will technology ever replace the HEAVY HEAVY slate

[Cue_Seeker]

For almost all personal use heavy things, whether it's piano or boat or heavy machinery, there are always some ways to move it, such that piano has wheels and boats can get wheels attached.
For a snooker table, once it's there, it's there! To get it move even one inch requires TEDIOUS amount of work, and I blame the slate, because they are delicate yet heavy pieces of rocks, they need to be separated and carried by several strong men and rejointed and all the other work associated with it.

I believe it will be much easier if technology could duplicate slates and provide slate-equal quality, and yet make it much lighter, then I believe many people will start owning snooker tables because moving and other things prevent people from buying will be made manageable. I am aware of sl8 and slatex or something like that are not really slate-equal quality, as they have inferior play feel and warp over time.

What is your opinion?

[sanman]

technology costs money. And if economies of scale doesnt bring about a reduction in price then it wont be feasible. which is why slate is still used.

[Cue_Seeker]

technology costs money. And if economies of scale doesnt bring about a reduction in price then it wont be feasible. which is why slate is still used.

Technology for the common already = economies of scale. No economies of scale = wasted technology or we haven't quite gotten there yet.
I think it could also be that no well known tournaments ever endorsed any other materials, just as if a cue brand is not endorsed by pros they will get no sales to anyone who is serious enough.

However I think if we had the slightest replacement technology, renowned table companies will make them as very very high end tables for the very rich, but I don't see anything like that.

[philip in china]

Heavy tables are necessary. So when you lean on them they stay in 1 place. I really doubt if the fact that a table weighs 25cwt is really a factor influencing most people's decision on whether or not to buy one. Most are ground floor installations and are on a solid floor. An upstairs one would get me worrying about the strength of joists etc. Realistically amortised over the likely life of the table the delivery effort and cost is very little- as actually is the cost of a used table. I think the more likely reason is just that few people have a room even remotely big enough to take a table.

BTW why would you want to move a table an inch?

[Cue_Seeker]

Heavy tables are necessary. So when you lean on them they stay in 1 place. I really doubt if the fact that a table weighs 25cwt is really a factor influencing most people's decision on whether or not to buy one. Most are ground floor installations and are on a solid floor. An upstairs one would get me worrying about the strength of joists etc. Realistically amortised over the likely life of the table the delivery effort and cost is very little- as actually is the cost of a used table. I think the more likely reason is just that few people have a room even remotely big enough to take a table.

BTW why would you want to move a table an inch?

Because my room is not big enough, I want to set it up but one side will have to be compromized, we are thinking breaking some walls and do space management renovations later, but those are long project and meanwhile the table has to be set up. So space and weight (or more likely, easiness to set up) are interlinked concerns.

[philip in china]

I doubt, though, if this is a sufficiently common concern to warrant a new production method.

[Ex Enbild Fitter]

I have moved tables across function rooms before in one piece and put them back again with no problem. In fact there used to a couple of clubs who had the process repeated every Christmas eve prior to their annual party so moving a table an inch easy!!!

[Geoff Large]

moving tables does require skill , and although you can in theory move a full sized table on jacked up wheels palced in the correct points around the side rail frame , if the floor is uneven the table will react to slate joint movement as you trolly it along the uneven floor and filler in those joints will lift , you only need a 1/2 inch deflection for the slate to react as it is moved .

I have witnessed tables being moved and one such job the slate movement did cause the joints to move slightly , to the point that I had to go and take the bed cloth off and relevel and refill the joints and then restretch the bed cloth , I would point out it was not myself who moved the tables on wheels but another firm . , the table was moved on wheels about 40 foot from one end of a room to the other and then spun around for the d to face the other way , all on 6 jacks with wheels on them .

So moveing full sized slates over slighty unlevel floor will do some slate joint movement , the risk is when the table is re-leveled in its new position will those joints settle back down in their original position and be perfect as before ? thats the risk you have to decide in the saving of money which is not that much saving anyway . a firm will still charge a considerable amount to move one on wheels within th same building or room .

as for differant substance to use in place of slate , they have tried this in the past , Glass & Marble are two , but they the same if not more wieght , in my opinion the slate bed of a billiard table has been experimneted with over the years from wood beds like on the old gillows pre 1830s and then from the use of very thin 3/4 of an inch slates being 3 sections the same as the wood beds to 4 section then to 1 inch 5 section to over the years trying 1.5 inch then 2 inch as we use today , if we try and reduce thickness for the table being lighter then thats a backward step ( or is it ?) and some manufactrers are doing this , with adjustable muntins now being used I see no reason why the table slate cannot be reduced to say 1.5 inch , it would make life so much easier for us fitters , we could use smaller vans such as a Renault lwb traffic or the lower cwt transits , lifting slates would be easier too with 1/4 of the wieght reduction .

Geoff