Racking template

Cuebacca

Cuebacca

________
Silver Member
The "Rack-M-Rite" racking template was mentioned recently... is this product, or a template by another name, available online somewhere? I did a Google search and only found some dead links.

It has also been mentioned that the Eurotour is already using a racking template. If it is working well for them, maybe this is a good time for pro pool in the US to consider this, with the new tours starting up. Your thoughts?
 
Looks interesting. Would be good for my local hall. the tables rack
like sh!!t.

has anyone used it or know how good it works?
 
Check with Billiards Express http://www.billiardsexpress.com/index2.htm They might still have a few in stock there or at Long's Billiard Supply [Both the same].
http://www.longs-billiards.com/Home.asp
Here are pictures of one I got [ only use it once]. The back look like, it might be made from neoprene!

rak-m-rite 003.jpg

rak-m-rite 001.jpg

rak-m-rite 002.jpg

rak-m-rite 004.jpg
 
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I believe they don't sell them anymore.
If so let me know.
Problem is, these were 10 dollars i believe and the Eurotour templates wich were copied from the Rack-m-Right cost over 50 dollar!
 
Thanks for your replies everyone! Those pics are great. It's a shame, IMO, that they aren't selling them in the US anymore.
 
Copied from my post in another thread........

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Personally, I have mixed feelings about the 10-ball on the break. OK, I lied... I hate it! :D

But I do see the value in it from a crowd pleasing standpoint. However, please note that in the other sports listed [baseball/basketball], the crowd pleasing things are a little different. For example, a home run takes a very good hit on the ball, so it is a skill shot, whereas the 10 on the break is mostly luck, and usually the result of a bad rack, ie., a gap right behind the 10 that caused it to shoot into a foot pocket.

Whether or not a slam dunk is a skill shot is debatable I suppose, but it doesn't really matter because it's only worth two points just like a regular field goal. What if a slam dunk were worth 10 points? :eek: A 10-ball on the break is worth an entire game, which is way too much for a luck shot that is not even run-of-the-mill luck... it's RIGGED luck most of the time. I don't mean intentionally rigged, but rigged nonetheless by a flaw (gap) in the rack.

If pool ever does draw large crowds, most of them will probably never even realize it, but I think it is absolutely horrible anytime a 9-ball or 10-ball shoots straight into a foot pocket. It boarders on scandalous that we don't fix it, IMO. Here's one possible reason why that could be a big problem later:

Say pool becomes really popular as a spectator sport in the USA. Lots of people start betting on it. Underdog plays champion with huge betting odds given. Underdog snaps the 10 on the break 6 times in a row into the same foot pocket beating champion. Turns out the table was racking funky and there was a consistent gap behind the 10-ball and now everyone cries foul play. Huge black eye on the sport.

So what's the solution? There's got to be a compromise. For us regular schmucks at Joe's Billiard Parlor, IMO, the solution is rack-your-own, 9/10 on the break doesn't count. The races are painfully short anyway, so I don't see how it's fair for a race to 4 to be 25% crapped away on the break shot because the table doesn't rack right.

For the pros, particularly TV matches, I really think we need to consider using a racking template to guarantee that the balls are all frozen. Then we can count it as a win without it being such a tainted victory. If the 10 goes on the break when it was totally frozen, it is fair enough for me.

When it goes in on what is essentially a trick-shot break due to a rigged rack, it really is a disgrace to the game, IMHO.
 
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I don't get it. It's just a tapping template but I can't imagine why you couldn't accomplish the exact same thing by securing the balls together in a normal rack...keeping them tight with the thumb and fingers of one hand and tap away with the other.

If the balls are not the same size and/or the head spot is significantly indented you can tap all day and the balls won't freeze.

If you or your pool hall would change their spots more often then the dent wouldn't get as deep. If it aleady has gotten deep under the spot, you can fill it with wadded up threads from some scrap cloth or even a bit of tin foil...press it into the dent and put a new spot on.

Bingo, no more dent (for a while) and the centers of the balls will match up with the 1 ball again...assuming they are the same size in the first place.

