Leveling Table

G

gwvavases

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I hadn't shot pool for nearly 30 years (since I was a teenager), then last year I bought a new house and had enough room for an 8' table. Bought a new 8' Brunswick (Bradford model). Started shooting a couple of hours a week. Got some of the old blood flowing. Liked my table. Started entering tournaments at Hard Times in Sac. Did okay at the first one (finished 3rd), but it was literally the first time I had played on a 9' table in 30 yrs. Lots different than an 8' table. Plus, the pockets at Hard Times are less than 4-1/2 inches wide (two balls side-by-side won't even squeeze into them). The pockets on my table at home were 5 inches wide - buckets! The cloth on my table also rolled slower, and the felt pilled up a lot when I brushed it. Learned later that it was a Mali.

So...to help me practice better, I found someone through a local billards supply store to recover my table and shim the pockets so that they're now 4-1/2 inches wide. I like 'em a lot. The guy talked me out of getting Simonis; told me that Championship cloth played just as fast, was a lot cheaper, and was easier to maintain. Now I think he just didn't want to work with Simonis because it's probably harder to install properly. I do like the new cloth a lot better. The balls roll more smoothly, and I don't need to apply as much English or shoot as hard as I used to. Good stuff. Just what I wanted.

Anyway...my table played perfectly level with the old cloth on it. Now I'm noticing a bit of drift when the cue ball comes to a stop in certain areas of the table. Kind of wobbles and sometimes drifts maybe 1/4" or so. I haven't noticed it affecting the path of any object balls, or even the cue ball enroute to an object ball. I think the new thinner, smoother cloth shows the imperfections. It's not a serious problem, but it just irritates me a little every time I see whitey wobble to a stop.

Anybody got any suggestions as to how I can deal with this without going to the expense of having my table torn down and totally redone? Should I just try lifting it a little and placing shims under the feet? I started to do that but stopped when I heard some creaking. Not sure whether doing so might just make the problem worse. I laid a level on it in several places and at different angles, and the bubble is only the slightest bit off, almost imperceptibly so. If putting shims under the feet is a possible solution, is there some technique I should use when lifting it?

I'd appreciate your help, guys! (I love this forum, by the way.)
 
The best thing you can do yourself is to borrow, rent, or buy a Machinist's level and use it to level your table with shims. Go out and buy real shims too, dont use paper coasters and similar items. Then just fiddle with it until you get it right.
Beyond that, you will have to pay a table mechanic to come in and level it for you. That may end up being the best option.

Can you talk to the guys who installed your Championship felt and let them know your table isn't level anymore? Did you notice them check how level the table was after cloth installation? Maybe they will come out and take care of it for you. Just a thought.
 
The folks installing your new cloth should have verified that the table was level and rolled correctly. A true table mechanic would due that as part of the job.

Troy
 
Thanks for your responses.

The guy that installed my cloth did check its level with a long level both before he laid the cloth and afterward. He said it was level. I shot a cue ball the length of the table with barely enough speed to get it there, and it went straight. Still does. However, I didn't check it that way with even softer touches in all directions. It only happens in a 1'x4' or so rectangle toward the right side of the table beginning at about the headstring and only in the forward direction (away from the headstring). Because the problem seems to be a specific area, I don't think a long level would have picked it up. And, apparently, my old cloth hid the defect.

Since I paid the guy only to recover my table and shim the pockets, I don't think it would be his responsibility to make sure my table is level. If I had experienced a problem before, I would have asked him to fix it and hold him responsible, but I didn't do that.

I can live with it if I can't fix it with shims under the feet. I'll just wait until I need to have it recovered to have it fixed by a pro. Maybe I'll increase my playing time to wear it out faster!
 
KingCarom said:
The best thing you can do yourself is to borrow, rent, or buy a Machinist's level and use it to level your table with shims. Go out and buy real shims too, dont use paper coasters and similar items. Then just fiddle with it until you get it right.
Beyond that, you will have to pay a table mechanic to come in and level it for you. That may end up being the best option.

Can you talk to the guys who installed your Championship felt and let them know your table isn't level anymore? Did you notice them check how level the table was after cloth installation? Maybe they will come out and take care of it for you. Just a thought.
Click to expand...

I think I'll do that. It's pretty clear to me that the difference is because of the new cloth (but what do I really know). He and his helper did bang on the rails with rubber mallets when they were installing the felt. Maybe they DID cause it. It's worth a phone call.
 
What kind of a level was used to check it by the cloth installer, and also by yourself? The reason I ask is because a normal carpenter's level (available in all sizes, but most common being 2' and 4') isn't the PRECISION tool that you really need. Don't get me wrong, they have their place...but not on your pool table where an ounce of difference will be noticeable.

A 12" machinist level is what you need to check it for true accuracy. Starrett is the only manufacturer I have ever heard of, although there might be more. They are very, very precise and will get your problem fixed...well that and some shims. They cost a pretty penny though....about $135 brand new, or $50 if you find them on eBay or used. Not sure all towns will have them for rent either...at least I know they didn't where I live and I live in a decent sized town.

Either way, I'd definitely get the table leveled rather you do it yourself or go to the expense to have a pro come in. It will be worth it in the long run!
 
Just following up on all of the much-appreciated responses:

I called both Brunswick about it and the pool table mechanic that recovered my table. I called Brunswick because the PTM had told me when he recovered my table that he thought (but wasn't sure) that one of my slates might be a little bit warped. I didn't give that much thought at the time because my table had played perfectly level with the old cloth. Thought that if there was some miniscule warp, it was corrected by the leveling process by the original installer. The Brunswick guy told me that some pool table mechanics tell people that so they can drum up some business. I doubted that was the case here because my PTM didn't try to get me to do anything other than what I had asked for. The Brunswick guy told me that my problem was probably just that the brand new cloth had to be worn in, that the felt has tiny bumps in it that need to get flattened over time by use and brushing.

I called the PTM. He happened to be working at a location not far from me and offered to stop by an hour later. He did. He could hardly remember his comment about a warped slate, but he examined the cloth very closely and told me that the new cloth had to get worn in - same thing the Brunswick guy told me. He did agree with me that there was a slight leveling problem, so he put a couple of shims under the feet on the right side of the table. Except for an almost imperceptible wobble as a slow-rolling cue ball comes to a stop, the problem was solved. He apologized for not paying more attention to leveling the table when he was here the first time. Promised to recover my table in a couple of months at no charge if the wobble doesn't stop.

So...all's well that ends well. Thanks, guys. I probably would not have called him back if you hadn't recommended it.
 
A carpenter's level might read that the table is level but it's just not sensitive enough when you're doing table/slate leveling. A Starrett machinist's level is definitely the best tool to use. However, if you don't have one you can still get it true by simple trial and error. Very important! You need to get the slate level BEFORE you puth the cloth on. Roll a few balls around very very slowly on the bare slate. If there are any imperfections in the levelness they will be magnified when the balls roll on the bare slate. If they roll off a certain way every time then go ahead and make adjustments until you get it right. It's a painstaking process but well worth the effort when you know you can trust your table to roll true on those slow rolling shots! If you can get the balls to roll pretty true on "naked" slate then they should be ok once you put the cloth on. As far as having to "break the cloth in", that sounds like a poor excuse considering they use brand new cloth on tournament tables and they roll true. Also, buy Simonis! Its worth the couple extra bucks.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top