Adjusting pocket size

[Terry Davidson]

svendh:

Yes, that would bring the pockets out at twice the width of the plywood (i.e. - 1/4" plywood would make the pockets 1/2" larger).

I've also seen a table adjusted by using large washers on each rail bolt between the slate and the cushion. This was a steel blocked table and I didn't notice any different sound or even any difference playing on it. It would be cheaper and more easily installed than lathes plus you would have the option of being able to adjust it easily.

Terry

[Geoff Large]

Packing cusions out with plywood will do two things , the cushion will lose some of it's rebound value , and on some pocket plates like burroughs and watts or even a Karnhem and hillman , the under bolts will then not align up with the bolt holes in the pocket plate , two pin pocket plates will be loose and sag down , and there will be a gap between the leather and the cushion .
packing cushions out is a cowboyish way of opening pockets up , the cowboy Fitter to hide what he has done will do the following , slot the cushion bolt hole on burroughs and watts cushion , and then fit longer leathers to hide the gap , the same on any other type of pocket plate , as you pack the cushions out say 1/8th thick plywood there will be a 1/4 inch gap on the pocket plate .

another way these type of fitters ruin tables is to file the fall into the table , so that the ball drops early into a large radius of the fall .
opening pockets up should only be done by cutting rubber away and reshaping.

on some older tables the falls are not right and you may have to slightly file the radius out , the radius shoud be 3.5 inch with a curved lip , some I have come across are as much as 3.7/8ths to 4 inch !

[svendh]

I think Geoff's method is the best but still think this is a way to temporarily widen the pockets without the help of a fitter. But I see the problem of the pocket plates being lose, is there a way of fixing the two bolt plates?

[Geoff Large]

If the packing is thin then you may get away with the bolt hole still aligning up but the gap between leather and wood will still be there unless it is a top plate , there is a tolerance around the bolt hole , but once you go beyond that clearance , then people tend to drill the hole larger or slot it , this is not good for the pocket plate or the table as you are weakening the way you fasten the pocket up .
At the end of the day if opening up pockets was as simple as putting a long shim inbetween the cushion and the slate then the manufacturers would have incorperated it into their design years ago .
I have seen american pool tables with shims for the cushons and also shims to put at the end of the cushion before recovering , but on UK Billiard designed tables it should not be done .

[philip in china]

I think Geoff is on the ball, as always, when he says get an experienced, qualified fitter to do this for you!

[svendh]

Thanks Geoff, i will report my results.

[Reini0100]

want to make my pockets bigger too about 3 mm each side of the pocket, after cutting the rubber with sharp blade how much grade of sandpaper to finish of the rubber? cheers

[itsnoteasy]

That's a really, really big change, a couple of mm makes pockets play so much easier.

[WilliamKent]

want to make my pockets bigger too about 3 mm each side of the pocket, after cutting the rubber with sharp blade how much grade of sandpaper to finish of the rubber? cheers

The pockets on my table were opened up by using 3 mm washers to space the end cushions from the bed. Some say that it makes the cushions sound clunky but I only hear that on the bottom rail for some reason.

[Geoff Large]

WilliamKent ... when you do that you make a gap between pocket plate and wood end of cushion .
as you bring the cushion off the slate with packers the gap gets larger especially on two pin plates , if they are bolted pocket plates if moves the hole away from the bolt threads too .

You should have it profesionally opened up .

the rattle on the end cushions maybe the hooks and rest , as you hit the cushion the vibration travels down the hook and the rests rattle on the hook
take the rest off to see if it is that you could put rubber tube on the hooks or put end frame hooks instead of cushion hooks , also slide in panels rattle if loose , and those pocket plates may rattle if loose .

https://gclbilliards.com/open-up-cor...-in-blackburn/

[WilliamKent]

You should have it profesionally opened up .

I did use professional table people in two moves and a recovering. That is how the table was originally... that vintage of Wiraka did have tight pockets. The same table model in one club had their cushions recut twice but still no-one was happy with them. In the end they replaced them with vintage tables.

Its only the bottom cushion that has a deeper sound and I can live with that. However it is due for recovering soon, so the table guys may be able to pack them better then.