Regards,
Jim
 
Hi Jim, I think you're right. One could theoretically do the same thing without the template, but I think the template just makes it a lot easier. I tapped the balls on my home table for use with the Sardo, and I did it very carefully. It took me a long time and it turned out OK, but definitely not "perfect". I would guess that I'd be better at it if I did a second table, and yet better each time as I gain the "touch" for it, but I figured the template would be so easy... a caveman can do it. :)
 
These racking templates are a bad idea IMO. Basically you are pounding dimples into the cloth. During the course of a game, if your ball rolls near to a dimple it could fall in and stop there. So, it is possible for this to affect the playability of the table.

The main cause of bad racks is two fold. First, your not using a good rack. Second, the spot is old and has developed a dimple in it.

Most people think the spot is a device to show you where to rack the balls. Actually, it is to protect the cloth. All break shots result in the head ball being pounded into the table. This eventually puts depression in the spot and the cloth.

So, replace the spot periodically and use a good quality hardwood triangular rack (such as the one manufactured by Diamond Billiard Products.) That will solve most racking problems.
 
Paul8ball said:
These racking templates are a bad idea IMO. Basically you are pounding dimples into the cloth. During the course of a game, if your ball rolls near to a dimple it could fall in and stop there. So, it is possible for this to affect the playability of the table.

The main cause of bad racks is two fold. First, your not using a good rack. Second, the spot is old and has developed a dimple in it.

Most people think the spot is a device to show you where to rack the balls. Actually, it is to protect the cloth. All break shots result in the head ball being pounded into the table. This eventually puts depression in the spot and the cloth.

So, replace the spot periodically and use a good quality hardwood triangular rack (such as the one manufactured by Diamond Billiard Products.) That will solve most racking problems.
Click to expand...


You sir have pounded the Correct on the head. Good post!
 
Thanks for your comments, Paul.

Paul8ball said:
These racking templates are a bad idea IMO. Basically you are pounding dimples into the cloth. During the course of a game, if your ball rolls near to a dimple it could fall in and stop there. So, it is possible for this to affect the playability of the table.
Click to expand...

I have an honest question: Have you ever witnessed this happening? I tapped my home table, not with a template but by hand, and tested this out trying to get a ball to roll off or stop in a dimple. I could not get a dimple to affect the ball after 50 slow rolled balls into the rack area (admittedly, it would have been better to test 1000, but I got bored).

I have also never seen any problem like this after about 8 months of play on the cloth. Basically I think you'd have to set the ball within a millimeter or so of the dimple (I'm guessing) to get it to settle into it. Pretty negligible IMO, considering the benefits.
 
I have definitely seen the ball roll into a dimple on the spot. This is, admittedly, going to occur very rarely. If you pound dimples into the cloth, it stands to reason that the same thing can occur. The odds are very low because two things have to happen at the same time. The ball has to roll partially over the dimple and do it at an extremely slow speed. The dimple is very small.
 
Paul8ball said:
I have definitely seen the ball roll into a dimple on the spot. This is, admittedly, going to occur very rarely. If you pound dimples into the cloth, it stands to reason that the same thing can occur. The odds are very low because two things have to happen at the same time. The ball has to roll partially over the dimple and do it at an extremely slow speed. The dimple is very small.
Click to expand...

I think we should distinguish, though, between the spot and all the other dimples. The foot spot takes massive abuse whether a template is used or not.

I should also point out that the template should be used as instructed... that is, 3-4 firm taps. I remember reading of objections to the Sardo because of this same issue; but then it turns out that people were really pounding the balls in like crazy because they hadn't been taught how to set it up properly.
 
Cuebacca said:
Hi Jim, I think you're right. One could theoretically do the same thing without the template, but I think the template just makes it a lot easier. I tapped the balls on my home table for use with the Sardo, and I did it very carefully. It took me a long time and it turned out OK, but definitely not "perfect". I would guess that I'd be better at it if I did a second table, and yet better each time as I gain the "touch" for it, but I figured the template would be so easy... a caveman can do it. :)
Click to expand...

Interesting. I abandoned my Sardo for a high end...heavy...wooden rack.

When the dent under the spot gets deeper than the VERY shallow tapped dents then the centers don't match and I found I was getting tiny gaps...which you really can't see with the Sardo until you remove it.

