Introducing myself

RhoadBlock

RhoadBlock

Registered
Introducing myself - table done - pics added

Hello to all. I figured I'd introduce myself and hope to learn more about pool, the game, tables, and maybe even meet a few ppls. I've wanted a pool table since I was 5 or 6 years old and finally bought one a few days ago, surprisingly with the wife's permission!

I just bought a used whitewashed oak Olhausen 8' 3-piece slate table and started setting it up at my house. So far the frame is installed and the slates are screwed down. I don't have a machinist's level, but I used a 4' framing level and borrowed my pop's 2' digital level. I've got the slates as level as I'll be able to get them with what I have at my disposal. I rolled the cue across the table several times in several directions and the ball seemed to roll true, no veering off or changing directions or speeds anywhere on the slate.

I'm at the point of sealing the slate seams and screw holes in the middle of the table. Initially I was going to use beeswax (my table is indoors and I do a/c for a living, so temperature and humidity levels are never left unchecked), but after scouring AZB I'm leaning towards Bondo - largely due to realkingcobra's posts on the subject. I'll be picking some up on the way home from work this afternoon.

I've decided to go with Simonis 860 as well - tho color choice is still TBD. Figured I'd give my wife some input on what color to pick so she can design/paint the room and the table go well with it. Let her know I appreciate her letting me get the table in the first place lol. I was wanting to go a bit cheaper - ProForm or similar - but think I'll just bite the bullet and go with the good stuff, since I'm saving labor costs by attempting to do everything myself. Honestly, though, installing the cloth is what I'm most aprehensive about - especially on the rails. I've done lots of research, youtube vids, threads, etc, but still a bit uneasy. Unsure about whether to glue or staple, and how to do the corners well, and not getting folds on the rails. Any advice or help is certainly welcome.

I'll continue searching, as I'm no newbie to forums in general - just to pool tables and AZB in particular.

Sorry for the long-winded intro, I'm just a bit excited about finally getting a table and getting really antsy the closer I get to being able to break my first rack on it! I'll post pics of the table after I snap a few this evening.

- Logan
 
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I actually do have a few more questions on the liquid dowels in between the slates. I didn't do that because I didn't find any info on it until after I had the slates leveled and screwed down already. But the cloth is not down yet so I can still loosen things up and get things right before it's too late.

What is the "popping" I've read about, and how does the liquid dowel, paper/superglue, system work? In my very limited logic, super glue is hardly something that'd hold a 150lb piece of slate in check. But in my searching the past several days I haven't found much info on what happens, how to properly do the liquid dowel, or why it works.
 
Welcome and good luck. But no matter what your wife says, do not get red or any version of red as your color choice....don't do it :grin:
 
Welcome & good luck with the table & I agree with RJ. In fact I'll go even further & suggest that you NOT let your wife pick out the color.

A pool table should have the dark green cloth but now days the Tournament Blue is also acceptable. That's it. Give her those two choosees ONLY.

But...let her pick out whatever color table cover that she would like. That way the table cover can go with her decor and you'll have a real playing surface other than Red or Purple, or whatever.

I'd post your questions in the table mechanics section but I'd suggest that you clue & tack or staple the cloth & not just the rails. There is a 3M product that is strong enough to hold it on it's own but 100% surface coverage & grab is a problem that I have seen even with the mechanics that do the commercial tables in my area.

Anyway, that's my take.

Welcome Again, Best Wishes & Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays to You & Yours,
Rick
 
ChicagoRJ said:
Welcome and good luck. But no matter what your wife says, do not get red or any version of red as your color choice....don't do it :grin:
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Logan ... that is good advice there! Remember, green is the color of money. Welcome to the forum and good luck with the table. Looking forward to pics.
 
Welcome to AZBilliards!

It's a good idea to let your wife have some input in the color choice, but make sure you limit it to either Simonis Green, Grey, Tournament Blue or Gold. Those are the colors that offer good visibility; the rest are unplayable.

Let her choose any table cover that her heart desires.
 
I've been involved in putting together several tables and I'm absolutely not qualified to tell you how to do it, but I will tell you that beeswax is hard to get right without practice. Bondo or Durhams water putty are both good I think, I prefer the Durhams. Another thing is to use staples for both the slates and cushions. You can use the 3M super 77 or equivalent spray adhesive on the bed cloth, but around edges only, absolutely do not spray it on the bed. Now that I hopefully helped prevent a disaster, post this over in the "ask The Mechanic" section and get as much info as you can from Glen and Mark and the others, theyre the best.
 
ChicagoRJ said:
Welcome and good luck. But no matter what your wife says, do not get red or any version of red as your color choice....don't do it :grin:
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I thought red cloth was the result of over-cutting balls....:confused:


Oh, and welcome to AZ, Rhoadie. :wave:
 
Thanks for the welcomes guys. I looked thru the Talk to a Mechanic section and dug a little deeper. I think a found a few answers to some of my questions.

