snooker table opinions please

[scunnyd]

Hi i'm just starting the process of having a snooker room built in my garden and because of this my thoughts have turned to which table to buy when its finished ive always loved the look of the clare/thurstons jubilee but ive no idea wether its a good table or not so i would like to hear from anyone who knows about these tables and the pros and cons of owning one .I would be interested in any other suggestions and the reasons behind your suggestions my budget will be around £2k for the table so please bare that in mind hope someone can help cheers scunnyD

[lennon11]

got a beautiful orme&sons from a liberal club that was closing down about 15 years ago,had it reconditioned which cost about £1200 plus the cost of the table(an absolute steal at £800)now have an amazing looking and playing table for basically £2000!!

[scunnyd]

thats the kind of thing i was thinking of doing altho im not sure how much restoration you can do on a jubilee since im pretty sure the legs at least are formica

[Watford]

I know someone with a Thurston table don't know what model. It's nice but the pockets are quite tight as I recall.

Old club tables can be good if you find one being got rid of. Lot of Labour, working mens etc closing or putting pool tables in now. Some of the old E.J. Riley tables are great.

[1lawyer]

The member with the best knowledge of snooker tables on this forum here is a guy called Geoff large.

I asked him what he thought was the best table and he rated an old make called Karman and Hillman.
I think the slate was thicker on a lot of these older tables and if you get a restored one with steel blockers on you might be on a winner.

I bet a Star table would not cost you all that much if you could get it from source and there are quite a number of Riley Aristocrate tables knocking around now that all the pro's etc are moving towards getting star tables.

My advice is ask Geoff large, he seems a nice guy and you could (pm him) to give you his opinion.:snooker:

[scunnyd]

thx 1 lawyer i think ive read nearly all geoff's posts about tables he did mention the jubilee in one post but that was something to do with how the table is leveled hopefully he will see this post and give me some further words of wisdom on the table as im a newbie and dont have enough posts to pm him yet

[1lawyer]

thx 1 lawyer i think ive read nearly all geoff's posts about tables he did mention the jubilee in one post but that was something to do with how the table is leveled hopefully he will see this post and give me some further words of wisdom on the table as im a newbie and dont have enough posts to pm him yet

I sent him a PM for you. :snooker:

[Geoff Large]

thx 1 lawyer i think ive read nearly all geoff's posts about tables he did mention the jubilee in one post but that was something to do with how the table is leveled hopefully he will see this post and give me some further words of wisdom on the table as im a newbie and dont have enough posts to pm him yet

The Thurston jubilee table is very underated table and the formica finnish puts alot of people off , the cushion finnish as well as the frame are formica so providing it has no chips out of the formica it should never require any renovation as normal tables requiring a full strip and repolish which can cost over £1000 just for this .

the Jubilee table is often described as a weelchair user friendly table due to the formers being well under the table , which allows for wheelchair users to get their feet under , but be wary if it has been used in a disabled facility , look for scuffs and bangs on frame and formers plus lower cushion slides due to impact from wheelchair .
Another wear thing to look out for is , if a coin meter is used palyers often slam coins on the cushion cappings , although the formica is durable this will wear some of the woodgrain away , this is normaly on the D cushion or the cushion closest to the coin meter .

The jubilee table has the largest pocket plates of any table manufactured but this is after the point of fall so do not despair in thinking pockets like buckets as they can be cut to template size and many of these tables where used as match and tournament tables , they have special moulded to fit jubilee leathers manufactured just for them from peradon .
the plates are very good in that no bounce back onto table is the norm for this type of design of pocket plate as they are scooped downwards , a lot of metal behind that leather making a very sturdy pocket plate .

I used to maintain two of these tables in Players social club ( now gone ) in nottingham , and in those days peradon did not sell the moulded leathers , I used to have to wet flat leather and sew to the pockets to form the new leather .

No 8 legs on this table , the three oblong leg forms are made so that adjustable bolts for leveling are behind removable curved edges . making leveling the table without a jack , a very clever design and much more sturdy than the Nasty Riley STARLINE rubbish of the 1970s , with its fibreglass shroud and trestle levelers inside this shroud , a very unstable table is the riley starline and one to avoid .

My advice is yes go for one , they are not everyones cup of tea , more of a fashion statement of the 70s , but would still look good in any contempary designed room , various colours where available some with cream formica some wood grain , some with a mixture of both .
A very sturdy designed table that should last many years .
there was one on ebay last week item 300418038094 and its still on at £345 start price .
they can be picked up for as little as £300 , my advice is to buy one that is still in use and check that the slate is true , it may require new rubber as well as recover nets and leathers .
You will require a fitter who has worked on this design before as they are very differant to set up than a normal table .
We have two at my work place but they have been messed about in their life time one been in a flood , one set of slates are bowed ( dished ) and the other has very thin slates and both are not in good condition so do not bother with these .

Contact me by Pm or through this forum if not enough posts or by email c.large@btinternet.com if you decide to bid on the ebay table . it has floated slates so should be true for level .

Thurston still manufacture Brand new Jubilee's but the price is going to be very expensive , my guess around £5000 to £6000 last time we enquired . but you have a choice of laminate colours to suit decor . at £345 I would go for the second hand one it looks from the picture in good condition with wood grain cushions and frame with Birdseye maple effect slides and former ends .

Fitting steel block cushions to this table would look out of place unless you could get a set of capping frieze done in the same formica but then you would lose those sturdy pocket plates , but they do play like steel blocks , and the pocket lines inside the playing area and outside look very good .

I take it you want a modern table for the modern game as old antique ones suffer from thin cappings and pocket bounce back , the Jubilee is a modern table for the modern game , is easy to look after , durable , and if you find one that has only been privatly owned from new , then it is going to be in great condition . but they do stand upto comercial use , the only wear normaly around the lower panel insert slot which is wood painted black . normaly worn by x rest being put on hooks and clouting the trim .

