GCIII Slate vs American Heritage Slate

[SlateMate]

American Heritage slate wins. i don't know if the machining of slate has gotten better over the years but i bought a CHEAP American Heritage pool table for $75.00 and i'm very very happy with the fit and finish of the slate and i was very very disappointed with that of a GCIII that i drove a long distance to purchase. first is the pic of the slate seam on my GCIII then the slate seam of my American Heritage. the seam on The Heritage is uniform all the way down just like you see it in the pic and i haven't even begun the slate leveling process. note; the GCIII is circa 80 and the AH is tagged 2004.. so far i'm very very happy with the 'inferior' American Heritage table.

 

[bradsh98]

I corrected your post for you.

In my limited experience, it appears that the slate quality of my American Heritage pool table surpasses that of a Brunswick Gold Crown III that I previously owned. While I do not have the experience to understand whether this observation is an accurate assessment of the two brands, I am satisfied with my decision to dump the Gold Crown, in favor of the American Heritage.

Thanks for posting your DIY experience.

Please post updates, as you begin the leveling process on the American Heritage. It will undoubtedly be low in the center. The proprietary "Magna-Board" makes that a fun project. The distance from the edge of the Magna-Board to the frame supports also presents its own challenge, when trying to shim the outside edges of the slate.

I would suggest that you loosen the screws that hold the Magna-Board to the frame, and shim it level, before you put the slate on. It will reduce the impending headache that you are about to have.

Best of luck.

 

[SlateMate]

Please post updates, as you begin the leveling process on the American Heritage. It will undoubtedly be low in the center.

lol.... yes, i have already determined that it's low in the center. i will probably make a center support for it. agreed that this AH frame is not at all as nice as the GC frame. i will say though that long ago i had an 8' Brunswick with a similar frame but the slate had wood backing and the deck was NOT particle-board like this AH. i had to make a center brace for that table too.

I would suggest that you loosen the screws that hold the Magna-Board to the frame, and shim it level, before you put the slate on. It will reduce the impending headache that you are about to have.

if i had someone helping me with the slate i'd take your advice but i'm doing this alone and i'm not going to remove that slate. i think that i can brace it from below in the center to compensate for the weak frame. i feel pretty good about it because the problem is uniform. my GCIII was off in different directions all over the place. on taht table i removed the slate, re-leveled and felt like i was almost there but then i'd run into a stopper. i wish i had this slate on that GC base.

 

[SlateMate]

with regard to your creative editing skills, i owned a GCI for over 20 years and did all the work on it by myself after a, slap-dash pro screwed it up. i had that table playing very well and learned a lot especially about paying a lot of money to guys who when they bend over have the crack of their butt hanging out. i also owned several other brunswick tables that i set up by myself.

i drove about 450miles total to get that pos GCIII and put a lot of work into it painting the base and aluminum. it's possible that a pro could have gotten it playable but it's also possible that it would have been a frustrating pos even after sinking hundreds more into it so i abandoned the project. i made two offers on some diamond tables but no luck. this AH table i got cheap enough so i don't have to worry about its flaws and the slate is far superior to my GC in every way. that GC head slate was thicker at the bottom than the top at the seam. even so i was prepared to deal with it but then when i tried and tried to level it for three days i said "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH". i was cursing too much and getting my blood pressure up so i dumped it and started looking for another when i found this pos AH for $75.00. the frame is kinda sucky but THE SLATE IS FANTASTIC, much better than any Brunswick i have owned and better than my Gandy. it's perfectly machined....

and on that note, i'm pretty sure i got it level. i made a brace for the center out of a scissor jack and thick wood from a 9' Robertson table that i had. the scissor jack works great because you can snug it up with a turn. i also shimmed the slate in the middle to keep it from sagging. i then rolled my pool ball every which way and it's almost perfect. my main concern was the ball rolling off toward the inside on both rails but shimming the center of the slate solved that issue. saggy slate is preferable to crowned slate.

i'll take some pics tomorrow after i clean up a bit. i have to glue the cloth on which i have never done before so that will be a learning experience. it can't be any harder than stapling the cloth.. then, i have to get my stroke back after not playing for over a year.

