Help with an antique pool table.

R

RobM

Member
Hi,
I have an oversized 8’ table that is 110 years old, made in my hometown and passed down from my grandfather, to my father and then to me. It means the world to me.

My question is, was the table assembled correctly when moved to my home? The reason I ask is the pocket irons project past the wood of the side rails and are causing nicks on my brand new Aramith tourney’s.

Or, is it possible that the low humidity in my basement caused the side rails to shrink?

Here are photos of each pocket.

In either case, what would be the correct way to proceed?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

Rob
 

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I have felt around the pockets and don’t think it’s the brads. None of them feel like they are sticking up. That was my first thought though.
And as for the quality of installation, I agree. The guy who did it took over for his father who was a mechanic for years and from what I understand was very good. This guy was apparently still learning the trade.

Anyone know of a mechanic near western New York area?
 
RobM said:
Hi,
I have an oversized 8’ table that is 110 years old, made in my hometown and passed down from my grandfather, to my father and then to me. It means the world to me.

My question is, was the table assembled correctly when moved to my home? The reason I ask is the pocket irons project past the wood of the side rails and are causing nicks on my brand new Aramith tourney’s.

Or, is it possible that the low humidity in my basement caused the side rails to shrink?

Here are photos of each pocket.

In either case, what would be the correct way to proceed?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

Rob
Click to expand...
That's beyond pitiful.
 
There's definitely something wrong about that.

I would have nailed them to the underside of the slate liner. It looks like he nailed it into the slate they're so high up. Is the bed even slate?
The other thing is the leather rim looks like it was trimmed back to where the corners of the irons aren't protected. If the brads aren't the culprit it could be that.
 
RobM said:
Anyone know of a mechanic near western New York area?
Click to expand...
I have not used but would if he was in my area. Judging from his posts he appears to be a quality operator.
Not sure where he is located in reference to yourself but give him a shout... there's never an obligation.

Bradshaw Billiard Service | Pool Table Repair

Bradshaw Billiards are pool table specialists, serving the Central New York region. Contact us for pool table moves, repairs, installations, and more. We also offer a wide range of billiard and gaming supplies. Service Region includes: Ithaca, Cortland, Auburn, Syracuse, Endicott, Binghamton...
www.bradshawbilliards.com www.bradshawbilliards.com
 
RobM said:
I have felt around the pockets and don’t think it’s the brads. None of them feel like they are sticking up. That was my first thought though.
And as for the quality of installation, I agree. The guy who did it took over for his father who was a mechanic for years and from what I understand was very good. This guy was apparently still learning the trade.

Anyone know of a mechanic near western New York area?
Click to expand...
GoldCrown said:
I have not used but would if he was in my area. Judging from his posts he appears to be a quality operator.
Not sure where he is located in reference to yourself but give him a shout... there's never an obligation.

Bradshaw Billiard Service | Pool Table Repair

Bradshaw Billiards are pool table specialists, serving the Central New York region. Contact us for pool table moves, repairs, installations, and more. We also offer a wide range of billiard and gaming supplies. Service Region includes: Ithaca, Cortland, Auburn, Syracuse, Endicott, Binghamton...
www.bradshawbilliards.com www.bradshawbilliards.com
Click to expand...
You can't go wrong with Geoff if he services your area.
 
Ok guys, my biggest concern is that the irons appear to not meet up to the wood on the rails. As if the rails are too short? Or should be further on the tabletop.
As for the rest I’ll have someone address that if the rails can be adjusted
 
RobM said:
Ok guys, my biggest concern is that the irons appear to not meet up to the wood on the rails. As if the rails are too short? Or should be further on the tabletop.
As for the rest I’ll have someone address that if the rails can be adjusted
Click to expand...
The irons...should they be under the rails not exposed. Are they from a scrap pile and not originally from that table?
 
The irons are original to the table and are top mounted. The rails have a recess on the top surface that the irons partially set into.
 
