how to replace rails?

seanjonsean

seanjonsean

Otanisan Cues
Silver Member
hello , i hope im posting this in the right section ,i recently purchashed a used 8 ft amf playmaster table . the problem i thought i might have is the rails ,when i try and bank a ball i hear a thump and not very pleased with the results.i dissasembled the table and put it back together with ease im wondering if i can do the rails myself ?do u guys reccomend this ?or should i spend the money and have a pro to do it?
 
seanjonsean said:
hello , i hope im posting this in the right section ,i recently purchashed a used 8 ft amf playmaster table . the problem i thought i might have is the rails ,when i try and bank a ball i hear a thump and not very pleased with the results.i dissasembled the table and put it back together with ease im wondering if i can do the rails myself ?do u guys reccomend this ?or should i spend the money and have a pro to do it?
Click to expand...
If they are only loose in spots where the rubber has come loose from the wood you can use 3M spray adhesive to reglue them, being sure to keep them aligned correctly. Otherwise you may need a professional.

unknownpro
 
no bounce

what i meant is the ball really has no bounce after contact with cushions ,i kno its slow cuz of the cloth im going to replace it with a simonis and while im at it id like to do the cushions ...
 
New cushions

If you have never put cushions on a set of rails before, you might want to practice on someone else's table first. lol. Strip all the cloth off. strip all the old rubber off. strip all the old glue off so you are down to fresh wood. (make sure you have the right profile of cushion) glue the new cushions on. cut the angles for your pockets. put new facings on. trim them up and re-upholster the rails.
 
re doing rails

Bestbilliards.com has a set of directions for sale for like $10. I used them they were good.
 
Spend the money for someone to put new cushions & cloth on your rails. I've done 3 sets now, with great success, but never again. I have better things to do.

I would suggest the dual density rubber Tour Edition by Championship... thay are fantastic. I like their cloth too... it wears very nicely. I have been a Simonis man forever, but I have jumped ship.
 
If they can be done by a profesional then do it. Once you replace the felt and the cloth you basically have a new table. Those are the only things that go bad on them.

High Quality cushions lifespand is generally 15years. If the table is in an ideal enviroment and is taken care of. I've seen some go bad before. And others go bad never. Even after a long length of time.

So it is worth to spend a few hundred on some highquality cushions that will last you many many years.
 
seanjonsean said:
what i meant is the ball really has no bounce after contact with cushions ,i kno its slow cuz of the cloth im going to replace it with a simonis and while im at it id like to do the cushions ...
Click to expand...
Oh, you just mean replacing the rail cloth? If the rubber is fine that's all you'll need to do. You can do that yourself. Getting the cloth tight and smooth, especially near the pockets is not all that easy. It can take some practice or help from someone who's done it before. If it's not tight, they will bounce slowly. The cloth should pull the rubber in slightly at each staple. Too much or little in places will distort the rail and Simoniz (great cloth) will not likely loosen up later.

Same for the bed cloth, be sure and get it good and tight. The guys at Diamond use a wide mouth vice-grip and pull it like hell.

If you're hearing a thud, that is usually loose rail bolts.

Simoniz on a home table will last a very long time, so I'd really try to get it right the first time.

unknownpro
 
It certainly can be done yourself but if you have never replaced rubber before, I would have a pro do it. You have to make sure that the nose height is consistent throughout the rail, a little off in any spot will make that rail play inconsistent. Also you have to make sure you cut the rubber at the right angles and trim the facings up. If you skimp on any of this then playability will suffer. U also need to know what profile rubber your table takes otherwise you risk having problems. jmo...
 
A slow bounce and a thud is usually a sign of a bumper that has come loose.

When you press the cushion how does it feel? Everything should be consistant. Not too soft. But not to hard either.

Being an AMF chances are the cushion is a K-66
 
great replies!

thanks for all the input guys,i wonder if its a little cheaper to remove them myself and take them in ?i mean with fuel prices and all im sure they might mention a gas charge lol.well i thought my rails might be loose so i snugged them a little more but nope still the same .i just wish when i have them done i can watch, not that im cheap but i like doing things myself i wonder if i can get a deal on the cushions if i buy the cloth?
 
I don't know what people in your area would charge but if someone brings us rails for new rubber, We charge 100 bucks to install the new rubber and felt the rails. Not a huge cost for a job that takes precision. check it out in your area
 
wow!is that all?

i thought it would be like 300 bucks?if i can get that price here in sa texas ill just send them out!.while im doing that ill research redoing rails ill buy the book that tels u evrything bout pool table recovery ,thanxz!
 
Well, by the time you buy the rubber and the felt for the table, you will definetly hit that $300 mark. lol
 
well im going to call around .i beter spend the money now for the cloth too now that the rails wil be off .what other cloth besides simonis do u recc?or should i go with the [ oh i just want to use this big word] "venerable" simonis lol
 
seanjonsean said:
well im going to call around .i beter spend the money now for the cloth too now that the rails wil be off .what other cloth besides simonis do u recc?or should i go with the [ oh i just want to use this big word] "venerable" simonis lol
Click to expand...

I've heard good things about championship cloth. I personally like simonis.
 
NineBallNut said:
I've heard good things about championship cloth. I personally like simonis.
Click to expand...

We use Championship on all the tables we sell. Unless someone specifies for Simonis. We do use Mali on occasion. I think it is $10 cheaper and people can sometimes be really cheap.

However Championship I think is the best non-worsted cloth.
 
I dont notice a difference playing on simonis vs championship tour edition but as an installer I would rather use the tour edition. Once you get use to it you can go around any angle/pocket alot easier than simonis. One example of this is you can pull simonis so tight it will compress the cushion and make it wavy. With the tour edition it will NEVER compress the cushion, it just streches and the wrinkles go away. Try it, you'll like it.
 
well guys im ranked 3 sometimes 4 on apa league ,and really i purchased the table to practice at home otherwise its $20 sometimes $30 evry other day and the places that have decent tables are about 20 miles away .i do notice a diffrence on a table that has cheap cloth and bad rails ,2 weeks ago i played on a gandy table i think it was 9 because it looked huge and intimidating but as soon as i started hitting balls i was so impresed with the cushions and cloth, sorta looked like cheesecloth i was able to draw the ball and i was able to gently hit and stop balls ,so im thinking if i want to get better should i go with a good cloth too ,btw now that i have my table im been on it for 2 hours a day ,but i might quit and joing another league because ive noticed a few peop in the past sandbagging and that really blows i mean if ure really confident in ure skills y do it ,if i win or get beat i want to kno my opponent gave it his or her all ,well thats another forum
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top