Would you rather... (table specs question)

M

MSmithAZ

Member
Hey folks,

I asked this a month ago on reddit and I was surprised by the responses so I'm interested in hearing thoughts from this forum as well. I'm finishing my basement and adding a pool table. My budget is around 4k, give or take. I'm only a casual player, but love the game and plan to own this table for 20+ years and hope to get lots of good use out of it. But I'm faced with a tough decision. It's a roughly 25' x 25' space, but unfortunately there are two 3.5" lally columns which are 13' 5.5" from the wall. I plan to put the one length side of the table 5' from the wall. This will leave 57.5" to the lally columns for an 8' table, 55.5" for an OS 8', and 51.5" for a 9' table. It seems, if I go for an 8' table, I'll rarely need a shortie cue. If I go for an OS 8', I'll need it more so, but still not terrible. If I go for the 9', it'll be semi-frequent (I think?). Seems simple, just go for an 8' or OS 8'. But, if I do that, I'll most likely end up with a furniture table. I'm trying to find an OS 8' GC, but the pickings have been very slim. A diamond is too expensive for my 4k budget. I'll continue to try but at some point will give up. Assuming I don't find an OS 8' GC, I'm left with this choice:

1) Get a 9' GC and break out a 48" shortie often
2) Get an 8' furniture table and break out the shortie much less often

Thoughts?

Attached the floor layout. Thanks!
 

Attachments

  • Screen Shot 2022-03-16 at 9.10.03 PM.png
    Screen Shot 2022-03-16 at 9.10.03 PM.png
    115.5 KB · Views: 195
Get a 7’ and have a table size you might play on if you go somewhere to play. And you would almost never use a short cue.

if I didn’t have full space for a 9’ I wouldn’t hesitate to get a 7’
 
MSmithAZ said:
Hey folks,

I asked this a month ago on reddit and I was surprised by the responses so I'm interested in hearing thoughts from this forum as well. I'm finishing my basement and adding a pool table. My budget is around 4k, give or take. I'm only a casual player, but love the game and plan to own this table for 20+ years and hope to get lots of good use out of it. But I'm faced with a tough decision. It's a roughly 25' x 25' space, but unfortunately there are two 3.5" lally columns which are 13' 5.5" from the wall. I plan to put the one length side of the table 5' from the wall. This will leave 57.5" to the lally columns for an 8' table, 55.5" for an OS 8', and 51.5" for a 9' table. It seems, if I go for an 8' table, I'll rarely need a shortie cue. If I go for an OS 8', I'll need it more so, but still not terrible. If I go for the 9', it'll be semi-frequent (I think?). Seems simple, just go for an 8' or OS 8'. But, if I do that, I'll most likely end up with a furniture table. I'm trying to find an OS 8' GC, but the pickings have been very slim. A diamond is too expensive for my 4k budget. I'll continue to try but at some point will give up. Assuming I don't find an OS 8' GC, I'm left with this choice:

1) Get a 9' GC and break out a 48" shortie often
2) Get an 8' furniture table and break out the shortie much less often

Thoughts?

Attached the floor layout. Thanks!
Click to expand...
You should post this in the Main Forum or the Mechanic's Section for the most feedback. This section is targeting pool hall owners and doesn't get a lot of traffic.
 
I have an over sized 8 in a 14' x 25 room. I never need a short stick but right even with the first diamond at head of the table is my posts which is 13'5" and I don't need a short stick but only get a few inch stroke when it's on the rail. Sucks but it's so rare that I never even think about it. 9' would definitely require a short stick for me. For you rarely so I think I'd go with a 9'.

