Wood Rack with Inlays (Pics). Work in Progress...

i4pool

i4pool

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hi All,

Don't post too often but do lurk quite a bit. Just wanted to share some fun...

My buddy was looking for something a little fancier for his home table. So in the garage I came up with this. This is a work in progress and I will be adding more as time permits. What do you think?

Any additional ideas would be helpful and appreciated. Thanks!

I'll post more pics as I progress. Btw, this is the first time doing this sort of thing. I'm open to any and all criticism, positive or negative.

All the Best.

Regards,
Abe
i4pool@yahoo.com


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SU1HMDAwODEtMjAwOTEwMTMtMTE1OS5qcGc.jpg


SU1HMDAwODAtMjAwOTEwMTMtMTE1OS5qcGc.jpg


SU1HMDAwNzktMjAwOTEwMTMtMTE1OS5qcGc.jpg


SU1HMDAwODUtMjAwOTEwMTMtMTIwMS5q-1.jpg
 
I've always wondered why the racks don't have a clearance/groove on all three angles and on both sides so that whenever you are racking from what ever angle using either side of the rack you don't rub over the SPOT.

This little groove would extend the life of the spot maybe 10x or more.

Just a thought
 
Tom In Cincy said:
I've always wondered why the racks don't have a clearance/groove on all three angles and on both sides so that whenever you are racking from what ever angle using either side of the rack you don't rub over the SPOT.

This little groove would extend the life of the spot maybe 10x or more.

Just a thought
Click to expand...

When I had my last pool room I put six little nylon glides on the racks about 2 inches back from each point of the rack. It really cut down on the ware to the cloth that used to happen from dragging a worn wood rack across the cloth. Remember this is in a pool room not someone house, the racks get a lot of use and at a certain point the wood could be pretty rough. The rack by the way, never touches the spot the way I had done them.
 
Good Idea... did you put the nylon glides on both sides of the rack?

macguy said:
When I had my last pool room I put six little nylon glides on the racks about 2 inches back from each point of the rack. It really cut down on the ware to the cloth that used to happen from dragging a worn wood rack across the cloth. Remember this is in a pool room not someone house, the racks get a lot of use and at a certain point the wood could be pretty rough. The rack by the way, never touches the spot the way I had done them.
Click to expand...
 
yes... good ideas

Tom In Cincy said:
Good Idea... did you put the nylon glides on both sides of the rack?
Click to expand...

Neat feature to have!

What about something like this one or two inches away from the corners (6 total)? Maybe recess them into the wood? Allow enough clearance for the thickness of the spot sticker. Good stuff.

91570p.jpg
 
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macguy said:
There used to be a rack on the market with ball bearings in it that would roll as you racked. The was no drag at all.
Click to expand...

Yeah you're right. I believe it was called Roller-Rack. I still see it around every now and then.
 
Excellent idea on the nylon glides. I really like the inlay work you did. I wonder if you inlay small circles in lieu of the diamonds? Instead of twenty diamonds per side perhaps you could install 15 circles per side and somehow number them 1 thru 15. Too much?
 
woody_968 said:
Well, Ive never said this to a guy before, but Nice Rack :D
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LOL. :D. Thanks! No one ever said that to me. :)


capefairpool- Don't know if I'm going to sell them. I suppose if there's enough interest, maybe. For now, I'm going to just have fun with this one. :D
 
ArizonaPete said:
Excellent idea on the nylon glides. I really like the inlay work you did. I wonder if you inlay small circles in lieu of the diamonds? Instead of twenty diamonds per side perhaps you could install 15 circles per side and somehow number them 1 thru 15. Too much?
Click to expand...

I don't know about "too much". But a unique and creative idea indeed!
 
Picked up a couple more inlays

aj6788 said:
LOL Agreed! Looks nice, I thought about doing some woodburning in the racks at my pool hall. I like this better though. Great job!
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aj6788-- Thanks for the compliment!

I just picked up a couple different inlay bands. Any ideas or suggestions?
Should I keep it simple and clean? I guess I don't want to add so much that it starts looking tacky! You know like those JC Whitney cars who have any & every accessory for their car in the catalog. :grin:


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Regards,
Abe
 
Honestly, I like the black and white, looks more simple and more appealing to me. That's my two cents though :-D
 
That is some nice work. Here are a few suggestions that might be of interest.

1. I placed three ½” stainless steel bumpers or chair glides on the bottom corners of my el cheapo rack a few years ago and they have worked very well. There are no rack marks on my table. Roller balls are too complicated and actually do not work as well as metal glides. Someone said they thought that stainless chair glides would scratch the cloth over time but I have not found this to be true with over three years of use. Next time I would probably place two chair glides on either side of the front of the rack so that it is less likely the chair glides will hit the foot spot marker. If there is any problem with the chair glides it is the idea that the front glide will sometimes (every six months or so) lift up a loose foot spot.

2. I line the inside of the rack with about four layers of 1” wide electrician’s tape (you have to look for the wider electrician's tape because most of it is 3/4" wide). This makes the balls rack tighter and helps to set the balls because the tape is soft. I had thought about using rubberized paint and suspect that it might be a nicer (but more time consuming) finish. In addition, the tape would be easier to change if it deformed. I have not found the tape to deform with about three years of use. It is necessary to clean the tape with Pledge from time to time.

3. Most racks have one way that is more likely to produce a tight rack. Therefore, I mark the front of my rack with a magic marker and an arrow pointing towards the head of the table. This works for me but other players often ignore the arrow so I think that I need some sort of lettering or something to indicate the front and back of the rack. Some sort of woodworking that indicated the front and or back of the rack might be nice.

4. Our local lapidary shop sells scrimshaw buttons for $.50 to $1.00. I had thought about embedding a few buttons in the rack to dress it up. I like scrimshaw and it is kind of masculine.

5. On the table I mark the back rounded corners of the rack with a magic marker. Everyone seems to use these marks which if carefully scribed always yield a rack on the foot spot.

6. I have found that when the head ball will not stay in position there is a very simple solution. I press down on any pool ball and roll it over the foot spot in different directions. This almost always improves the ability of the head ball to stay put. It is necessary to re-roll the foot spot every few games of 9-Ball or 10-Ball as the hard break has a tendency to make a divot. I have no idea why more of the tournament players do not use this technique.

7. Like most things on a pool table the rack benefits from a coat of Pledge wax from time to time so a finish that allowed one to wax the rack is helpful.
 
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