Club cut slate vs Italian slate

[itsnoteasy]

I've asked this before but I can't remember the answer, why isn't scotch slate used?
sorry for asking again.

[mikee]

The Rasson Magnum 2 table is pretty good from what I have seen ,they also have the big BCE style large brass pocket plates that bolt up from underneath ,I agree about the looks the top looks great ,the legs and frame not so much but it doesn’t try to be anything it isn't ,it’s a new design .As for the softer slates and warping ,it’s no different to wood ,slate has a grain and too much heat can warp any slates .There is a reason the Chinese slate is 2 inch thick ,it’s because it’s not stable enough any thinner .The Star table frame is made up of fast growing Meranti which is not great for bearing that type of weight ,it’s prone to insect infestation and drying out ,it also doesn’t take wear and tear well ,I doubt much of of it is naturally dried out ,it then has a terrible poly finish on the cushions which is prone to chipping .Westbury and Aristracrat tables are made from Sapele Mahogany which has a Janka hardness rating of around 1,500 ,Meranti is something like 750 .

[Danger Steve]

The Rasson Magnum 2 table is pretty good from what I have seen ,they also have the big BCE style large brass pocket plates that bolt up from underneath ,I agree about the looks the top looks great ,the legs and frame not so much but it doesn’t try to be anything it isn't ,it’s a new design .As for the softer slates and warping ,it’s no different to wood ,slate has a grain and too much heat can warp any slates .There is a reason the Chinese slate is 2 inch thick ,it’s because it’s not stable enough any thinner .The Star table frame is made up of fast growing Meranti which is not great for bearing that type of weight ,it’s prone to insect infestation and drying out ,it also doesn’t take wear and tear well ,I doubt much of of it is naturally dried out ,it then has a terrible poly finish on the cushions which is prone to chipping .Westbury and Aristracrat tables are made from Sapele Mahogany which has a Janka hardness rating of around 1,500 ,Meranti is something like 750 .

I had a peak under tables at the Stratford club I played at on Friday, they are Riley Aristocrats, they have the right looking legs but the side rails and ends don’t have the fancy arch shape? There just straight? Seen those? The slates also looked a sort of dark grey with lighter grey veins almost looked like marble? So is that the Italian stuff? Mine is a plain medium/dark grey colour… Welsh? Irish? I dunno

Interesting about slate having a grain and the heat, not sure what amount of heat is required to actually warp it? I try to keep my table heating set low so it’s job is basically to keep the cloth dry… chatting to a lad I’ve been playing who plays in the under 20’s he said a lot of the tables with Hotwire system are very warm to the touch! Can’t be good for the slates that. If the heaters are just to speed up the cloth by keeping the moisture low then why have them ridiculously hot? Makes no sense to me, I’ll stick to having mine low.

btw Mikee I PM’d you the other day with a side question

[mikee]

Sorry Steve ,just seen it and have replied .Yeah too much heat is not good ,the old tube heaters used to get very hot and were not consistent heat ,too many hot spots .Tv events on the main match I have no idea how hot the bed is ,all I know is that they are not that bothered about it too much as they just use another ten a penny table ,it only has to last a week normally .Your table will be Italian slate like mine if it has the original slates ,which is pretty good