William Dethloff made the table around 1911-1914. After a TON of research I can say with certainty that it is not a rebadged Brunswick, etc. Construction, materials, the way the wood was milled, etc.
just a vacant field now stands on the site of his former business, but I have photographs from the time just after he closed and can still see where it was originally made.
 
The “mechanic” placed new bumper material, and Simonis 860 on the table and rails. I don’t know what a facing is but it looks like the the pockets are nailed directly into the end grain of the rails.
 
It's already been said, but that "mechanic" did you dirty.

There should not be tacks in the pocket and the balls should not be hitting wood or metal pocket parts. I'm not a mechanic but I'd guess the pocket facings or leather should cover this part. Might take some creativity. It might not be a standard table but you just can't have exposed metal and wood for the balls to hit.
 
RobM said:
The “mechanic” placed new bumper material, and Simonis 860 on the table and rails. I don’t know what a facing is but it looks like the the pockets are nailed directly into the end grain of the rails.
Click to expand...
You know all about this table(maybe) yet you don't know what a 'facing' is? Was it like this prior to move? If not did you watch/oversee this hatchet job? One of the worst i've seen in a long time. Of course the balls will get damaged on that shit set-up.
 
RobM said:
The “mechanic” placed new bumper material, and Simonis 860 on the table and rails. I don’t know what a facing is but it looks like the the pockets are nailed directly into the end grain of the rails.
Click to expand...
A facing is a slice of rubber applied to both ends of each rail cushion.
There are different types of facings however they are all a rubber material and generally black in color.
And just an fyi, the correct terminology is cushions - not bumpers. 🙃
 
I saw the other thread that you posted about your table. It sure is a beauty!

I would be happy to correct these issues for you, but it will be quite expensive. I'm about 2.5 hours from you. Depending on the work that the other gentleman did, it's not likely that I could save the cushions or the cloth.

I would anticipate stripping the table back down to the frame, to ensure that every aspect was installed correctly. This typically includes plugging the slate screw holes in the frame, precisely locating the slates on the frame, the precision leveling the slates. I would need to take the rails back to my shop, to replace the cushions, and size the pockets correctly. This would ensure that balls do not contact the iron in any way.

The cost would be between $2250-$2500. High, I know. But, it's also 600+ miles of travel, a new cut of Simonis cloth, new cushions, and 16-20 hours of labor, depending on what I uncover. Often times, I find that the sub-rails are destroyed on these antiques. Rather than try to patch them back together, I typically cut the sub-rails off and replace them with fresh poplar. This allows me to cut the sub-rail angle to achieve the proper cushion nose height, for any cushion that the customer desires. If you are worried about this, I have several photos of this process, shown on my business Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/bradshawbilliards

We are currently booking into the last week of April.
 
bradsh98 said:
I saw the other thread that you posted about your table. It sure is a beauty!

I would be happy to correct these issues for you, but it will be quite expensive. I'm about 2.5 hours from you. Depending on the work that the other gentleman did, it's not likely that I could save the cushions or the cloth.

I would anticipate stripping the table back down to the frame, to ensure that every aspect was installed correctly. This typically includes plugging the slate screw holes in the frame, precisely locating the slates on the frame, the precision leveling the slates. I would need to take the rails back to my shop, to replace the cushions, and size the pockets correctly. This would ensure that balls do not contact the iron in any way.

The cost would be between $2250-$2500. High, I know. But, it's also 600+ miles of travel, a new cut of Simonis cloth, new cushions, and 16-20 hours of labor, depending on what I uncover. Often times, I find that the sub-rails are destroyed on these antiques. Rather than try to patch them back together, I typically cut the sub-rails off and replace them with fresh poplar. This allows me to cut the sub-rail angle to achieve the proper cushion nose height, for any cushion that the customer desires. If you are worried about this, I have several photos of this process, shown on my business Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/bradshawbilliards

We are currently booking into the last week of April.
Click to expand...
That does not seem out of line to me at all. By comparison how good of a deal is $900 if someone has to do it over again? It makes $2500 cheap by comparison in the grand scheme of things.
 
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