Turning my pool table question?

T

td1223

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I posted over in the mechanic section but for some reason I can't respond to my own post until a moderator looks at it which has now been over a day so I'll try it over here?

I have a 9 ft GC III that I want to turn 90 degrees. In about a year I plan to move it and then have it recovered but for now I would like to turn it. How do you recommend I turn it? My friends wanted to all get together and lift it but I’m concerned that grabbing the rails would snap something?

Thanks,

Phil
 
If your on carpet, put under ea foot a piece of commercial cardboard and then slide it.
 
I would think you do want to pick the whole table up at the same time. So not to tweak the slates and rails.

But don't lift from the rails. Is there a way to grab the frame??Or possibly make a jig ,from lumber ,that will reach from side to side(up under) and grab the frame underneath. With a person on each end of jig. (A jig on each end.)
Maybe a 4x4 with 2x4s attached,where it meets the frame.

I don't know if this would be the best way but it seems logical to me.

9 footers don't like being moved. The price paid to get them together is enough to be scary. I hope I never have to move mine.
 
I have had similar problems getting my questions answered in that forum. I usually stay out of these "expert" topics, but I feel obliged to tell you DO NOT try to pick up the table by the rails. You will surely risk damaging it.

Best thing to do is to go to Home Depot and buy two 10' pieces of 3/4" electrical conduit and ask them if they will cut it into 1' sections (they may just hand you a hack saw). Buy/borrow a small low-profile car hydraulic jack and jack up one end (use padding to prevent damage to the frame) about an inch. Place 3 sections of conduit under each foot at a 45º angle, Let down the jack and repeat on the other end.

Now place two more pieces of conduit to the outside of these three on the side you want to roll it toward. Get a buddy to push one corner while you push the other in order to rotate it. It will roll right onto the outer pieces of conduit. As one section rolls free from under a foot, move that piece to the other side and continue until the table has turned 90º. It will take a little while, but I've safely moved a 1500 pound metal lathe several times like this all by myself.
 
I used 2 small car Hyd. jack on wheels. The cheap car jacks on wheels (about $30) sears.
They are low enough to go under the legs. The legs have a cut out in the middle so you will need
to put a 2x4 under the center of the legs.
I moved the GC tables at my JR High 3 times a week and never had a problem. Just do not lift it very high and let it down carefully. Try to not drop it (some jacks let down fast).
I would not try to pick it up by the side skirts..
Mark
 
easy moving

buy a pack of cheap peel and stick tiles...they are real thin and smooth...barely pick up each leg enough to slide one under with paper to leg and smooth side on carpet..
I recently moved a 10 snooker table my self by doing this

cheap and effective
 
You can buy 4 large, round "sliders" from Home Depot which are made for what you are trying to do. It will not be super smooth going because you are on concrete but they will work. Get a few guys over to help. You only need to lift each corner about 1/2" to get them underneath and it will not hurt the table at all. I have done this many times, although not on concrete.
 
sammylane12 said:
You can buy 4 large, round "sliders" from Home Depot which are made for what you are trying to do. It will not be super smooth going because you are on concrete but they will work. Get a few guys over to help. You only need to lift each corner about 1/2" to get them underneath and it will not hurt the table at all. I have done this many times, although not on concrete.
Click to expand...
+1 on this suggestion. Those furniture sliders are very useful; they're made of very slick plastic with rounded edges and slide pretty well. They also have foam padding on top that stick pretty well to the bottom of whatever you're moving, so the sliders stay put.
 
brechbt said:
+1 on this suggestion. Those furniture sliders are very useful; they're made of very slick plastic with rounded edges and slide pretty well. They also have foam padding on top that stick pretty well to the bottom of whatever you're moving, so the sliders stay put.
Click to expand...


Good idea I'll g check them out at HD. Are you saying they are big enough for the whole leg to fit in?
 
td1223 said:
Good idea I'll g check them out at HD. Are you saying they are big enough for the whole leg to fit in?
Click to expand...

Buy four of these

http://www.harborfreight.com/material-handling/dollies/3-wheel-movers-dolly-67208.html

A little underrated for weight but for a simple 90 degree twist of your table on concrete should work great. Jack up each side under the heavy frame on the long end of the table (under the side pocket) and put two under at a time. The seams should do just fine lifting it in this direction. If you pick it up one corner at a time you may shift the slates and have uneven seams.

I layed carpet underneath my GC3 half a room at a time like this.

JC
 
td1223 said:
I posted over in the mechanic section but for some reason I can't respond to my own post until a moderator looks at it which has now been over a day so I'll try it over here?

I have a 9 ft GC III that I want to turn 90 degrees. In about a year I plan to move it and then have it recovered but for now I would like to turn it. How do you recommend I turn it? My friends wanted to all get together and lift it but I’m concerned that grabbing the rails would snap something?

Thanks,

Phil
Click to expand...

You could do it by yourself with a bottle jack and a dolly, but, if your
friends are willing to gang bang it, all you need is two 2 x 4s.

As said - DO NOT put any stress on the rails, nor the aprons.

Look at the top of eack pedestall. IIRC you can span the frame with
a board. Disclaimer - Make entirely sure the board is against the frame,
and only the frame. if it touches the aprons(sides) you may need to nail/screw
a short section on the top of the board to get clearance.

Note: you want the 2 x 4 turned on its side to avoid problems of flex.

So, station 4 humans on the outside of the pedestals, each one holding
one end of a board.

Ready, set, go - lift with your legs, NOT YOUR BACK, in a smooth and
coordinated manner, do a slow 1/4 of a doe-see-doe.

Let it down easy.

HTH
Dale
 
Last edited:
There are car dollys that go under the wheels that would be perfect. But here's the problem. I am fairly sure that that table is a 3 piece slate & like the sleeve extensions of a dining room table there are metal pins to connect the pieces. If you jack up the table, even with 2 jacks at one time & you tourque the table you could crack the slate at the pin locations.

Just this year my son & I dismantled & moved my table to his house with help from one of his friends (I have a bad back). It is not that hard, but I had seen it done twice.

If you take the rails off & then pull the tacks/staples etc. to remove the cloth & then take out the screws that secure the slate to the base, you can pull the slate apart. Then you can either turn it with a 'bunch' of friends (it is heavy) or two people can remove the slate pieces & then turn the table. I would sggest the later so you can re-position the table & then re-level the base. Then put the slates back on & re-level them. You will need hard bees wax to 'fill' the seems. Then you can re-staple the cloth back on. You will need to tap down the ones in the pocket very deep so as to not cause a ball to get chipped or cover them with a piece of 'spare' cloth.

If I were you I'd consider getting a mechanic & tell him your intention to move in again in about a year & see if you can get a discount. Or pay to get it turned & re-covered my the mechanic now & watch the process to see if you want to take it on next year.

I hope this helps.
 
td1223 said:
Good idea I'll g check them out at HD. Are you saying they are big enough for the whole leg to fit in?
Click to expand...
Here's a link to the type I have. The legs of what you're moving sit on top of the sliders, not inside anything, so it doesn't matter if those legs are little wider than the slider, although the large sliders are pretty big. I haven't moved anything as heavy as a pool table, but these things are cheap so you wouldn't be risking much. What I like about these vs. a dolly is that you only need to lift the ends of your table up about an inch or less to fit the sliders under the legs. With the dolly you have to lift up your table legs a lot more, which would risk causing the slates to separate or nasty stresses on the frame members.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top