hall. Are the pockets available and from looking at them are they even close to fitting into the Big G pocket area?
Heck. Might even consider getting the whole rail system as well if is as simple as suspending it. Didn't get under the table to look at how they are fastened to thE Brunswick. Sorry. My bad.
 
Gandy....

I am a ex gandy dealer.. My Company is Jukebox Billiards in Munster In. If your still looking, I do have 9' ball returns for Gandy Big G. Mike 219-836-2550
 
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