Leveling a pool table

nksmfamjp

nksmfamjp

Refugee...
Silver Member
In another thread there are people who say a table mechanic must have a machinists level. I don't doubt that it is a great tool for getting the spot it is resting on level, but I thought table leveling was about getting a balance of all the unevenness of the slate. Basically, a level will get you close, but the you have to do some slow roll diamond to diamond shooting to get it perfect. I was told this by a good table mechanic where I used to live.

So, what is a machinist's level for?
 
Accuracy!

Nothing more!

The slow roll I believe is the ultimate way to fine tune the slate, but is a ***** if the frame is out much.

The machinist level will get the frame very close, closer than a carpenter level can because the vial is much more accurate. Therefore it stands to reason it will do the same for the slates.

I do believe slow rolling is needed to fine tune though.
 
I do agree that ultimately, the goal of levelling the slate is to achieve consistent straight roll of the ball. Howver, rolling a ball to find level brings many variables into the equation. You have to consider the roundness and balance of the ball, the consistency of the hit, the cleanliness of the slate, etc.

That being said, depending on the quality of the slate, if I know I've got a good quality ball, I will occasionally roll to make sure there's no funny spots/impurities in the slate. A good levelling method/technique with a good level will get the slate pretty damn level without having to double check it with a ball though.
 
Lets say your slate is flat within a few thou of an in" (odds are it isnt)
How flat/true do you think your table frame is?
When the slate to frame screws are tightened the slate bows and conforms to the frame.
A machinist level allows small amounts of twist in the slate to be taken out again.

Also, the slower the cloth you use the less perfect the slate needs to be.
Faster cloth needs truer slate.
 
MoonshineMattK said:
Also, the slower the cloth you use the less perfect the slate needs to be.
Faster cloth needs truer slate.
Click to expand...

Faster cloth doesn't need truer slate, faster cloth will show imperfections better.

I think the level should be as perfect as you can get it, regardless of the cloth you'll be using. At what point do you decide "Eh, that's close enough, we're just using Brand X". How close is close enough for different types of cloth? What happens if the customer decides later on that they want to upgrade their cloth? Do you now go back and level it up right for that cloth?

Level is level. If you're not getting the table as close to level as its slate/frame allow, you're not getting it level. The type of cloth shouldn't dictate that, in my opinion.
 
I think there are many people who have assembled tables with carpenter levels and by rolling balls and thought it turned out pretty well.

I also think if those same tables had worsted cloth tightly installed they would change their mind about how well those tables play.

Thats all I was trying to say.
 
MoonshineMattK said:
Lets say your slate is flat within a few thou of an in" (odds are it isnt)
How flat/true do you think your table frame is?
When the slate to frame screws are tightened the slate bows and conforms to the frame.
A machinist level allows small amounts of twist in the slate to be taken out again.

Also, the slower the cloth you use the less perfect the slate needs to be.
Faster cloth needs truer slate.
Click to expand...

The table frame should be dealt with for flatness, level, and square well before the slate is even a factor, and I doubt a good mechanic would pull slate down hard on an uneven frame without properly supprting the slate.
 
MoonshineMattK said:
I think there are many people who have assembled tables with carpenter levels and by rolling balls and thought it turned out pretty well.

I also think if those same tables had worsted cloth tightly installed they would change their mind about how well those tables play.

Thats all I was trying to say.
Click to expand...

I totally agree,,,,,,,
 
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