pool table speed test

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ballafish

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I was not sure if my 9' gold crown was fast or slow. It has been so long since I played in leagues just my own table so I set up sort of a stint meter (golf putting green) speed test. I set two cues on the rail and set the cue tips on the head ball spot rested the shafts on the rail (had to hold them) set the cue ball on the edge of the rail and let the ball roll down the two shafts. On my table the ball rolls down hits the end rail and comes back to the second diamond head string line.
I don't think my table is all that fast or slow so let me know what you folks came up with.

Thanks,

Allen
 
every table i hit the cue ball up and down the table about as hard as i can. then i relate that to how far short or past 4 rails it goes.
this way you are gauging the table according to your stroke.
 
maha said:
every table i hit the cue ball up and down the table about as hard as i can. then i relate that to how far short or past 4 rails it goes.
this way you are gauging the table according to your stroke.
Click to expand...

One might try hitting a striped ball up and down the table with your "normal" playing stroke and see how you need to adjust swing speed to achieve the same results you do on your regular practice table.
 
First, I'd like to say nice job thinking of that process we can all repeat. My 9' GC rolled off the rail and out so that the leading edge of the ball was exactly even with the 3rd diamond. I had the tips at the center of the spot btw.
 
I shoot a five rail shot from the lower right coner to the upper
right corn with a firm stroke..this also tells me how the cushions
play..I also hit a few three cushion an single cushion too..
all the above probably doesn't mean much..mental feed back on
my stroke an the table I'll be playing on..diffrent strokes for other folks.
 
why not

hold a ball in your hand "clean would be better" place your index finger on the edge of the table where the rail meets the wood, gently roll the ball out of your hand and just watch it go. if it touch the end rail your table is fast for the most part. if it touches the end rail or not mark the spot and repeat the step 3-5 times for accurate reading, if it touches the rail still mark the spot as this tells how lively your rails are.

repeat this from the other end of the table and also accross the table to test short rails and stretch of cloth "depending on how the cloth is layed some spot may be faster than other due to the direction of the grain based on who did the table and how good of a job they did"

P.S.
don't know where you live but please if you decide to do the above steps please don't do it on your dirty table that's keep in a 90 degree basement that the sun comes out of a window and hit directly on the table. Just saying make sure conditions are good, no humidity and stuff like that, cause it matters.
 
ballafish said:
I was not sure if my 9' gold crown was fast or slow. It has been so long since I played in leagues just my own table so I set up sort of a stint meter (golf putting green) speed test. I set two cues on the rail and set the cue tips on the head ball spot rested the shafts on the rail (had to hold them) set the cue ball on the edge of the rail and let the ball roll down the two shafts. On my table the ball rolls down hits the end rail and comes back to the second diamond head string line.
I don't think my table is all that fast or slow so let me know what you folks came up with.

Thanks,

Allen
Click to expand...

According to the BCA spec's The speed of the table cushions should be such that placement of a ball on the head spot, shooting through the foot spot, using center ball english, with a level cue and firm stroke, the ball must travel a minimum of 4 to 4 ½ lengths of the table without jumping.

http://home.bca-pool.com/associations/7744/files/BCAEquipmentSpecifications_2008.pdf
 
I am seeing that most of these tests are made by bouncing the test ball off the rails. I think this can be a greater variable than the actual speed of the cloth itself. Cloth speed should be made by not utilizing any rail. Haven't you ever noticed a rail that is 'dead' or one that actually increases the speed of the ball after the bounce?

I think the article at the billiards.colostate.edu (noted in matteroner's post) is very good. It take the 'rail' out of the speed test. I believe that meter describbed should be the standard for testing cloth speed. Once the cloth speed is determined, you could continue to test teh rails for their 'bounce' by increasing the length of ball travel to include the rail in the equation.

JMHO...Ken
 
@Decent Dennis

Yes he could use a solid but a striped ball oriented vertically would indicate if he had applied unwanted side spin on the ball. Of course if one is not interested in that piece of information they could use a cueball or any ball perhaps even a silver dollar. :)
 
Nice method!

JolietJames said:
First, I'd like to say nice job thinking of that process we can all repeat. My 9' GC rolled off the rail and out so that the leading edge of the ball was exactly even with the 3rd diamond. I had the tips at the center of the spot btw.
Click to expand...

I like this method!

Trying to simply hit a ball as hard as you can and count the rails will not produce definitive results. I challenge anyone to hit three shots as hard as possible and claim that they hit them all with exactly the same force.
 
Just tried the posters test on my 9' g.c. with new 860hr and new superspeed cushions. Mine rebounded off the cushion and back to about an inch beyond the third diamond. I'm thinking the new cloth is fairly fast.
 
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