If your room is a unfinished basement then it wouldn't be a huge job to beam up the joists and move the post
 
rexus31 said:
You should post this in the Main Forum or the Mechanic's Section for the most feedback. This section is targeting pool hall owners and doesn't get a lot of traffic.
Click to expand...
Oh darn, yes that was a mistake. Mistook "room owner" to mean something else. I'll email a mod and see if it can be moved. Thanks
 
MSmithAZ said:
Hey folks,

I asked this a month ago on reddit and I was surprised by the responses so I'm interested in hearing thoughts from this forum as well. I'm finishing my basement and adding a pool table. My budget is around 4k, give or take. I'm only a casual player, but love the game and plan to own this table for 20+ years and hope to get lots of good use out of it. But I'm faced with a tough decision. It's a roughly 25' x 25' space, but unfortunately there are two 3.5" lally columns which are 13' 5.5" from the wall. I plan to put the one length side of the table 5' from the wall. This will leave 57.5" to the lally columns for an 8' table, 55.5" for an OS 8', and 51.5" for a 9' table. It seems, if I go for an 8' table, I'll rarely need a shortie cue. If I go for an OS 8', I'll need it more so, but still not terrible. If I go for the 9', it'll be semi-frequent (I think?). Seems simple, just go for an 8' or OS 8'. But, if I do that, I'll most likely end up with a furniture table. I'm trying to find an OS 8' GC, but the pickings have been very slim. A diamond is too expensive for my 4k budget. I'll continue to try but at some point will give up. Assuming I don't find an OS 8' GC, I'm left with this choice:

1) Get a 9' GC and break out a 48" shortie often
2) Get an 8' furniture table and break out the shortie much less often

Thoughts?

Attached the floor layout. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Get the table you want and use the short cue here and there. Make a cue holder on the obstruction and WHAMMO, its there when you need it. If you are a very serious player, do not buy a table you do not want over having to use the short cue a bit. Oversized 8' Gold Crown is where its at! You wont be mad or have buyers remorse when you get what you want. YES I DO SELL THEM! My last OS 8 GC 4!!


93fbffe925a80a473faf4dc836fcf9d61fdd3372-1.jpg

IF
 
Last edited:
I don’t know what stage of ‘finished’ your basement is in but I would move those lally columns if I could. I had the same problem with a house I used to own. The columns were about 6 feet apart so I had an engineer look at it and I put in a little heavier beam supported by one column on each end and opened the whole space between them. You only have about 13 to 15 feet to span. A post on each end of an appropriate sized beam and you wouldn’t
have a lally problem at all. Did the concrete work in one afternoon and the posts after the concrete setup .. not a whole lot to it if it’s not finished yet
 
I have 61" from the nose of the cushion to the wall in my room with an 8' table. The room is 13'-11". Unless I'm frozen to the rail and shooting perpendicular it doesn't get in the way and you usually don't need a lot of backswing shooting a cue ball on the rail. I'd say it's the minimum space but still totally acceptable.

As far as table size, I like the 8'. When I shoot on a 7' the pockets are much closer and it's an easy reach. When I shoot on a 9', it's not that much further away. I think going from a 7 foot at home to a 9' might be too big of a jump. I feel like the game is better on an 8' than a 7'. You say you are a casual player. Would you just like to play around the house or do you want to develop your game for a league that plays on 7's or local tournaments played on 9's? I'd still have fun and learn with a 7' but I like the 8' better. Unless I wanted to specialize in bar boxes I'd go with a 8' if it fits. How long is your room? That may come into play if you get a 9'.
 
Nothing wrong with an 8ft'r. Too small for 1p but for rotation games its a good 'tweener' size. A friend used to have a OS8ft GC and it was a great table. With 4.25" corners its plenty challenging.
 
Personally, if I were to assume a large percentage of shots required a short cue I would downsize the table. Otherwise using a short cue here and there is tolerable.

From the looks of the diagram it’s just a few poles, right? If it was a solid wall then I would consider a smaller table.

I’ve never played an OS 8’ so I cannot compare, but at that point you may as well go for the 9 footer.
 
9’ w/shorty. As said nothing wrong with a 7 , 8 or 8pro. What do you really want. You’ll have fun no matter what.
 
