What table size for room size

[sorin]

Hey,

Very soon I will start building a man cave. Because I do not have the space in my house for this I will buy a garden log cabin that will be 5.2m by 5.2m internal size (17ft x 17ft). This is the one I could find that matches my needs and the space I have available for it so there is no option on getting a bigger cabin.
With this in mind, I will have a pool room in there with an American pool table. I just checked the manufacturer website and they recommend a 17.8ft room in length to go with the 9ft version of the table I will purchase. The space I have is very close to the minimum requirement and I was thinking that I would buy the 9ft table and have a cheap 50inch cue to use for the shots where the cue ball is frozen to the short rails. But I am thinking maybe it would actually be better to go for the 8ft version? I intend to use the table not only for leisure play but also want to practice on it and hopefully participate in a local league and amateur tournaments when I get better at the game.
I am quite conflicted between the two options. I never actually seen an 8ft. Only played American pool on 7ft or 9ft. I will visit their showroom next week to see the 8ft, maybe it's not a big difference but do you think any training I will do on an 8ft will carry over OK to a 9ft or it will do more bad since I will be so used with a smaller table that it will mess up my game when playing on 9ft in tournaments.

What would you choose if you were in my place?

Thank you

 

[logical]

I would not even consider a 9 ft table in that space and 8 ft will still require the occasional short cue.

The play field on a 9 is 100 inches. Add 58 + 4 backstroke...times 2. That's 224 inches or 18 feet, 9 inches.

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

 

[sorin]

I would not even consider a 9 ft table in that space and 8 ft will still require the occasional short cue.

The play field on a 9 is 100 inches. Add 58 + 4 backstroke...times 2. That's 224 inches or 18 feet, 9 inches.

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Thank you for your reply. 100+58+58 is actually 216inches (545cm) so the manufacturer website was correct. But I see your point.
Edit: I am sorry, I see your point now. You included the space needed for the stroke.

 

[RRfireblade]

8'

F short cues. Seriously.

 

[Patrick Johnson]

The "Shorty Stick Sizes" assume you want 6" of stroking room. For 6" of stroking room without using a shorty, you'll need a "small" 7-footer or any 6-footer. Your "problem" dimension is, of course, length.

pj
chgo

 

[ChrisinNC]

Hey,

Very soon I will start building a man cave. Because I do not have the space in my house for this I will buy a garden log cabin that will be 5.2m by 5.2m internal size (17ft x 17ft). This is the one I could find that matches my needs and the space I have available for it so there is no option on getting a bigger cabin.
With this in mind, I will have a pool room in there with an American pool table. I just checked the manufacturer website and they recommend a 17.8ft room in length to go with the 9ft version of the table I will purchase. The space I have is very close to the minimum requirement and I was thinking that I would buy the 9ft table and have a cheap 50inch cue to use for the shots where the cue ball is frozen to the short rails. But I am thinking maybe it would actually be better to go for the 8ft version? I intend to use the table not only for leisure play but also want to practice on it and hopefully participate in a local league and amateur tournaments when I get better at the game.
I am quite conflicted between the two options. I never actually seen an 8ft. Only played American pool on 7ft or 9ft. I will visit their showroom next week to see the 8ft, maybe it's not a big difference but do you think any training I will do on an 8ft will carry over OK to a 9ft or it will do more bad since I will be so used with a smaller table that it will mess up my game when playing on 9ft in tournaments.

What would you choose if you were in my place?

Thank you

7 foot would offer no obstructions, 8 foot would be a workable compromise and require some need for shorter cues on the ends when the cue ball is on or within an inch or two of the end rails, 9 foot would present major needs for shorter cues on both ends when cue ball is within 6-7 inches of end rails and would not be recommended if it was my choice.

