General Care- Looking After Your
Table
Have you ever wondered why some tables are brilliant and
some are quite frankly awful. There is nothing worse
than turn up at a pub to find a copy of the yellow pages under
one leg and the phone book under another (this has really
happened). Have you ever wondered why some cloths feel
like grass and run really slowly or why others are ultra
quick. I'm going to try to explain a few of these
problems, myth's and help you improve your table.
In your local pub, the table is supplied and maintained
by the table operator. The operator will replace
defective parts, supply chalk, balls and cues to the pub for a
fee (rent). It is in the pub and the operators interests
to keep the table in good working order as a frame of pool
cost 40p-£1 in most pubs. Most operators will happily
change the cloth 2-3 times per year and the fee is included in
the rent in most cases, meaning effectively it is done for
free. Although it is in everyone's interests for the table to
be in good working order quite often it is not.
Ok, first up lets look at the tables. Pub tables come
in two sizes 6ft and 7ft, the distance is measured diagonally
from pocket to pocket (most people don't know this).
Obviously 6ft tables are smaller ones and are more often than
not in smaller pool rooms with tight walls. The 7ft
version is the standard size of UK pool table but because
there is a demand for a slightly smaller model the companies
produce both. Your table is most likely to be made by
Supreme, Super League or S.A.M. however other manufacturers do
exist these are the most common ones. The size is not a
drastically important factor unless you are buying your own
cloth to recover it.
The cloth is a very important factor when looking how your
table performs. Most tables are fitted with an American
synthetic cloth often refereed to as a "speed
cloth". It is called a speed cloth because balls
tend to run on them quickly. The other type of cloth is
the traditional English snooker cloth which is often refereed
to as a "knapped cloth". If you really don't
know the difference then try running for fingers up the cloth
towards baulk if you can see your finger marks you are playing
on a snooker cloth. Snooker cloth is generally thicker
and if its not looked after it will often feel like you are
playing pool on grass. The reason for this is that these
cloths need looking after regularly. This has made these
cloths unpopular with landlords in many pubs and they usually
opt for the low maintenance speed cloth.
To look after a snooker/ knapped cloth:-
- Brush everyday with large horse hair brush, brush from
the baulk end down to the other end. Brush firmly
but always go with the knap. If you are unsure which
way that is then run your fingers up and down the
cloth. If your finger marks go dark then you are
going the wrong way. Your aim is to flatten the
finger marks and brushing it will improve the trueness of
the cloth but also increases its overall speed.
- Iron the cloth- this is very important and
actually fairly easy. Most snooker/ pool clubs have
table irons. They are very heavy and expensive
usually £150 each. However they are not necessary
to make your table run faster. You can use a normal
iron on a snooker cloth but you must have no steam
or you will do your table real damage. Start from
one end going with the knap (same as brushing) and work
from one end to the other. Then do the same again
but stagger where you iron or you will make streak marks
in the cloth. You need to iron in straight lines holding
the iron sideways to cover a large area. You will
need to press on quite hard but always keep moving.
Household irons are a lot lighter than table irons so you
do need a bit of pressure. They also don't get as
hot so you can afford to move slightly slower than with a
table iron.
- Cover the table at night using a plastic sheet (with or
without fitted corners). Pubs are often big damp
places and you want your cloth to be bone dry. As
soon as the cushions start to get damp they won't bounce
and the cloth will feel wet and will run more
slowly. To preserve the life of the table it is
important to keep it dry and if you don't cover it at
night you will be costing yourself money and a good
quality game.
To look after a speed cloth:-
- Most pubs are supplied with a cleaning spray this can be
sprayed directly on to the cloth and left for a few
seconds. After application you should brush (see
below)
- Brush frequently, speed cloths need brushing because
they get dirty and hold chalk. these tables have no
knap so its not important which direction you brush them
in. You can be quite abrasive with the cloth to get
stubborn chalk marks out.
- Cover the table at night. for the same reason as a
snooker cloth your table needs covering. Quite often
a poorly looked after cloth will get damp and the cushions
will become damaged as moisture doesn't do them any good
whatsoever.
