I will be moving my 8' Brunswick table soon an would like help with how to set it up to play the way I like. I have a great mechanic lined up to set it up for me but I'm not sure how tight to have him make the pockets. I will be putting on fast cloth (Simonis 760) because it's what I like. What would be the reccomended pocket size for a tight yet playable set-up? Play will be mostly 1-P and 8-ball.
Table Set-up
- Thread starter Kmack
- Start date
I agree with Rikdee.rikdee said:
Kmack said:
Here's what the BCA has to say about the subject:
"POCKET OPENINGS & MEASUREMENTS (Cloth covered rails):
Pocket openings are measured from tip to tip of the opposing cushion noses where direction changes into the pocket. This is called the mouth.
Corner Pocket: Mouth Between 4 7/8" minimum to 5 1/8" maximum
Side Pocket: Mouth Between 5 3/8" minimum to 5 5/8" maximum
The angle at the corner pocket entrance on each side of the pocket is 142o (±1o).
The angle at the side pocket entrance on each side of the pocket is 103o (± 2o).
Vertical Pocket Angle: 12o minimum to 15o maximum.
Shelf: The shelf is measured from the center of the imaginary line that goes from one side of the mouth to the other where the nose of the cushion changes direction to the center of the vertical cut of the slate pocket radius.
Corner Pocket:
1 5/8" minimum to 1 7/8" maximum
Side Pocket: 0" minimum to 3/8" maximum
Drop Point Slate Radius: The pocket radius measured from the vertical cut of the slate to the playing surface.
Drop Point Slate Radius 1/8" radius min. to 1/4" radius max."
I agree totally with rickdee's measurement guidelines and advice. I recently set up a Diamond Pro with those exact measurements and it was very challenging, bordering on frustrating to play on, made worse by the deep pocket throats on Diamonds. Of course when you play on a regular table the pockets will look like garbage cans!
FWIW, Greg
Greg, you have it right.
I have a Diamond Pro. In original configuration the corners were 4.5" and the sides were 4.875", in effect, Pro Cut. Although at the extreme end of "enjoyment and challenge", the corner pockets were playable. BUT, at 4.875" the side pockets were not. At that dimension they literally changed the character of the game. The most basic shots were reduced to such low percentage that play became tedious and literally beyond challenging.
Thus, when I re-configured to 4.625" and 5.125" the table is at least playable but as I mentioned, and Greg has observed, it is still very demanding.
Diamond was the table vendor for a seniors event held here in Naples FL about two years back. It featured a galaxy of top level players; the side pockets on those tables measured 5.125"; that's how I arrived at the present dimension.
Having gone through this whole odyssey, I am convinced that a super tough table does not necessarily produce better skills in the long run. The balance between frustration and confidence is subtle.
I have a Diamond Pro. In original configuration the corners were 4.5" and the sides were 4.875", in effect, Pro Cut. Although at the extreme end of "enjoyment and challenge", the corner pockets were playable. BUT, at 4.875" the side pockets were not. At that dimension they literally changed the character of the game. The most basic shots were reduced to such low percentage that play became tedious and literally beyond challenging.
Thus, when I re-configured to 4.625" and 5.125" the table is at least playable but as I mentioned, and Greg has observed, it is still very demanding.
Diamond was the table vendor for a seniors event held here in Naples FL about two years back. It featured a galaxy of top level players; the side pockets on those tables measured 5.125"; that's how I arrived at the present dimension.
Having gone through this whole odyssey, I am convinced that a super tough table does not necessarily produce better skills in the long run. The balance between frustration and confidence is subtle.