Installing rubbers video

[poolqjunkie]

What is the most challenging part of re-rubbering? Is that the cutting of the pocket?

[cazmac1]

Don't forget to make a video of you work slasher

[ryanah147]

What is the most challenging part of re-rubbering? Is that the cutting of the pocket?

Rubbering an American pool table is really no bother as the rubber is already cut to size. Of course care has to be taken that you lay the rubber evenly, and the height complies to the tables specifications.
Rubbering a Snooker table is a different matter altogether, not only does the above apply, but you also have to cut the rubber EXACTLY to the template, the rubber supporting fillet must be correct, and the undercut of the rubber also has to comply. Do any of these wrong and youll find yourself in serious trouble.
I have seen Pool table operators attempting this job and they will get it 85% right, but its the 15% that will stick out like a sore thumb in the end.
Get a time served fitter to do this job, otherwise you are only fooling yourself.

[Slasher]

the rubbers still need to be cut on an american table the cut is just not as complex.

[maryfield]

The rubbers on an American table are cut in a straight line which follows the block to which it is glued whereas on a snooker table the rubber bends around the shape of the block and is them trimmed to the template. A whole different kettle of fish.

[Terry Davidson]

OK, you table fitters. I think you're totally missing slasher's point here.

Namely - HE DOESN'T HAVE ACCESS TO A DECENT TABLE FITTER IN BRITISH COLUMBIA and the only way he can get one is to fly one in and that would be horribly expensive.

Ever here in Southern Ontario we are hard put to find a decent table fitter and I know of only one who apprenticed in Britain and in fact he has done my table twice.

I have a friend who has a 1910 B&W steel-blocked in abolutely perfect condition he bought from an estate sale. The fitter he hired was supposed to be expereinced but my friend ended up with having the cushion cloth glued down, wrinkles in all pockets and along the cushions, pockets way too tight and narrowing after the fall plus a few other problems. The table looked beautiful but played absolutely horrible with even the black off the spot being a really difficult shot as there was only about 1/8" room for error.

So then he bought some templates, re-did the cushions, sanded down the rubber at all the pocket openings and a few other little things and now the table plays like a dream. However, it took a lot of work and a lot of learning.

Slasher is now going to go through that exercise and will undoubtedly run into some bad problems which he will be working out with zero help from any experienced table fitter. If given some help he might have a lot less frustration and I'm certain you wouldn't see him selling that knowledge anywhere although he may help out any friends in BC that have tables.

When we played the Canadian Championships in Ottawa in 2005 we had a couple of Berringer tables donated and erected by pool table mechanics. We ended up with corner pockets too small at 2-1/2" (I measured them) and the high break in the finals was in the 40's with 2 of the best players in Canada.

It's very frustrating.

Terry

[Slasher]

Don't forget to make a video of you work slasher

No way the DND would be all over me

[Geoff Large]

I recover and rerubber both american pool tables and billiard tables . and also uk pub tables as well as Bar billiard and Bagatelle tables plus the odd gaming casino roulette table .

Some American pool Table rubbers do follow the block angle , others slightly differ in that they are precutt to size includeing the angle allready done , some depending on make such as Sam tables these require cutting at a slight angle away from the block angle and are best taking a cardboard template before removal , rerubbering these type of tables there is realy no skill involved other than a steady hand and a good eye and good sharp tools ,and of course use a good quality glue ..

A billiard table having to conform to templates and the rubber is cutt at a curve is a differant matter in not just pocket openings but the correct undercutt , it takes years of teaching to Rerubber , asking a fitter to make a Video is an insult to that fitter having to work all those early years learning the job on low wages ,

I could make an half decent job of upholstering my chair from a video , but I bet the upholsterer who was taught over a number of years would make a much more profesional job .and people could tell the differance from my effort in that trade as a novice.

I have seen too many Pool table Refurbishers have a go at a billiards table recover and rerubber , only last week in Yorkshire I had to re rubber a table and recover it and recover another table in the same club , after one such pool table fitter had ago , He had even stapled the bed cloth on .
The rubber angles where dog legged and just belt sanded undercutt , and thats from a guy advertising he is a Billiards fitter .
I asked him on the phone how long he had been recovering and rerubbering , he said over 20 years ?

I am not too big headed but if I was I could show you many letters of recomendation over the 36 years of billiards fitting but here is one from the club above in yorkshire where the tables where put right .

email Letter addressed to my boss

Hi Ted Many thanks for the excellent work carried out by youre superb fitter Geoff , the work done at our club in Malton ********** club was to the highest standard and the members of the club are all saying how much differance this work has made.
In Geoff you must have one of the best fitters in the country and it was a pleasure to watch an Expert at work .
We will take pleasure in recomending you and Geoff to all the clubs in our area , Once again many thanks for a superb job regards Mike ****** Malton *********club

Now this guy watched me solid for two days complete this work , he said although had had a good idea how the rerubber and recovers was done having stood on my shoulder for two days , he would still leave it to an expert . He had also watched the pool table fitter have ago 2 years earlier and comented how differant my aproach to the work was from his .

I do find it hard to beleive that a few of you expect a fitter to give up his Career by producing videos of how to do his job just so that people could do it themselves and put himself out of work and others , and little digs such as the american Pool fitters will give their job secrets away willingly will only clam up Billiard fitters giving advice on other matters on this forum .

It took me 4 years to be trained and further 4 years to perfect it , speed is not the issue when being trained , but comes with experience , a trait that Pool table fitters do not possess , its all speed work with them . they have no values , and the proof is out there on the tables I am putting right and will carry on doing .
So please no more comparing a Billiard fitter to a USA POOL TABLE FITTER , the comparison is not even near .