 

[sorin]

Well, looks like an 8ft will have to do and have a 50inch stick for the rail shots. Even though the 7ft would have no obstructions, I used to play on one at work and it was a massive difference, very crowded especially in 8ball. Plus I live in the UK and all American pool tables in tournaments and at the clubs are 9ft so perhaps 8ft is a good compromise

Thanks for sharing your opinions!

 

[Grimper]

Add 10 feet to the table size. So, for a 8 foot table (8' x 4'), you'd need an 18' x 14' room. You're going to be challenged some even with an 8 footer in there. But I think you'd do alright with a 48" cue for those on-the-rail shots.

 

[Nyquil]

Hey,

Very soon I will start building a man cave. Because I do not have the space in my house for this I will buy a garden log cabin that will be 5.2m by 5.2m internal size (17ft x 17ft). This is the one I could find that matches my needs and the space I have available for it so there is no option on getting a bigger cabin.
With this in mind, I will have a pool room in there with an American pool table. I just checked the manufacturer website and they recommend a 17.8ft room in length to go with the 9ft version of the table I will purchase. The space I have is very close to the minimum requirement and I was thinking that I would buy the 9ft table and have a cheap 50inch cue to use for the shots where the cue ball is frozen to the short rails. But I am thinking maybe it would actually be better to go for the 8ft version? I intend to use the table not only for leisure play but also want to practice on it and hopefully participate in a local league and amateur tournaments when I get better at the game.
I am quite conflicted between the two options. I never actually seen an 8ft. Only played American pool on 7ft or 9ft. I will visit their showroom next week to see the 8ft, maybe it's not a big difference but do you think any training I will do on an 8ft will carry over OK to a 9ft or it will do more bad since I will be so used with a smaller table that it will mess up my game when playing on 9ft in tournaments.

What would you choose if you were in my place?

Thank you

Just my .02. You don't have the length for 9 foot or an 8 foot. If you can't increase the building size I would go 7 ft. Short cues ruin the experience at least for me. You want 5 feet minimum on all sides. Good rule of thumb.

 

[TrxR]

If you could stretch that building to 17 x20 or 20x20 you would be all set.

 

[ChrisinNC]

If you could stretch that building to 17 x20 or 20x20 you would be all set.

19’ length x 15’ width is more than enough for a 9 foot table, with single chairs in the corners.

 

[Island Drive]

Take outside dimensions and add 5' to width/length.

 

[Rosewood]

Hey,

Very soon I will start building a man cave. Because I do not have the space in my house for this I will buy a garden log cabin that will be 5.2m by 5.2m internal size (17ft x 17ft). This is the one I could find that matches my needs and the space I have available for it so there is no option on getting a bigger cabin.
With this in mind, I will have a pool room in there with an American pool table. I just checked the manufacturer website and they recommend a 17.8ft room in length to go with the 9ft version of the table I will purchase. The space I have is very close to the minimum requirement and I was thinking that I would buy the 9ft table and have a cheap 50inch cue to use for the shots where the cue ball is frozen to the short rails. But I am thinking maybe it would actually be better to go for the 8ft version? I intend to use the table not only for leisure play but also want to practice on it and hopefully participate in a local league and amateur tournaments when I get better at the game.
I am quite conflicted between the two options. I never actually seen an 8ft. Only played American pool on 7ft or 9ft. I will visit their showroom next week to see the 8ft, maybe it's not a big difference but do you think any training I will do on an 8ft will carry over OK to a 9ft or it will do more bad since I will be so used with a smaller table that it will mess up my game when playing on 9ft in tournaments.

What would you choose if you were in my place?

Thank you

I would look at rotating the table to fit the 9 footer in the space. How often are you shooting across the corner?

 

[Patrick Johnson]

I would look at rotating the table to fit the 9 footer in the space. How often are you shooting across the corner?

This made me curious, so I diagrammed it to see how it would look. In the diagram below the 17' x 17' room is divided into 1' squares, the tables are 9-footers and the grey areas show the dimensions needed for 6" of stroking room all around (you can round the corners).

pj
chgo

 

[Monti]

Separate post about this somewhere. But here’s your solution to be able to get a 9 footer
Remember also that the measurements are for the shots on the rail shooting perpendicular, they don’t come up that often!