And thanks for the insight on letting the wife pick the colors. I narrowed down to the suggested colors best for play, she understood that and is cool with picking from those few colors lol. Heading towards Simonis Green, Blue Green, Tournament Blue, Gold, Camel or Mocha. I'm steering her towards Simonis Green and Tournament Blue. I'll post some progress pics and definitely post complete pics when I'm done.
 
RhoadBlock said:
Thanks for the welcomes guys. I looked thru the Talk to a Mechanic section and dug a little deeper. I think a found a few answers to some of my questions.

And thanks for the insight on letting the wife pick the colors. I narrowed down to the suggested colors best for play, she understood that and is cool with picking from those few colors lol. Heading towards Simonis Green, Blue Green, Tournament Blue, Gold, Camel or Mocha. I'm steering her towards Simonis Green and Tournament Blue. I'll post some progress pics and definitely post complete pics when I'm done.
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You cant go wrong with green or blue. I use Simonis Tournament Blue and love it. Remember Simonis lasts a very long time and is pricey so choose carefully and enjoy!
 
Mosconi's color choice..

I've read here that Mosconi preferred the tan / camel shades of cloth, of course it probably would have been rightly called felt back then.

I like tan very much, it is easy on the eyes and there are colors of chalk that match the tan/camel/gold range of cloth color. They do not stain the cloth or the ferrule or the hands or clothes worn.

I have Simonis 860 Tournament blue, like so many others. It is hard to install but I was moderately successful last time. I use tan or gray chalk which does not stain the cloth, cues, clothes or hands. There is no color of chalk that matches Simonis Tournament Blue at this time.

Watch for so-call local mechanics who at best might be a poorly prepared fly by night felt installers. I had one get angry with me because I asked for references of his work over a few months old, so I could check to see how the recovers he had allegedly done had aged over time.
 
I put Simonis 860 hr in royal blue. Came out nice
 

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Here's the table as it sits right now (pics below). Gonna pull the slates back and install the liquid dowel. Then re-level, bolts slates down and get the bondo done tonight. If all goes well.

After reading more threads I'm unsure of which cloth to get. I don't know if I want 860, 860HR, 760 or 3030 now. I find convincing threads for each one. Each time I think I've decided on one I find another thread that convinces me that 860 is great but will slow down too much after a year or less, 3030 is better than 860HR for less cost, 860HR is better because it's Simonis, 760 is equal to Simonis #1 that used to be used back in the day and it lasts longer and plays faster, 760 is too fast and will hinder you if you play on tables other than 760.

I don't want to be the typical newbie asking the same questions that have been discussed a billion times, nor do I want to start the umpteenth thread on the same topic. But all the research I do just points me in different directions instead of one conclusion lol.

I'm a rookie and this is my first table, but I've always enjoyed pool. Was typically better than most of my buddies, but nowhere near worthy of getting into leagues or anything like that. But now that I've finally got a table, I'd love to practice and eventually be good enough to join a league.

Anywho... here's the promised picks. Progress pics, hoping to have the table ready to play on by holiday breaks tho. 8' Whitewashed Oak Olhausen 3-piece 3/4" slate (I was told at time of purchase, haven't measured).

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If you want to go with the 760 cloth, save some money and just play on the bare slate. Little difference :D
 
Logan,

How would you rate your level of play?

The 760 is faster but not that much faster & I think the 760R for stain Resistant is slower which would put it nearer to the 860.

You might even want to consider 760R on the rails & 860R on the bed.

FYI the hall I go to most has 760 on all of the 9 ft. tables.

Lots of choices.

Good Luck with the Outcome,
Rick
 
First, welcome to az. There's a lot of great people here and lots of good info available.

Yourtable looks very nice, like the whitewash look with the queen ann legs. :thumbup:

There is a degree of subjectivity on some of the decisions you have to make but there are a few bits of info that might help you out.

The reasons many here will try to steer you toward green of tourney blue simonis are these:

1. these are the two prominent cloth colors you will play on outside your home and if you want tobe competitive, maybe play in some tourneys, etc., then why not practice athome on the same color cloth. It can provide a slight edge. You (and wifey) can decide on how important this is. Pool purists will say green only. Most tourney use tourney blue cloth. My opinion, which is just that, just my opinion is that either traditional green or tourney blue would be terrific choices.

2. Simonis is THE best quality cloth there is, nothing else is close. Simonis has unique identifying markers embedded throughout their cloth; the reason being people try to counterfeit their cloth. Nobody is trying to knockoff any other brands of cloth. There's a reason they don't. ;)

Simonis 860 is a great choice and the HR is a little more money but is more resistent to wear marks. You can weigh out the price difference vs benefit on this.

I admire your confidence and skill that allows you to do much of this work yourself.

However, I would seriously consider getting a ^good* pool table mechanic to do the final tweaking and recloth. Please note that even though someone may list themselves as a table mechanic, they may not be good at it. Over the years we have seen horrific hack jobs done by guys who were supposed to be experienced at this work.

If you decide tohave the cloth done by someone, would recommend that you post where you are and someone here may suggest a good mechanic in your area.

Look forward to seeing your progress.

EDIT: Just noticed you are in Braden, FL.

best,
brian kc.
 
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