Making a table higher by several inches

[iusedtoberich]

I just bought a GC4 that I will be picking up in a few weeks. I'm having it professionally installed. I'd like to make it several inches taller because I am tall, and I have a bad back that makes playing painful. I'm thinking about 4 or 5 inches taller. I've given this a lot of thought, and I'm certain I want it much taller for practice purposes.

I crawled around the local pool room that has GC4's and took lots of pictures. What I'm planning on doing is build up a block to put between the pedestal leg and the bottom frame member, and keep the existing angle iron.

I've never worked on a table before, but I am a highly accomplished woodworker and have a full wood shop and metal shop to be able to accomplish this objective.

I'd like to have everything ready to go on my end, so when the table comes, I can have the installers put this block into place as they are assembling the table. I can't take a table apart beforehand to determine a few questions I have, so I'd love if one of the mechanics here can answer the below questions.

A few questions:

1. Is this a good location to raise the table?

2. Can someone tell me with certainty details about the single vertical bolt in the picture? Is it a lag bolt, or a machine screw? If its a lag bolt, what is its diameter? If its a machine screw, what is its diameter and thread pitch? What does this bolt thread into? The wood of the leg? A nut? A threaded insert? Something else?

3. If its a machine screw what I'm planning on doing is buying a piece of all-thread the same size, that will be long enough to go through the spacer block, and then bolt through the angle iron as in the original design.

Thank you.

 

[mike253]

I'll start by saying I'm not a mechanic.. BUT, I have stayed at a Holiday Inn Express!

That being said, I'd suggest putting the table on a solid platform instead of attempting to basically insert a giant shim between the frame and the base. Tables are fickle beasts to begin with, I'd imagine interfering with the design as you've proposed would make keeping it level a nightmare.

Something like a frame made out of 2x4s 16" OC with "blocking" between them where the feet will sit, with a 2 sheets of 3/4" plywood glued and screwed on top would be solid enough (assuming that frame would sit directly on the floor and not on thick carpet). If by "several inches", you mean ~3, use the same design, just lay the 2x4s flat.

ETA: Something like this. Red circles being the feet on the base, of course. Should cost you about $70 in material (including screws and glue).

 

[Shaky1]

With your own shop I'm wondering why you would not make 4 round spacers 4 or 5 inches high to place under the feet? This way if you ever decide to sell it, it would still be in it's original condition.

 

[reverend]

You can do what you said exactly. That is what I have done in the past, just not 5 or 6 inches.

The one thing that you might find is that the table will look a little funny because you are going to see the tops of the pedestals and the spacer block. Another option might be to split the difference and go 3 or 4 inches up between the legs and the frame and 2 or 3 inches up under the legs. I do not have a leg bolt sitting in front of me but I will go find one. I can tell you it is a machine bolt that threads into a captured insert in the top of the leg pedestal.

 

[perfectpocketz]

You mentioned a PROFESSIONAL set-up.....the mechanic should have the answers you need. Atlanta has some of the best......LMAO


Mark Gregory

 

[iusedtoberich]

..... Touché