frankncali said:
Could you pleae elaborate a little on the Pro cut specs?
Whats the 142 degrees part?
I am guessing that the 4 9/16th is at the tips of the pocket. Whats the
measuerment at the back or is this what the 142 will get you.
I also think that the depth of the shelf makes as much or more difference then tightening the pockets. The angle at which the facings were cut makes a big difference as well. Whats the correct specs for that angle?
I personally dont like overly tight pockets but like the way the deep set diamonds play. It seems that on most tables when they are tightened down to 4.5 or lower it makes them tighter but also reduces the shelf depth alot.
IMO that takes away from he game.
Maybe Pros should have a standard spec and it be a little tougher but for the average player I see way to many people using pocket size (too big) as an excuse.
I also like to see the good players use the whole pocket and create angles
that most of us dont see or are not able to to do. On tighter tables
I think everyone winds up shooting roughly the same way. It also makes 9 ball even more boring to watch as safety play increases.
For anyone interested:
I'm glad for the chance to explain what I call Pro Specs. These specs have came about over the last 18 years using input from many players and mechanics after hundreds of tournaments. No one can please everyone. I've now reached a point where some pros say the tables play too easy, some too difficult, but the majority are satisfied with these specs. I worked with the WPA along side a gentleman named Eddie Shotenburg (probably wrong spelling). We produced two tables that led to the now WPA specs.
There has been much talk about how tight a table plays, most are concerned about the tip to tip measurement, 4 inch pockets don't necessairly play tuffer than a 5 inch pocket! I've learned that the facing angle can be more important than the opening (gate) or even the slate depth. Of course they all work together. The slate depth can be easily measured by placing an object ball against the corner facing as deep as possible without droping and sighting down the nearest rail and observing hao much ball is visible. After much discussion 40 percent is the desired amount of ball we are looking for. A cue ball frozen on the rail, shot at the before mentioned object ball will follow the contact tangent line and be directed toward the opposite pocket tip.....I hope this is not confusing or too wordy, but it's the best I can do about pocket depth.
This leaves the pocket opening and facing angle. The facing angle is the angle around the tip. Another way to think of this is how much smaller the pocket becomes as the ball enters the pocket. If the opening remained the same and the facings remained parallel the angle would be said to be 135 degrees. Pro specs are set at 142 degrees now, this means the pocket gets smaller the deeper you go....... If there is one thing I've learned over the years this angle should change along with changing the pocket opening....The opening regulates straight in shots and the angle of the facing determines how far up the rail it can be contacted and the ball still be pocketed. .... On some tables with 5 inch pockets they have even more than 142 degree facing angles and this is fine until one trys to add thicker facings and reduce the gate. Remember, this doesn't change the facing angle, that's why you get the pockets that won't accept anything with speed!.......Two things are wrong with shimming pockets. One is the area around the tip now has a different playing rubber with a dead bounce and the other thing is the angle needs to be altered with a changed opening! The facing only directs the ball to the other facing....If you want to make your table really play tuff keep the back of the facings the same distance and open the gate....You will find straight in shots easy ,but down the rail shots impossible because the are reflected out.
I made a run of tables with only a 1 degree difference, it was 143 and the tables were too tuff. Remember, other conditions effect this relationship I've been talking about such as humidity, cloth wear and dirt etc...I could go on talking about margins of error. For instance at a straight in 4 1/2 inch pocket you have approx. 2 1/4 inch margin of error, not taking into account the 15 degree facing angle and 1.453 rail heigth which makes the gate a little larger thus the same for the margin of error.......Shooting a frozen ball down the rail only has a 1 inch margin of error....You figure out the margin of error for the other angles if you want something to do!!!!
Sorry if this is too long or confusing........Greg/Diamond
One quick thing I should have added. If you make your opening larger the slate depth becomes deeper because of the curvature of slate in the pocket
Go SHANE!