Recalibrated Rails
- Thread starter J-Flo
- Start date
Recalibrated Rails?
Hi, J-Flo,
Again, I'm not a pro mechanic. I am however, a student of that profession. I follow this forum very closely and have learned a great deal from the skilled professionals that post regularly.
I think that the term "recalibrated rails" was probably coined by one of the four or five mechanics that post extensively on the subject.
From what I have read by these gentlemen, it appears to me that recalibration means:
Measuring, and or, altering, the entire rail system to promote the "best" play for a given table. As I understand it, these tweaks include:
1. Specific height of the cushion nose from the table bed.
2. Face angle of the subrail.
3. Miter and bevel (or down angle) of the cushions and subrails at all pockets.
4. Consistent and exact dimensions of pocket mouths.
5. Exact playing field dimensions, ie. 50 by 100 inches.
In addition, a mechanic that would understand all the above would also be a perfectionist when it comes to standard table set up, which would include precise leveling and flattening of the slate, straight rails and near perfect centering of the rail system on the bed.
All of the above simply governs how a pool ball behaves as it rolls around the table.
These pros that developed and follow the recalibrated rails concept regularly get really high praise from their customers. Also, in praise to them, they share their knowledge with others.
jfe
Hi, J-Flo,
Again, I'm not a pro mechanic. I am however, a student of that profession. I follow this forum very closely and have learned a great deal from the skilled professionals that post regularly.
I think that the term "recalibrated rails" was probably coined by one of the four or five mechanics that post extensively on the subject.
From what I have read by these gentlemen, it appears to me that recalibration means:
Measuring, and or, altering, the entire rail system to promote the "best" play for a given table. As I understand it, these tweaks include:
1. Specific height of the cushion nose from the table bed.
2. Face angle of the subrail.
3. Miter and bevel (or down angle) of the cushions and subrails at all pockets.
4. Consistent and exact dimensions of pocket mouths.
5. Exact playing field dimensions, ie. 50 by 100 inches.
In addition, a mechanic that would understand all the above would also be a perfectionist when it comes to standard table set up, which would include precise leveling and flattening of the slate, straight rails and near perfect centering of the rail system on the bed.
All of the above simply governs how a pool ball behaves as it rolls around the table.
These pros that developed and follow the recalibrated rails concept regularly get really high praise from their customers. Also, in praise to them, they share their knowledge with others.
jfe
Last edited:
Aloha all,
Great post! I also follow this section extensively and agree with the OP.
With a proper search you can have almost any question answered. Good hunting in your searches and Mahalo for your time.
Carl
You are correct sir! I'll also add, the mechanics that do this type of work have invested time and money into the proper tooling. jigs and equipment.
Jay
Jay,
It is very true that a mechanic who can recalibrate rails has paid his dues, so to speak. Fortunately, since he offers a service that is rare, he can and should, set a price for that service that will compensate him adequately. However, and somewhat unfortunately, many highly skilled persons find it mentally difficult to charge what their work is really worth.
jfe
Also, I just wanted to point this out. In order to insure exact spec's, the rails have to be bolted to the slate in order to perform exacting spec's from one rail to the next demention wise, which can't be done on a table saw, so there's a LOT of tricks to this kind of work in order to do it right.
Glen
Glen