Shimming Pockets

[Dartman]

Looks like a set of 5.5 + 3.2 facings glued together.
Whatever - if you like the play of the table who are we to point out there is no shim there.

In the future I'll just let someone from Muellers, Seyberts or Best Billiards respond to table-related inquiries.

 

[selftaut]

Joe, the last 1/4" into the pocket does not have the rebound that it would if the cushions were extended, the table will play soft compared to a table with the cushions extended because of dead rebound there, you would be suprised how much tougher it played if the cushions were extended. For example a ball up the long rail that touches the long rail right before the pocket will hit that very spot where there is supposed to be just a 3.2 facing and cushion, if the cushion was there it would rebound much more into the other side of the pocket facing and most likely bobble in the jaws. What you are hitting there now is a dead hit and the ball will drop.

 

[9BallPaul]

Tight pocket mania

I'll never understand this obsession with tight pockets. Get a snooker table, learn to fire in the balls on that, and then play pool with legal pockets, just as they use in tournaments.

The success of former snooker players in the WPBA should speak for itself. Pockets shimmed tighter than legally required make as much sense as wearing tight shoes and a hat two sizes too small. Geez.

 

[Bigtruck]

I like tight pockets...........

and I cannot lie!!!

 

[JoeW]

I think that you are probably right Selftaught. The balls seem to drop easily, maybe even a little more easily than before it was shimmed. However, I do not have a way to determine if this is the case on my table.

One of my pockets was notorious among the players as a "tough" pocket that seemed to spit out many shots. Now it plays just like all of the other pockets.

For the cost, I am happy with the result. If I had the money to spend I would buy a new table. This one has seen much use for a home table. For now it serves just fine and plays just that much tighter.

My apologies Dartman is I offended you. I was simply relating my experience. I did not mean to imply that new rails would not be a "better" solution only that for those of us who are cheap, this is a very workable solution.

9BallPaul. I don't think that I am obsessed with tight pockets. I do like to play on a competition quality equipment and hence I buy the best balls, cloth and keep everthing in good working condidtion. 4.5" pockets are now the recognized standard and it bugged me that my table was not up to standards, nothing more than that.

I love playing snooker, played for years when I was married to a Scots woman whose family lived in Hamilton Ontario. However, my room isn't big enough for a snooker table and there are not many snooker players in my current neck of the woods (NE Ohio).

 

[Fatboy]

listen to Eric!! ONE facing is all you want. Otherwise the game is changed. Stacking shims sucks.

Have your subrails extended and add ONE facing. Then sand down the facing edges with a narrow beltsander.

Depending on where you live, I would have RealKingCobra or a Graduate of RKC Academy stop by and fix it right up.:thumbup:

Ray

JT,

the change were talking about here isnt that much $$$ even when done by the most expensive guy in the world. You will be happy, i'd rather play on a tough 7' anyways. do it right once you will be very glad you did.

 

[Big C]

and I cannot lie!!!

That looks like one of those baby tables from Toys R Us. That, or someone put the pocket in backwards. That's it--an Aggie table! You probably have to shoot with the butt-end of your cue too.

 

[Dartman]

... My apologies Dartman is I offended you. I was simply relating my experience. I did not mean to imply that new rails would not be a "better" solution only that for those of us who are cheap, this is a very workable solution. ...

No worries.
There's a playability difference between workable and correct.
Also a difference between shims and facings.
If your content with the outcome that's what matters.

 

[Dartman]

and I cannot lie!!!

You must imbibe much vodka before playing Russian, :thumbup:

 

[Roy Steffensen]

Just shimmed my pockets, and they are now 4".

I just used hard rubber, used a knife and cut it so it would fit in the jaw, and glued some cloth on them.

I will do it properly, with original "shims" when I will recloth the rails.

Will post a picture of this tomorrow. It works perfectly well, and it took me just few minutes to do. A good solution for those who will wait to recloth the rails.

 

[Grumpy]

Tighter pockets

They do make a device that snaps into the pocket - saw on in use on a you tube pool training video the other day.

The proper way to do it is to remove the rail cloth and add corner facing rubbers. Be sure to contour the edges for a smooth ball entry before you staple the cloth back on.

I owned a 10 Brunswick Gold Crown III table pool room in another lifetime. Double shimmed one of the tables, it played like a Diamond of today. Triple shimmed another, it was a monster.

Double & triple shimming IS NOT the proper way to do it. The pockets go dead with little if any rubber response. The proper way to do it is to have a table mechanic replace the rubber on the table with longer rubber and one & only one facings.

 

[realkingcobra]

This will show you what I did:

QUOTE]
I don't care how the pocket ears poke out when the pockets are double or tripple shimed. See the pocket ears on this 4 1/2" pocket, they lay flat to the rails.

 

[Roy Steffensen]

Here's picture of my pockets after I shimmed them without the needed equipment.

As I said earlier, I just used hard rubber, cut it with a knife, put it outside the rail/cloth and then glued some cloth on them to prevent that the balls get dirty/black after hitting the rubber on it's way to the pocket.

When I recloth the table sometimes after the Summer, I will use original equipment for shimming the pockets, but this works almost perfect. 97 % compared to do it the proper way, imo, but this way I saved lots of time. Real easy to do.