Swilling slate backing

[T-Dawg]

Would a swelled slate backing of 1/32 of a inch cause any problems of installing a table?

 

[Dartman]

Can you be a little more specific - "swelled" doesn't tell us much.

 

[T-Dawg]

The slate backing swell has a difference of 1/32 in differn`t area`s from the slate to the bottom of the backing,also would this cause crowned slate?

 

[Dartman]

The slate backing swell has a difference of 1/32 in differn`t area`s from the slate to the bottom of the backing,also would this cause crowned slate?

You probably want to start by setting the slates on the frame and check that they're flat.
If so attempt to level the slates with shims. If you run into a problem you could always
replace the liners with fresh hardwood. Maybe one of the other mechs will chime
in with an opinion.

 

[Mr. Bond]

uneven swelling is not neccesarily abnormal. but it can be bad enough for the wood to be considered "warped".

swelling itself wont warp the slate, but bolting down a slate over badly warped wood will.

if the swelling is not extreme and the wood is not deformed more than a milimeter or two, all should be fine once bolted down and leveled.

on the flip side of that, slate backing is cheap and easy to replace. why risk anything when you dont have to.

 

[T-Dawg]

What would be the process to complete the swapping of the backing and equipment and materials needed?
:grin-square:

 

[T-Dawg]

Anyone know the process to swap the slate backing?

 

[Club Billiards]

Anyone know the process to swap the slate backing?

It's not hard. Strip off any old backing and glue. Decide on a new material (ex: poplar). Cut, glue and shape the new backing. The hardest part will be shaping it in the pockets areas.

 

[Club Billiards]

Here is a link to one that we did. We actually took unbacked slate and built a backing for it to go on another table.

Backing replacement

Yours should be a little easier if you're able to use the old backing as a template for the new pieces. Also, I used pine in that example because I had a ton of it sitting around in the shop. Probably should have used something harder though, like poplar, and will the next time, so take that into consideration.