 

[Cornerman]

Add 10 feet to the table size. So, for a 8 foot table (8' x 4'), you'd need an 18' x 14' room. You're going to be challenged some even with an 8 footer in there. But I think you'd do alright with a 48" cue for those on-the-rail shots.

No. We can do much better than this for this serious question. An 8’ table is not (and has never been) 8’ x 4’.

 

[Poolplaya9]

Count me among those that would rather go with a smaller table size than use a "shorty cue" which seems to be the majority opinion every time a thread like this comes.

There are always a few that go the other way and say they would rather have the larger table that is too big for the space and just use a shorty cue when needed but I suspect many of them have never actually played on a table where you have to use a shorty cue here and there and don't realize just how often it is necessary and just how absolutely frustrating and maddening it is to shoot with one and how you won't be able to do it very well (not unless it is just a couple/few inches shorter than a regular cue anyway). If you go the route of a table that is too large for the space and requires the periodic use of a shorty cue chances are that you are going to regret it and end up not using the table much because it totally ruins the experience.

I would seriously suggest you find a shorty cue of the length that you would actually have to use for the too large table size you have in mind and shoot with it for a few games at the pool hall or wherever to actually see what it is like before you even consider getting a table that is too large for the space. Regardless of which way you decide is ultimately right for your preferences, that is a real cheap and easy way to know for sure and will help you avoid making a costly mistake.

 

[Minnesota Phat]

Where I live (southern Minnesota), mastering a 7 foot table would seem to make much more sense than mastering an 8 foot table - I don't know of any tournament or any league around here that plays on 8 foot tables (maybe they exist, but I haven't seen any).

If eight foot tables are common in your area, then it would make sense to get an eight-footer, but otherwise you'll just be mastering a table size that you can only play on at home.

 

[Nyquil]

Count me among those that would rather go with a smaller table size than use a "shorty cue" which seems to be the majority opinion every time a thread like this comes.

There are always a few that go the other way and say they would rather have the larger table that is too big for the space and just use a shorty cue when needed but I suspect many of them have never actually played on a table where you have to use a shorty cue here and there and don't realize just how often it is necessary and just how absolutely frustrating and maddening it is to shoot with one and how you won't be able to do it very well (not unless it is just a couple/few inches shorter than a regular cue anyway). If you go the route of a table that is too large for the space and requires the periodic use of a shorty cue chances are that you are going to regret it and end up not using the table much because it totally ruins the experience.

I would seriously suggest you find a shorty cue of the length that you would actually have to use for the too large table size you have in mind and shoot with it for a few games at the pool hall or wherever to actually see what it is like before you even consider getting a table that is too large for the space. Regardless of which way you decide is ultimately right for your preferences, that is a real cheap and easy way to know for sure and will help you avoid making a costly mistake.

I am with you on this. Growing up the table I had in my parents basement was too big for the room and it just felt cramped especially when people came over. Getting the shorty out every rack was super annoying. I don't understand why people hate on 7 ft tables (especially since Diamond makes a really good 7ft'er). Pretty sure some kid from South Dakota got very good playing on bar boxes.....

 

[Mick]

I just checked the manufacturer website and they recommend a 17.8ft room in length to go with the 9ft version of the table I will purchase.

As a dead minimum, meaning they consider any less to be completely unplayable, and they are stretching the numbers a bit to sell bigger tables.

As others have said, shorty cues are poison. If you can't get a full stroke, all around the table, don't bother. I must've spent 4 hours measuring my garage to be POSITIVE that there'd be no interference anywhere before I bought my table. It fit, but just barely, and if my space had been even 2" narrower I wouldn't have gotten the table.

I'd do a 7' table for your space, or nothing at all. Save the $ for table time at the local pool room.