Recently had GCIV recovered along with rails. I got the table used from a very good friend who suddenly passed away. I took the table apart and reassembled the frame only. Leveled it dead nuts. I'm a professional carpenter with 40 years in the business. I paid to have slates leveled, cloth installed and table reassembled. Mechanic screwed slates down and used the leveling bolts only no shims. He used two paper spacers at each slate seam and liquid glue when he got them "leveled" no seam filler at all. I have some very bad rolls across one seam and a ball can settle into the other one. Sort of like a small gutter. Is this normal practice to not fill seams? If not, what would be the best material to use?
Questions for a pro
- Thread starter str8shtr
- Start date
perfectpocketz
Banned
Most use bondo in the seams.....sounds like you did everything right.....up until you hired a cheap mechanic......sad to say....but your going to have to take the table apart....cloth off and repair....what the first guy didn't know how to do right.
Hope you can get the cloth back on straight again.....more than likely it wasn't straight to begin with.
Sad to hear things like this.....very easy for you to believe someone that tells you they can do the job right.....but really just want whatever money they can charge to land the job.
A lot of that going on around this AZ mechanics section lately.
Best advice is to let it go for now....if you can stand playing on the table....then have it done the right way by someone the truly knows the job....when the cloth wears out.
Good luck
Mark Gregory
Thanks so much Mark for responding. You're saying seams should have certainly been filled using bonds. Is that the stuff they use on cars? Also rolls are really bad, cue ball always seems to have a drift at the end of its roll. Very discouraging when you play nice 2-rail shape only to get hammered by drift. I'm sure you can relate. I was going to take top off, then pull staples on both short rails one side rail. Then I was thinking I could roll the cloth to the other long rail secure out of the way, level slates properly, fill seams and reassemble. Is the bondo easy to work with? Anything I need to pay special attention to? Also I was going to roll cloth back over table and stretch and attach at opposite side pocket, can you give me any input on how I should finish stretching and attaching cloth. Thank you again Mark! BTW not here to disparage anyone's work he did a very nice job with the rails and stretching and attaching cloth. He is an older gentleman 55, and I even remarked wow you don't need glasses to see the bubble? He said he refused to give into it.
Yes you should have your seems filled.
Yes, the bondo used for car body repair. Easy to work with, dries fairly fast and sands well.
The drift you speak of could be happening for a few different reasons. The slate might not be level. The slate might be level but could be warped. New cloth causes funny ball drifts until its worn in a bit, especially if it isn't stretched evenly.
I have to obligatorily ask that you support the mechanics industry by hiring a good man for the job, rather than ask for free advice. That said, if you do decide to do it yourself, there are slate leveling instructions in a sticky post at the top of this forum page.
Good luck.
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Questions for a pro ( Mr Bond)
Thanks Mr Bond for answering some of my questions. I greatly appreciate all the information I can get. I had already read the post on leveling the slates, very detailed and quite comprehensive. The table means a lot to me because of its provenance which I alluded to in my original post. My friend Dave who passed kept the table immaculate and it's in cherry condition. I just want the setup to rival it's condition. Having paid for the table, new cloth and hiring the mechanic my funds are significantly stretched. Therefore I am going to get the table right. Thanks again for your help!
Thanks Mr Bond for answering some of my questions. I greatly appreciate all the information I can get. I had already read the post on leveling the slates, very detailed and quite comprehensive. The table means a lot to me because of its provenance which I alluded to in my original post. My friend Dave who passed kept the table immaculate and it's in cherry condition. I just want the setup to rival it's condition. Having paid for the table, new cloth and hiring the mechanic my funds are significantly stretched. Therefore I am going to get the table right. Thanks again for your help!