 

[SlateMate]

ok, i had to shim it in the center which was not at all a surprise and to bolster the center of the frame i made this contraption. i got this sucker as humanly level as possible. the bubble on my 12" starrett tells me so and so too does the ball-roll test. it's amazing how the ball will roll-off toward the center of the table if the edge is even slightly elevated.

 

[realkingcobra]

American Heritage slate wins. i don't know if the machining of slate has gotten better over the years but i bought a CHEAP American Heritage pool table for $75.00 and i'm very very happy with the fit and finish of the slate and i was very very disappointed with that of a GCIII that i drove a long distance to purchase. first is the pic of the slate seam on my GCIII then the slate seam of my American Heritage. the seam on The Heritage is uniform all the way down just like you see it in the pic and i haven't even begun the slate leveling process. note; the GCIII is circa 80 and the AH is tagged 2004.. so far i'm very very happy with the 'inferior' American Heritage table.

First off, the GC3 you're showing is Brunstone, not slate. It's pinned and dowels, and if the face of the slates were cleaned off, they'd slide together perfect.

 

[SlateMate]

First off, the GC3 you're showing is Brunstone, not slate. It's pinned and dowels, and if the face of the slates were cleaned off, they'd slide together perfect.

that's "Brunstone"? this explains a lot. it sucked....

i looked at the edges of the slate and you can't just "clean them off". you would have to remove the dowels and then sand the heck out of it at the bottom and do so evenly. that's a huge job. it was poorly machined from the factory.

 

[SlateMate]

getting there

ok, i got my bondo in the seams and i have to order some 60 druometer neoprene for the facings and install cloth on the rails and bed. soon i'll be wasting my life again hitting balls. i'm thinking about getting 3/16" neoprene for the facings instead of 1/4" and running it over the sub-rail to snug the pockets a bit. is that going to be a problem?

 

[Ssonerai]

I can tell you have a lot of creativity and natural ability to solve problems. Hard to tell yet if it's taking you in a positive direction.

That said, did you ever consider actually using the AH slates on the GC? IOW, were they close in size?

During the 80's i built tools including drill guides for slate, for a small scale custom table builder, but never worked on one myself. As i've said in the past, wish i had paid attention, but my attitude was "John will always be around, why would i have to learn that. " :sorry:

Where I'm going with this, i have been to the same quarry a number of times since, and bought slates for architectural uses including sinks and counters. The quarry makes impeccable joints, but where i make custom cuts or didn't specify a close size, i can match them with a diamond blade on a skilsaw. I butt the slates snug, and clamp them down so they are level, shimmed if necessary, to flat wood ledgers underneath.

Then clamp a straight batten or aluminum level that extends at least 6" wider than the cut, both ways, and run the skilsaw down the joint with water playing on it & right behind the blade. Obviously there is a bit of set and try to get the batten aligned so the blade will be in the existing groove. Slate can be cut dry, but trust me, you don't want to. Certainly not indoors. It will also spall more if cut dry, because it heats and pops.

After that, slate can be filed with coarse files, or with a straight batten with sticky-back coarse grit sanding discs wrapped on an edge.

I have no idea about Brunstone.
smt

 

[SlateMate]

That said, did you ever consider actually using the AH slates on the GC? IOW, were they close in size?

GCIII 8.5' AH 8' plus i sold the GC before i found this table.

i have so many interests that i don't have time enough in a day. i'm working on two 81 honda motorcycles, a 95 Honda del sol, a ford that i'm going to soon sell and my 62, 3/4 ton chevy needs paint and body work.... my house looks like a GD thrift-store with all the crap i've accumulated including an 04 Superglide which is in my dining room.... after i finish this table i'll go into overdrive to clear this stuff out and simplify my life. i have no "direction" i just go with the flow...

if the only issue with that slate was the uneven seam i'd have dealt with it. i could NOT get it to level all the way around. it was going to give me a heart attack so i got rid of it. the AH was a lot easier to level. and i love my 12" Starrett and now i understand why pros use two or more levels. i was constantly turning it 90º when i was adjusting one way so that i could make sure that i was still level the other way. would have been much easier with two levels.. i'll find another on ebay...