T rails vs flat rails

[darmoose]

So..if you agree that T rails, or even if you don't, play different than flat rails, what is it that makes the difference. Antique tables vs gold crowns for example. I know that the bolting down to the slate is different, vertical vs horizontal, but assuming that all bolts are solid and tight and allow NO movement, I can't see how this makes all the difference. The one constant difference that I can see is the amount of mass directly behind the cushion nose.

Assuming you have a commercial grade antique table that is built structurally as heavily as a gold crown with high quality cushions and pockets should they be able to modified to play just as well.

Has anyone experimented with trying to add to the mass of the T rail, like by adding an additional piece of lumber to the outside of the T rail? Does anyone have any other ideas that might make T rails play more like flat rails?

 

[garczar]

T Rail vs Vertical bolt rails

I've always felt that T Rail tables have a better rebound, faster with a more solid feel. I maintain that I can shoot a bank on a table and tell if it is T Rail without looking all other things being equal, K 55 cushions same cloth etc. Is this my imagination or has anyone else tested this or...

forums.azbilliards.com

 

[angluse]

Chase the thread inserts. Most of my inserts had gunk in them, presumably the lead or whatever's used to seal them in. I couldn't get a clean thread-in on more than half of them, so could not get a clean feeling of torque - the bolts were really hanging up. No taps for pre-standards thread pitch available (unless you want to pay to have one made), so I made a makeshift chaser tap out of an extra bolt, and that was enough to clean the gunk from the inserts threads.

Maybe that helped get the rails tighter, but not by much. Mostly just even torque without spanner slipping out of holes.

Not a mechanic, but I cannot see how T-Rail can ever come close to a top mount's stability (as debated in garczar's link). Even if you had a 3" thick slate for wider contact patch with the T, AND replaced the wood T's with steel stock, that's still a lot of bolt shank exposed, from thread engagement to bolt head, and that (to me) implies potential for shank flex.

 

[bradsh98]

So..if you agree that T rails, or even if you don't, play different than flat rails, what is it that makes the difference. Antique tables vs gold crowns for example. I know that the bolting down to the slate is different, vertical vs horizontal, but assuming that all bolts are solid and tight and allow NO movement, I can't see how this makes all the difference. The one constant difference that I can see is the amount of mass directly behind the cushion nose.

Assuming you have a commercial grade antique table that is built structurally as heavily as a gold crown with high quality cushions and pockets should they be able to modified to play just as well.

Has anyone experimented with trying to add to the mass of the T rail, like by adding an additional piece of lumber to the outside of the T rail? Does anyone have any other ideas that might make T rails play more like flat rails?

It's incredibly difficult to maintain an accurate and consistent nose height on a T-rail.