[Watford]

I have played on one of those at a Labour club once. Very odd finish.
I'm surprised at how cheap they are I paid twice as much for my pool table.

[Geoff Large]

They may to some look odd as they are not what people think of when they picture a billiard table , But i bet it played great , and took balls at speed into all pockets with no bounce back .

The reason you paid more for a pool table is not every one has room for a full size table so demand for a full size is not as great so no surprise to find them at a low price range also removal costs and set up for a full size against a pool table ?, therefore plenty on ebay sold in the £200 to £400 price range , take a good look on ebay , you may see a lot of tables with a buy me now price of around £1500 to £2000 but they are rarely sold .
The trick is to spot a good one from a bad one from a photo , and thats where it gets hard . Best to see one in the flesh and if possible get it checked out by an Experienced time served Qualified billiards fitter . who will be able to give you a report on Slate trueness , rubber condition etc .
If you look for a 3/4 sized table ( 9ft by 4ft 6inch ) they do hold there price because demand outstrips supply .

The best buys on ebay are normaly house owners who have sold their house and part of the deal is the table has to go before a certain deadline as the new owners want room for a study or other use , in that case if they do not sell , they pay for you to take it away . normaly £275 plus vat for that service .
we get customers all the time phoning up saying we will give you a table just take it away as it has to be out by Friday !!
We are not wanting a table so charge for this service , many times the table is useless and we just scrap it , but we may get lucky and end up with a jem , and get paid for taking it away !

I have had a look through ebay today , and found one rare table on there , a thurston Adamant cushioned table , this is a cushion with slate inserts to make heavey and improve the bounce , at £499 start price not bad .

on the other hand there is a guy selling 7 tables in Halifax most square legged that have been smoke damaged , all upstairs so removal costs are going to be high and he wants £650 each , he has no chance , these will most prob end up in smashed pieces being chucked down a funnel into a skip .

[scunnyd]

thx 1 lawyer for the pm to geoff and thx geoff for your valued opinion on the jubilee seems they are a good table. Guess now all i have to do is find a good one close enough to me to go view the one on ebay is in hampshire bit of a trek from scunny. Geoff could you tell me if i do find a table before my building work is complete do E&H pick up and store tables for people then fit at a later date.Also do they / you do inspections for people afterall you know alot more than me . Again thx for the advise you really should write a book on tables and your experences as a fitter

[Geoff Large]

Yes E&H will collect and store if you find one or i may come across one , email me on c.large@btinternet.com i will inspect for you .

but a dismantled table realy will not take much room up in a Garage or shed . if one comes up you should go for it as the jubilee table was not made in great numbers like traditional 8 legs , I think the one advertised if it go's for the start price it is one to consider . even if it is in hampshire , with a budget of £2000 , you could buy the table have it picked up , Re rubber recover nets leathers etc stored until ready and delivered set up by Experienced Billiard fitter . all within that budget . + vat .
as i said we have two in storage allready , but I could not recomend them due to water damage and thin slate on one . best get one that has not been buggered about .but they are at Saxalby in lincs .

[jhr145]

Jubilee tables are metric in other word smaller than imperial 12 bye 6

[Geoff Large]

Jubilee tables are metric in other word smaller than imperial 12 bye 6

that maybe true of the odd one they are still making today , but not so for a 1980s one , thurston did order some metric slates and there are a few Modern (Thurston Clare Padmore standfast design ) metric tables around in 8 leg format , maybe they did make the odd one metric , but I am 100% that most are normal 12 foot by 6 foot 1.5 inch wide slates .
Or else i would not have been able to take a set of slates from one and put them on a Karnehn and Hillman table 2 years ago . THE CUSHIONS would not fit if they where metric .
I have seen a 9 or 10 foot ( cannot remember which ) jubilee on ebay , so are capable of making any sized table .

So NO THEY ARE NOT METRIC .

If you know of a metric one then it is avery rare order , as I have never seen or worked on a metric Jubilee in 35 years of fitting .

If you read thurstons web site all their full size tables are also supllied to US pool table specifications , i guess they are useing up there Metric slates they ordered in the late 1980s early 1990s .

the reason thurston where the only people to use metric slates is this , back in the the 1980s there was a trade association called the Billiards and snooker trades association . the story is something like this ( I was not present just what someone told me ), they had a meeting to decide if all members would make new table's in metric form , in principle many members agreed but not all , so it was put on hold , But Thurstons wanting to be first off the mark went ahead and started making metric tables , the rest of the trades association did not like this and decided to vote no Metric sizes to be made , this left Thurston with an order for metric slates which they had confirmed with an italian slate quarry , now I have worked on a few metric standfast tables but never a Jubilee model , I am not saying that the metric slates where not used on other designs , but the majority are on the standfast table .
I have three on my rounds in the nottingham and Derby area , and you have to be on the ball when marking them out with spots and the Baulk being differant measurements than the normal 12x6 tables .

and they are only a couple of inches short of full size so are still classed as a full sized table in metric form , some very old tables are 12 x 6 foot dead , but most tables made from 1900 are 12 foot by 6 foot 1.5 inches wide , I do not know what the extra 1.5 inches is for , but most are that size , next time you play on a table measure the width of the slate .

The good point about a Jubilee model is the long side supports are closer to the centre of the table and not 4 inch in from the side of the slate edge like a normal 8 leg table , making a better support and prevents sagging of slates in the middle .

[Watford]

Geoff you know your onions mate.
I'm very impressed.

I wish I had room for a snooker table but I'm hampered in places on the pool table.
If I move to a big I know who to talk to.