Too much trouble and worse...IMHO...since Sardos are almost never used in amateur events...and few pro events anymore...and since rack imperfections are a way of life for most of us...I think the thing to do is to get Joe Tucker's Racking Secrets and figure out when to ask for a re-rack and when the imperfections are an ADVANTAGE to the breaker!

Regards,
Jim
 
Paul8ball said:
These racking templates are a bad idea IMO. Basically you are pounding dimples into the cloth. During the course of a game, if your ball rolls near to a dimple it could fall in and stop there. So, it is possible for this to affect the playability of the table.

The main cause of bad racks is two fold. First, your not using a good rack. Second, the spot is old and has developed a dimple in it.

Most people think the spot is a device to show you where to rack the balls. Actually, it is to protect the cloth. All break shots result in the head ball being pounded into the table. This eventually puts depression in the spot and the cloth.

So, replace the spot periodically and use a good quality hardwood triangular rack (such as the one manufactured by Diamond Billiard Products.) That will solve most racking problems.
Click to expand...

I would add two things. Imperfections in the cloth in the racking area and especially in pool halls...balls that are not the same size and/or which have surface imperfections.

Regards,
Jim
 
av84fun said:
Interesting. I abandoned my Sardo for a high end...heavy...wooden rack.

When the dent under the spot gets deeper than the VERY shallow tapped dents then the centers don't match and I found I was getting tiny gaps...which you really can't see with the Sardo until you remove it.

Too much trouble and worse...IMHO...since Sardos are almost never used in amateur events...and few pro events anymore...and since rack imperfections are a way of life for most of us...I think the thing to do is to get Joe Tucker's Racking Secrets and figure out when to ask for a re-rack and when the imperfections are an ADVANTAGE to the breaker!

Regards,
Jim
Click to expand...

True, I do own Joe Tucker's Racking Secrets and feel that it's the best thing since sliced bread... maybe even better!

I agree, at the amateur level, rack imperfections are going to be a way of life. At the pro level though, they don't have to be, especially in instances where tables are set up specifically for a single event.
 
Cuebacca said:
The "Rack-M-Rite" racking template was mentioned recently... is this product, or a template by another name, available online somewhere? I did a Google search and only found some dead links.

It has also been mentioned that the Eurotour is already using a racking template. If it is working well for them, maybe this is a good time for pro pool in the US to consider this, with the new tours starting up. Your thoughts?
Click to expand...
In the 2001 article http://www.sfbilliards.com/articles/2001-07.pdf I offered to send people a nine-ball template for free, but only one or two people took me up on it. Here is a set of templates in 1-mm increments of size: http://www.sfbilliards.com/template.pdf

Here is how you can make a template from those instructions:

Print out the appropriate page from the PDF. Balls are nominally 57.15 mm in diameter. The 57-mm template may work. If the balls are worn, you need to use the 56-mm template or smaller.

Print the template on thickish paper or on mylar transparency. The mylar is more durable, but costs about $1 per sheet, so you better do your experiments with paper. When printing a PDF, most printing systems will allow you to scale the print. Choose no scaling or 100%.

If you have a cheap printer, measure the distances between the printed spots with a millimeter ruler. The sizes could be off in X or Y or both. In the US, OfficeMax and/or Office Depot has a service that will print from a web file and they can probably print onto mylar.

Once you have the printed template, cut along the solid outline. Go back to Office Max and buy a hole punch. Very carefully punch holes as marked. Put the template on the table and roll balls into the holes. (There is no hole for the nine ball.) Do the balls all sit snuggly against each other? If there are gaps, go for the next smaller size of template. If they are too crowded, you may need the next larger size of template.

To train the table, tape the template to the cloth in the right place, and place and tap one ball at a time. I suppose you could mark the edges of the template or two of the holes in case you need to re-tap that exact location.

If you don't want to tap the table, you can leave the template on the table during the break shot. That is actually the way I had intended the template to be used when I designed it about 30 years ago. It's usually easy enough to remove it before the first shot after the break.

The dimples don't make the ball roll off on any shot that can reach a pocket. They may cause a ball that stops in the rack area settle a mm or so, but that's it. This is not something to worry about. Deeper dimples are created by jump shots and break shots.
 
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