How to measure a pocket on a pool table.
Greg Sullivan... Diamond billiards
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lG9CqK95U2E
Greg Sullivan... Diamond billiards
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lG9CqK95U2E
How to measure a pocket
- Thread starter Ralph Kramden
- Start date
Neil said:
yeah can you imagine a carpenter whos working on your house telling you "nah i dont need a tape measure i just eyeball it". Which is what hes doing. pool balls do wear down over time also. so unless you carry balls with you everywhere you go you could be getting a different measurment every time.
Neil said:
The way I heard it was that he didnt like using a tape measure.. :grin:
I thought
It was very informative.Maybe some people want to be nit picky
about stuff ,the man builds the best table out there .He even said
2 balls at 2 1/4 inch equals 4 1/2 inches and the reason he would
rather use the balls than a tape measure is the rails and how they
factor into where the balls are. Btw it also let me know why I loathe
the Olhausen tables where I play .I bet way less than 40% of the ball
is visible down the rail on them ,they set in real deep.
It was very informative.Maybe some people want to be nit picky
about stuff ,the man builds the best table out there .He even said
2 balls at 2 1/4 inch equals 4 1/2 inches and the reason he would
rather use the balls than a tape measure is the rails and how they
factor into where the balls are. Btw it also let me know why I loathe
the Olhausen tables where I play .I bet way less than 40% of the ball
is visible down the rail on them ,they set in real deep.
What he is saying is that the ball centers are actually under the edges of the cushions. When the balls are set in the pocket opening it would be easy to insert a known thickness spacer between the balls for a more accurate measurement.
I thought the statement about 40% of the ball sticking out before it could fall was interesting. Less shelf is too easy. More shelf is too hard. How many tables have you played on where the shelf in the pocket was so deep you could park a Volkswagen on it.
I thought the statement about 40% of the ball sticking out before it could fall was interesting. Less shelf is too easy. More shelf is too hard. How many tables have you played on where the shelf in the pocket was so deep you could park a Volkswagen on it.
Neil said:
I watched this video and I agree with the ball method for measuring a pocket. Whenever I play on a table I am not familiar with, I will measure each corner pocket with two balls. I want to see how how each pocket compares to the others. He explained it quite clearly and I see no reason to bash him, or blame him for what's wrong with pool.Neil said:
What if the table is real tight and 2 balls wont fit between the pocket.
Ralph Kramden said:
Greg posted in this thread shortly before the video on how to measure a pocket was posted.
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=77916&highlight=deep+pockets+steve
I am not sure about a Volkswagan, but they are deep pockets. It looks to me that only 20-25% of the ball is visible looking down the rail.
These are the tables that the next Michigan Players Tour event will be played on.
Steve
Neil said:
Have to disagree with ya there. You can't use a tape measure to measure the diameter of the pocket openings accurately due to the fact the ball centers do not hit the cushion. See poorly done drawing......:thumbup:
I believe this is what Greg is referring to through the video and what I have spoke over the phone with him about pocket openings. Its due to the fact that between the height of the cushion to where (the height) on the billiard ball actually makes contact. Thus you can have two table that read the same on with a table measure but actually allow more or less space the balls to pass through.
Neil, may be you already understood this but this is what I am understanding that simply measuring with a tape will not actually measure accurately the actual pocket openings.
Thanks for posting the video, this only reinforces of what I have been told over the phone by Diamond Billiards over the phone. Diamond should have this video on their website.
Long story short, its more accurate to measure with balls because you can see what the balls can fit through.
Maybe I am wrong, feel free to tell me so. LoL
-Kyle
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sde said:
Everyone thinks those are pro cut pockets down at Breakroom, they are not. They are league pockets with deep shelf slate and were the product of debate from trying to standardize a pocket size and soccumbing to APA's league interest to keep pocket openings larger for league players (more friendly) because the balls can hide in the pockets so deeply. I always kind of laugh when there is an APA regional tournament held there because many people complain the tables are to hard to play on vs. the Valley they are used to.
However they are still a blast to play on and I enjoy shooting there on a regular basis!
-Kyle
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Neil said:
Usually most people don't know the size. They just say they are buckets or they play tight.
But when a person mentions a size, are they measuring the top of the rails or actually where the balls make contact with the rails. You can use a tape measure without a problem if you know where to take the measurements from to get an accurate read.
-Kyle
I still say the ball measurement gives you the best idea of how big the pockets are. A tight table has pockets a 1 and 3/4 or lower and a table with big pockets is 2 balls and more.
When I walk into a pool hall I generally don't have a tape measure, ribbon tape, band mic or calipers so I'll go with balls which are generally found in a pool hall.
When I walk into a pool hall I generally don't have a tape measure, ribbon tape, band mic or calipers so I'll go with balls which are generally found in a pool hall.