"Good" tables

[philip in china]

How can a buyer identify a "good" table from a "bad" one? What are the points to look for?

[Geoff Large]

Phil , no matter how deep you look into the build quality of a table , these days it is very hard not to find fault with it at some point .

Trueness of slate is no 1 on the list , hand floated if possible .
muntin's to support the centre of the slate , adjustable ones is a good choice . make sure they support the centre slate from sagging .
Cushions made correctly , three section cushion body and a slide or buttons to cover the bolt holes .
Good Wood , I like Oak , but mahogany is ok , you get what is called laminated wood , and unless the wood is fully dried out watch out for delamination of the glued parts , thats also used in leg manufacture , better for them to glue 4x 8 inch by 2 inch wood together than use a 8 inch block , is more cost effective .
Rubber , always use northern rubber and make sure the pocket angles are correctly cutt to youre spec , or an acceptable spec . make sure the balls are bounceing correctly and do not jump , a ball thrown around the table should bounce off 7 cushions , or 4.5 lenths , this will increase after they are bruised in .
Cloth , use a good cloth that is durable , Hainsworth smart or strachan 6811 T
most important make sure who ever fits the table , fits it correct and has at least 8 years of proper training at billiard fitting .
Pocket plates some are bolted from under , others twin pinned , or top plate , whatever table you buy make sure you are happy with how a ball enters the pocket , bounce back off centre pockets can be a problem , but many tables do this I'm afraid , always test a table if you can , make sure the plates are tight not loose .

I am not big fan of steel block tables and it makes me smile when I hear people discount standard tables as Rubbish and that you should only look at steel block cushioned tables .

Riley double bolted frame Aristocrat with adjustable muntins / and the K & hillman with good muntins that touch the slate something that you may have to alter to get them to touch , these tables are my choice for a modern table . look out for Fake tables .
some of the chinese tables are ok , they have had a few years to iron out any faults , and there are some good ones about with adjustable muntins .
enbuild are good too with hand floated slates , but the muntins want to be altered to accept adjustable brackets .

Geoff