I know the person in question who would like the video help is based in Canada , but that is a problem he will have to solve we can only give so much information , we just cannot be seen to be giving our trade way so cheaply , we all have some sort of expense in life , be that a mortgage , or loans etc , and this is our livleyhood here . so please also see it from our side of the fence . :snooker:

[Slasher]

Geoff I appreciate that you regard your trade so highly and are strongly opinionated on disclosing the methods used that is your right, on this subject though I am sure we will remain polarized.

It is also my right to express my opinion on the differing attitudes of the Americans and the British table fitters.

[Slasher]

OK, you table fitters. I think you're totally missing slasher's point here.

Namely - HE DOESN'T HAVE ACCESS TO A DECENT TABLE FITTER IN BRITISH COLUMBIA and the only way he can get one is to fly one in and that would be horribly expensive.

Ever here in Southern Ontario we are hard put to find a decent table fitter and I know of only one who apprenticed in Britain and in fact he has done my table twice.

I have a friend who has a 1910 B&W steel-blocked in abolutely perfect condition he bought from an estate sale. The fitter he hired was supposed to be expereinced but my friend ended up with having the cushion cloth glued down, wrinkles in all pockets and along the cushions, pockets way too tight and narrowing after the fall plus a few other problems. The table looked beautiful but played absolutely horrible with even the black off the spot being a really difficult shot as there was only about 1/8" room for error.

So then he bought some templates, re-did the cushions, sanded down the rubber at all the pocket openings and a few other little things and now the table plays like a dream. However, it took a lot of work and a lot of learning.

Slasher is now going to go through that exercise and will undoubtedly run into some bad problems which he will be working out with zero help from any experienced table fitter. If given some help he might have a lot less frustration and I'm certain you wouldn't see him selling that knowledge anywhere although he may help out any friends in BC that have tables.

When we played the Canadian Championships in Ottawa in 2005 we had a couple of Berringer tables donated and erected by pool table mechanics. We ended up with corner pockets too small at 2-1/2" (I measured them) and the high break in the finals was in the 40's with 2 of the best players in Canada.

It's very frustrating.

Terry

Hey Terry what's wrong with 2-1/2" pockets lol.

Don't worry I will sort this out myself as I have always done in life. I have repaired everything from plumbing to porsches so I am not intimidated by a piece of rubber but thanks for the support.

Heres what I have right now and I believe these are factory from 1984, they do play a little looser than you would expect from the size.

[Geoff Large]

Geoff I appreciate that you regard your trade so highly and are strongly opinionated on disclosing the methods used that is your right, on this subject though I am sure we will remain polarized.

It is also my right to express my opinion on the differing attitudes of the Americans and the British table fitters.

Slasher , I think you will find that it is within almost most decent DIY persons to have ago at recovering a Pool table so it realy doesnt surprise me that pool table fitters freely give advice on how to reglue and tack bed cloths and cutt straight angle rubber , but a full sized billiard table is a differant Ball game , I realy hope that you manage to Re rubber youre table , my only advice is to practice on the old rubber that you take off , taking 1 foot at a time from the scrap rubber , and have a go , re glue it back on the corner , keep having a go left and right angles , Middle angles differ to corner angles so practice also on these .
you can get templates from other members on this forum which are allready in canada .

same with recovering cushions , take the old bed cloth rip it into 6 inch strips and parctice with this until you feel confident enough to use the new cloth .

Thic advice I have given many times to DIY people having a go themselves .

[Slasher]

Just in case you didn't believe me on the Porsche thing

[Slasher]

Slasher , I think you will find that it is within almost most decent DIY persons to have ago at recovering a Pool table so it realy doesnt surprise me that pool table fitters freely give advice on how to reglue and tack bed cloths and cutt straight angle rubber , but a full sized billiard table is a differant Ball game , I realy hope that you manage to Re rubber youre table , my only advice is to practice on the old rubber that you take off , taking 1 foot at a time from the scrap rubber , and have a go , re glue it back on the corner , keep having a go left and right angles , Middle angles differ to corner angles so practice also on these .
you can get templates from other members on this forum which are allready in canada .

same with recovering cushions , take the old bed cloth rip it into 6 inch strips and parctice with this until you feel confident enough to use the new cloth .

Thic advice I have given many times to DIY people having a go themselves .

Thanks Geoff, I have the templates I was also going to copy the existing profiles. The only long distance help I really need is what grade of file to use to get a good finish? otherwise I am good to go. You may even offer me a job when you see the results

[poolqjunkie]

So, when they needed to re-rubber a snooker table what did they do in Canada? I know next to nothing about tables but since snooker has been played in Canada for quite a few years I just assume there must be someone good at it...

I have seen too many Pool table Refurbishers have a go at a billiards table recover and rerubber , only last week in Yorkshire I had to re rubber a table and recover it and recover another table in the same club , after one such pool table fitter had ago , He had even stapled the bed cloth on .

I have seen a lot of tables put together here in Canada and the cloth were always stapled on--is that not the right way to do it?

[Terry Davidson]

When snooker was more popular there were quite a few table fitters around who were trained by Brunswick. In those days there weren't many British-type tables hanging around except in the Legions for the most part or in private homes. MOst of the clubs had Brunswick Anniversay or Gold Crown tables.

There were also table fitters around who had been trained by Riley's and BCE. BCE used to have representation here in Canada (Southern Ontario) but no longer.

I also noted Geoff's comment regarding stapling the cloth on and that is what my own fitter (apprenticed from Riley's) uses and as my fitter (Juri) has disappeared somewhere I'm going to have to do the table myself and I intended to use staples instead of tacks.

Geoff...is there any advantage in using tacks over staples? Would you explain please?

Terry