Whatever you get, center the pole in the sidepocket, like this the end poles will probably not get you. Do this: set up some kitchen chairs where the edges of the table will be. Take your stick and see if you can have clearance. Put the chairs at where the cushion nose is. A ball can only go to the extents of the cushion so that is the real area.
 
garczar said:
Nothing worse than squeezing in a big table and having to play too many shots with a pos short cue.
Click to expand...
I'd wager those poles come into play 10% or less of the time. I've got my 9' Gold Crown in my 18'x 18' garage. Balls on either end rail require a shorty but those shots rarely come up. Shorty hardly ever makes an appearance during some all day ring game sessions.
 
tim913 said:
I don’t know what stage of ‘finished’ your basement is in but I would move those lally columns if I could.
Click to expand...
Thanks. I had looked into it at the beginning stage of the project. It's deceiving though. Normally, columns are in the center. The way my house is shaped though, the room over the opposite side of the columns is only one story. But the wall that the lally columns are supporting is actually the exterior walls that go 3 stories up. Normally that would your foundation wall. So they're super critical. Was told that if I tried to replace it with like an engineering beam, it would be huge and come down further and be much wider than the existing one. We considered embedding it in the walls above it, but there were open doorways preventing it. Of course with enough money, anything can be done, but it wasn't going to be a standard removal and would end up being super $$$$. Oh wellz. Would love to get rid of them if I could.
 
tomatoshooter said:
Would you just like to play around the house or do you want to develop your game for a league that plays on 7's or local tournaments played on 9's? I'd still have fun and learn with a 7' but I like the 8' better. Unless I wanted to specialize in bar boxes I'd go with a 8' if it fits. How long is your room? That may come into play if you get a 9'.
Click to expand...
I doubt I'd end up joining a league, but you know...who can predict 15 years down the road. I'm with ya...I don't wanna go lower than an 8'. Plenty of room length-wise, so a 9' is no issue there. I'll have 10'-15' to spare. Just width is the issue. From this thread though, I'm starting to move into the mode that if I don't fine an OS 8' GC, that I'd just get a 9' GC instead. Glad to hear that most aren't viewing the occasional breakout of a shortie as a big deal. Wasn't sure if it would be, but seems like as long as it's rare, which most seem to agree that it would be, that it's fine. I'm kinda liking the idea now
 
MSmithAZ said:
Hey folks,

I asked this a month ago on reddit and I was surprised by the responses so I'm interested in hearing thoughts from this forum as well. I'm finishing my basement and adding a pool table. My budget is around 4k, give or take. I'm only a casual player, but love the game and plan to own this table for 20+ years and hope to get lots of good use out of it. But I'm faced with a tough decision. It's a roughly 25' x 25' space, but unfortunately there are two 3.5" lally columns which are 13' 5.5" from the wall. I plan to put the one length side of the table 5' from the wall. This will leave 57.5" to the lally columns for an 8' table, 55.5" for an OS 8', and 51.5" for a 9' table. It seems, if I go for an 8' table, I'll rarely need a shortie cue. If I go for an OS 8', I'll need it more so, but still not terrible. If I go for the 9', it'll be semi-frequent (I think?). Seems simple, just go for an 8' or OS 8'. But, if I do that, I'll most likely end up with a furniture table. I'm trying to find an OS 8' GC, but the pickings have been very slim. A diamond is too expensive for my 4k budget. I'll continue to try but at some point will give up. Assuming I don't find an OS 8' GC, I'm left with this choice:

1) Get a 9' GC and break out a 48" shortie often
2) Get an 8' furniture table and break out the shortie much less often

Thoughts?

Attached the floor layout. Thanks!
Click to expand...
9-foot Gold Crown
 
cjr3559 said:
I’ve never played an OS 8’ so I cannot compare, but at that point you may as well go for the 9 footer.
Click to expand...
Well, I think it would be the difference of a shortie every full moon vs once every sunset, but seems like most seem to agree that's still at a tolerable level, so I'm glad to hear.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top