Table mechanic's expertise needed

[Dan Harriman]

A friend of mine has a Gold Crown 2 and the corner pockets are not playing true, when viewing the pocket over head it looks as if the pocket has one facing/shim that is bent and this makes one of the pocket shims look uneven. It almost seems as if one facing is longer than the other. I had a friend who knows a little look the table over, he said that they are possibly old facings and should have been replaced. He then went on to say that the rubber for the rails had been cut and to fix the pockets the right way we would need to replace the rails. All I know is I am missing on what I call a 'gaffy' pocket (pardon the expression) it happens the most when I try to pot a ball down the rail. Any ideas - if so I'm all ears? Experienced table mechanics only please, I just need to know if I should simply buy new rails or new facings for the corner pockets.

 

[nine_ball6970]

A friend of mine has a Gold Crown 2 and the corner pockets are not playing true, when viewing the pocket over head it looks as if the pocket has one facing/shim that is bent and this makes one of the pocket shims look uneven. It almost seems as if one facing is longer than the other. I had a friend who knows a little look the table over, he said that they are possibly old facings and should have been replaced. He then went on to say that the rubber for the rails had been cut and to fix the pockets the right way we would need to replace the rails. All I know is I am missing on what I call a 'gaffy' pocket (pardon the expression) it happens the most when I try to pot a ball down the rail. Any ideas - if so I'm all ears? Experienced table mechanics only please, I just need to know if I should simply buy new rails or new facings for the corner pockets.

You should probably have this moved to the Talk to a Mechanic section.

 

[Black-Balled]

I think it is a common problem to have pockets that have funny angles on the facings. can get frustrating, for real.

For the fix? prob do need to change the rubber...but I am no mechanic.

 

[AAplayr]

Not a table mechanic but...

The Gold Crown miter cuts on the pockets were not accurate. With the GC I tables they vary a lot, due to poor production controls and so many tables being made then.

If you have an end rail with a more open (shallower) angle to the cut (seen from overhead) it will reject perfectly hit balls, especially down the rail. Furthermore if the facing has taken shots for 40 years it loses the 15 degree down angle it should have to keep the object ball down as it goes across the pocket and into the hole. The facings even become cupped at the mid ball height from repeated shots into the facing ove years and the underlying wood even gets pushed in some.

Bottom line the facings need to be flat, with the 15 degree forward pitch, cut so they are not to wide open or balls will get rejected. There is a room here where I can spot the 6 pockets out of 7 tables that will rountinely reject balls. Down the rail with CB draw that becomes OB follow will stay up all day if hit even medium speed. It's a real heartbreaker for the cash.

 

[Jerry Forsyth]

When I toured the French Lick, IN, plant where high-end Brunswicks like Gold Crowns were assembled back in the mid-90's I was particularly taken with the lack of care on cutting the pocket angles out of the rubber.

The rubber just came down the production line and a women with a box-cutter would hold it down and slice it off. No jig, no pre-set table saw, just a mark on the table where the knife was to start and finish. Since then I have always noticed that it is common to see pockets cut at all sorts of angles on many Gold Crowns.

 

[Poolhalljunkie]

Pocket angle fix.

Your best option is to get ahold of Mark Gregory perfect pocketz in the talk to a mechanic section. He is out of Georgia and probably the best rail mechanic if you ask around. Donny From SDBilliards redone mo e on my GCII. Had arête is rubber installed and pockets recut and I couldn't be happier with the results!

 

[woody_968]

Danny, sorry to post as I know you said mechanics only but I had rails done a little while back and wanted to give you some food for thought.

If your looking at having rails done, get them done exactly how you want them. I picked up a GC Anniversary and got ahold of JZmechanic here on the boards. I had him extend my sub rails so I could have the pockets smaller and then had him set the pockets up closer to Diamond face angles. I went with 4 1/2 inch pockets and I think the angle was 147 but I dont remember positively. All I can say is I now have a table that plays GREAT!

If your getting them done, just make sure the mechanic knows what you want. Its worth sending the rails out to have the rubber done IMHO unless your lucky enough to have someone close by that is top notch.

You probably already knew all that, but just making sure.

Woody

 

[chevybob20]

Mark Gregory, Perfect Pockets, 770-548-4292. He can make those pockets...well ...perfect. :thumbup:

 

[realkingcobra]

A friend of mine has a Gold Crown 2 and the corner pockets are not playing true, when viewing the pocket over head it looks as if the pocket has one facing/shim that is bent and this makes one of the pocket shims look uneven. It almost seems as if one facing is longer than the other. I had a friend who knows a little look the table over, he said that they are possibly old facings and should have been replaced. He then went on to say that the rubber for the rails had been cut and to fix the pockets the right way we would need to replace the rails. All I know is I am missing on what I call a 'gaffy' pocket (pardon the expression) it happens the most when I try to pot a ball down the rail. Any ideas - if so I'm all ears? Experienced table mechanics only please, I just need to know if I should simply buy new rails or new facings for the corner pockets.

Welcome to the world of GC's, the pockets don't get any better on the GC5's either...LOL When looking straight down on the corner pockets they'll look like they're leaning to the left or right just a little, that's because they are. Stand straight across from the side pockets and take a look at them too, most are not centered with the pocket castings. If you want to take a real good look at the pockets, take a right angle square and hold it up to the corner pocket right against the nose of the cushions, and square in the corner. Mark the square at the point that the nose of the cushions contact the square. Then make the marks on the square go around to the other side as well. Now, here's where it gets fun, check them same marks on all 4 corners, and turn the square over and check them again....they'll be way off, meaning the pocket openings are not centered, making some pockets play tuff, and others easy, depending on which direction the ball is being pocketed.

In order to fix this problem you're going to need new cushions, facings...AND, a mechanic that KNOWS what he's doing, and a part of this rail correction is to also correct the sub-rails where the cushions are mounted, as they're not correct either, which is why some rails play different than others...on the same table. And please trust me when I say, changing the facings is not going to correct the problem, and neither is changing the facings AND the cushions, it's a combination of all of the above that needs to be corrected....and there's only a hand full of mechanics in the country that can get this done right...and Mark is more than likely the closest to where your friends table is.

Glen

 

[Dan Harriman]

Ok

Thanks for the responses, I know there are many knowledgable table mechanics out there, I grew up playing on gaffy pockets and did not even realize it. If anything I learned at a young age to not slam balls don the rail, but these pockets are becoming more frustrating. When I miss I can hear the wood due to the facings/shims not being flat as the fellow said. So thanks again I thought I had an expert table repair person but I guess I was wrong - it's time to find the right person for the job.