Who here refinished a pool table and wants to talk me out of it?

tjlmbklr

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Serious, not serious! :confused:

I chose to ask this here as the mechanic section seems to be very quite these days.

I picked up a nice furniture grade leather drop pocket table on the cheap, like free if I came and got it. Since he helped me take it apart and load it in my truck I still paid him $50 because that's how I roll. :thumbup: I have no idea what brand it is, I didn't see (or look for that matter) any markings.

It has a good solid 1" 3 piece slate with even seems. I intend to replace the rubber/facings of course as well as high speed cloth. But the table although seems like solid wood and not veneer, has what I call 'old school oak' and has a few scratches and wear in the finish. Even if the finish was good I have never been an oak man. My goal is to have very dark wood, almost Ebony with a light gray or Tour blue cloth (gray will make the wife happier).

Question is how bad is stripping it? I have done furniture before, but nothing this big. Also, what about working around the diamonds and sanding, any pointers there. What materials/chemicals have you used? What stain/clear finish should I go with?

Any advice, as long as it's helpful is appreciated.

Here's a pic, the cloth isn't that nice, I just photoshopped all the shit he had laying on it out of the pic.

5211XRJ.jpg
 
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Reminds me of a Connelly Ultimate. I loved playing on its 2 inch slate. Sorry I can't be of any help. You can always play on it now, and refinish it another year.
 
Reminds me of a Connelly Ultimate. I loved playing on its 2 inch slate. Sorry I can't be of any help. You can always play on it now, and refinish it another year.
Now is the perfect time to refinish it. I am still working from home with lots of free time, we haven't closed on the house we are buying yet and it's already apart.

I hope to post pics during the process and after it's done.

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Now is the perfect time to refinish it. I am still working from home with lots of free time, we haven't closed on the house we are buying yet and it's already apart.

I hope to post pics during the process and after it's done.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using Tapatalk

Use the finest sandpaper you can and take your time. Don't use stain+poly products
 
The angles of the corner pockets look horrible, it should be a ball spitter for sure. Pull those cushions off and redo them. Of course then it needs rail calibration and maybe extend them. You got a free table, might as well make it play good. Looks like it’s worth spending time and money on it.
 
The angles of the corner pockets look horrible, it should be a ball spitter for sure. Pull those cushions off and redo them. Of course then it needs rail calibration and maybe extend them. You got a free table, might as well make it play good
I went the extended rail route before, I paid someone to do it for me. I always said if I had to do it again I'd do it myself. Unfortunately I sold all my good working tools to lighten our load when we drove 1800 miles across the country. So for now I was just going to do the 3/8" hard neoprene facings like these ones. I hear great things about them.

https://www.classicbilliards.net/cu...urometer-hardness-die-cut-cushion-facing.html

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Looks like it's stained with a clear coat over it. You'll likely sand through some of the stain exposing bare wood. So probably best to sand it all to bare wood - lot of work, Then re-stain and apply a top coat (few light coats of wipe-on poly works good, avoid water based if possible where you live).
 
Don’t forget the bees wax, shimming the slates is the hardest part but if your mechanical at all you can do it. But the most is getting the right type of level it has to be a surface level not a construction level. Good luck i did my first two tables with help form a table mechanic. The last 8 tables i did by myself or with a friend. Oh and if you like your fingers pay to have rails done they are a pain in arse.
 
Don’t forget the bees wax, shimming the slates is the hardest part but if your mechanical at all you can do it. But the most is getting the right type of level it has to be a surface level not a construction level. Good luck i did my first two tables with help form a table mechanic. The last 8 tables i did by myself or with a friend. Oh and if you like your fingers pay to have rails done they are a pain in arse.
Setting up (and taking down :) ) tables is something I have done a few times nows so that part I'm comfortable with. It's the refinishing of the table wood I need advice on.

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Once you get started keep going until you get it done. Says this guy with a table rebuild that's been stalled for 4 years. Got off to a great start but petered out as I already have a table and find myself playing on that all the time instead of finishing the project table. One of these days.....
 
Once you get started keep going until you get it done. Says this guy with a table rebuild that's been stalled for 4 years. Got off to a great start but petered out as I already have a table and find myself playing on that all the time instead of finishing the project table. One of these days.....
I know that feeling. This is my only table so hopefully I stay motivated.

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Use the finest sandpaper you can and take your time. Don't use stain+poly products

:yikes::yikes::yikes::yikes::yikes:Whats wrong with stain and polyurethane?? I thought that was the norm for wood (I am not a wood guy if you have not figured that out yet). I refinished all the painted parts of my GCI like that, it seems to be holding up. Am I going to be sorry in the future??
 
Oh hell my bad! Ya i got a buddy that did that type of table refinishing. He would tell me that most modern table aren’t worth the time. Its a hole lot of hand sanding and and finish work. Ive personally never had good luck with clear coating anything or poly urethane.
 
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