Next test question for billiards technicians.

realkingcobra

realkingcobra

Well-known member
Silver Member
What is the best way to apply the facings in the pockets as to make them invisible to sight and feel? In other words, how do you flush the facings to the rail rubber and rail itself as to not leave it noticeable after the cloth is installed? How do you finish the facings off to fit the rail?
 
Just like with any technique it takes repetition to create perfection. I found that using a rotary sander with medium grit works the best for me. Of course I glue them ahead of time the trim with razor blades etc... I taper the edges flush with the cushion rubber. Makes a mess but works great!
 
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Rotary Sander...

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I have to admit Slatehumper...you ARE the only billiards technician on AZ that's willing to challenge me...LOL...I like it! You'll love my answer...as Diamond Billiars did...and still does, as well as those I've shown it to.

Glen
 
Facings

I trim them using a New razor blade with just a little water added. Cuts them like butter. I've also used a very flexible high quality fillet knife and got great results. The water helps lubricate while cutting.
 
I cut then I sand off the last 16th to 8th of a inch.Hasn't been a problem in the 16 years I've built tables.How do you do it I'm Alway's looking for improved ways and good advice.
 
Glad to see I'm getting more responses to this question. I realize that there has never been a school of billiards to attend to learn how to recover pool tables...there needs to be, actually I've been thinking about opening a Billiards Academy just for that purpose. I strongly believe that there should be some sort of certification requirement to being a technician....but until then, I thought that maybe I could start out here on AZ gaining the attention of billiards technicians in the hopes that maybe it would start a new kind of thread called....

"I ran into this kind of problem in the past and this is what I did...." or

"Is there an easier way to..." or

"Have any of you ran into this problem before, if you did...what did you do...."


in the hopes that maybe the information might help a fellow technician learn to do the job a little easier or maybe a little better.

My answer to puting on facings will changes everyones opinion about installing facings...shortly.

Glen
 
Looking foreward to your answer.I've attended the Brunswick training and Gandy training years ago.The traing consisted of installers comparing notes.
 
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This is the Makita 1 1/8" in belt sander. It retails for about $225.00...and it's a billiards technicians best friend! It's absolutely the best power tool in the world for sanding facings, sharp edges underneath the slate pockets, blending the rail rubber smooth to the rail after replacing the rubber, sharpening tools...what ever! Very lightweight...reversible hold, variable speed. Every billiards technician SHOULD carry one of these around to every job. You can sand facings so smooth to the rail that you can't even tell where the rail rubber ends and the facing begins. I even use it to sharpen my lawn mower blades and ax for chopping wood.

Glen
 
Besides using the belt sander to sand the facings, after glueing the facings on the pockets, I staple each facing to the rail with a 1/4" x 1 inch crown stapler with 2 stables placed below the center of the facings about 3/4" of an inch apart. I drop the air pressure down to about 60lbs so that the staple just barely sinks into the facing as to not shoot through the facing completely. I use the 1/4" staples as insurance that the facing can not move in the event the glue fails to hold down the road during the next recoverys.
 
I have tried a belt sander in the past but found that the rotary sander is more versatile and efficient. All of my facings come out seamless and flawless. Thanks for the tip... Maybe I'll try it on my hatchet :)
 
Poolschool said:
I have tried a belt sander in the past but found that the rotary sander is more versatile and efficient. All of my facings come out seamless and flawless. Thanks for the tip... Maybe I'll try it on my hatchet :)
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Diamond used rotary sanders to in the past, they have 5 Makita belt sanders now because it only takes a few seconds each to sand the facings. What's nice about the belt sander is that the 120 grit belt cuts and removes the facing in the direction of the rail..kind of like in a single direction motion with very little applied pressure.

What I discovered years ago about using a rotary sander is that when you're trying to sand facings made out of neopreme, the neopreme has a tendincey to viberate right along with the sand paper especialy if not first trimed micro close to the rail rubber first, and if trying to sand 1/4" neopreme it was a forever process. One other draw back of using the rotary sander that I didn't care for was that it doesen't have a hard backing behind the sandpaper so my facings wouldn't turn out as flat to the rail rubber that I liked, I actually had to kind of sand the facings at kind of a slanted angle to the rail rubber which made the facing visable to the eye after puttig the cloth on the rail. With the belt sander being so small and light weight, with the sandpaper cutting across the neopreme in a single pulling direction I can then sand the facing to the exact same plane as the rail and rail rubber therefore invisible to the eye after installing the cloth. I don't think a person should be able to walk up to a table, look into the pocket and start counting how many facings are on each side. :D
 
Facings

I have allways used a Drimmel tool to smooth out replaced facing's or any sharp edges on pocket openings...it's small and very portable also.
I also was in a certifacation school for Bruinswick installers back in the early 90's...Al Conte(sp) was the tech or teacher for them.
I would also like to see such a thread....for learning new tricks or the trade better...it would be like the cue makers fourm....Been doing tables since 1981....Terry
 
oh boy, here I go again...LOL The reason I use a pneumatic staple gun is because I don't like how electric stable guns have a tendency to shoot the stables through the cloth if you apply to much pressure on the head of the staple gun to the cloth...I know, its never happened to you before right...LOL With a pneumatic staple gun you can when under air pressure pull the trigger and if you hold the trigger the hammer head will stay extended out. With the hammer head extended out I sand off the hammer with my "belt sander"...haha...flush to the end of the nose of the stapler so that no matter how much pressure I place against the cloth it won't shoot a staple through the cloth. Another reason I use a pneumatic stapler is because some rails are made out of oak and an electric stapler has a tendency to want to bend over the staples when they're going into real hard wood. With a pneumatic stapler all you have to do is turn up the air pressure..."more power"...LOL...and no more problems. Another reason is because I carry other types of pneumatic staplers to do repairs on tables when necessary, and besides a you can get a 1/2" crown pneumatic stapler from Harbor Freights for around $40.00 dollars.:D
 
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