Ok, so you know how to look after your cloth but your table
still isn't right Your cushions have stopped bouncing
properly and balls are coming off at funny angles. Most
people don't realize how a cushion is made and why it stops
performing. Your cushion is a block of wood (usually
pine) with a groove cut out across the top. A long think
piece of rubber sits in the well created. This rubber is
glued to the wood and then covered with a fairly tight piece
of table cloth. This unit is then attached to the main
table using long screws (certainly on older tables). I
don't recommend you messing with the cushion yourself.
You are far better getting the company who supplies the table
to replace all cushions every 6 months. If your pub owns
the table then get a qualified person to replace them for you.
Cushions can become loose over time, the screws may need
tightening up. You can hear a thud noise as the cushion
is acting as a shock absorber instead of deflecting the ball
it is compressing on impact, this causes the ball to hardly
bounce and can cause it to change directions violently.
Many older tables have a plate running around the exterior of
the table (level with the cushions. Remove the plate and
tighten the screw heads up, this should improve the bounce
drastically.
A table which is not covered over at night often gets
damp. This causes the spray adhesive used to hold the
rubber in place to stop working. The rubber becomes detached
from the wood and again acts as a shock absorber. The
rubber also move on impact and changes the angle on
impact. This can have the same affect on the table cloth
too. If it gets damp it can become loose then the cloth
will move and this again is detrimental to the quality of the
game.
The worst problem I have encountered is the straightness of
the table which is a real pain in the backside. Some
landlords will argue that the table is 100% straight but it
doesn't take long to realize that this isn't the case. A
table is often bent for a few reasons.
1) people constantly sit on table or it is moved a lot
2) floor is one of the common problems, many tables are on
floor boards above cellars in pubs. The floor
moves when players walk around the table. This
causes the table to move ever so slightly during the day and
constantly alters the rolls making it near on impossible to
fix. The best remedy is to purchase an old slate and
place it under the pool table (so all legs are on it.
This will push all boards around the table down making it
easier to adjust and nullify the affect of people walking
round it. The pub can get all boards fixed, but this is
an expensive process and most landlords will be unwilling to
do this.
3) a poorly maintained table or one in need of a recovering
can roll. As the cloth ages it can become damaged and
appear to change direction slightly. The cloth is desperately
in need of a new cloth which will solve that problem.
How to straighten a table:-
First of all get a spirit level and see any obvious
errors. This will help you get the table fairly level so
you can fine tune. Please note that a new table
will take time to settle so don't start messing until the
table has settled. Now you have a table that is pretty
straight but still rolling a little bit. One of the best ways
to see where the rolls are is to get two balls and line them
up as a plant down the cushion. Put the balls right next
to each other (touching) and play the plant slowly down
all cushions. By setting it up as a plant you won't put
side on the shot and should be able to see where the ball is
turning. If the ball appears to hug the rail it may be
straight or you may be playing into a bag that is low, don't
do anything. Try to find all cushions that the ball
isn't going in. Hopefully the ball is turning away (even
if it is ever so slightly) from some pockets or even just
one. If a ball is turning away from one bag then that
bag is too high. Adjust the leg and lower it half a turn
or a full turn depending how sharply it is moving.
Replay your plants and see if it has made any difference, if
it is not correct keep repeating until it is. Once you
are happy with that bag try all the bags again. Altering
one bag can alter other ones, once you are happy play a
frame and check to see how straight your table now is.
You may get a small amount of turn that you can't adjust but
it is more likely to be the things above than the slate being
warped. You are not going to warp the slate and the
things we have already discussed are the most likely factors
to why the table is not behaving properly.
That is all you can do to keep your table in good working
order. Most tables in pubs that are in a bad state of
repair are like that through wear and tear or misuse.
Landlords don't always understand that a table does need
looking after. A speed cloth should be replaced when it
starts to look tatty but a good rule of thumb is every 4-6
months. If the cushions are ok then it is not always
necessary to replace them but they should be checked
regularly. landlords should ask the punters which type
of cloth they prefer as the players are the most important
people as they are the ones who are spending their hard earned
money.
Important things that a pub should have available:-
- Cues
- Normal Balls and Match Balls
- Chalk
- Triangle
- Rests
- Table Cover
- Brush (large, horse hair)
- Spray Cleaner (for speed cloth)
- Iron for knapped cloth
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