STAR Table TEMPLATES

[jorock63]

Hi All, Im wondering can I get hold a set of STAR Table TEMPLATES???,I need if for my training table and I would be appreciate if anyone could of help on this matter...Thanks A Lot

[Terry Davidson]

Jo:

I doubt if Star sells their templates. Neither does the WPBSA. However, if you contact the IBSF you can get a set of theirs which cost $200(US) I think when I bought mine.

The problem is their templates (especially the middle pockets) are tighter than the WPBSA templates and Star tables too as they are done to WPBSA standards.

Star tables from the factory are also tighter than the standard WPBSA tournament tables.

Terry

[Particle Physics]

Jo:

I doubt if Star sells their templates. Neither does the WPBSA. However, if you contact the IBSF you can get a set of theirs which cost $200(US) I think when I bought mine.

The problem is their templates (especially the middle pockets) are tighter than the WPBSA templates and Star tables too as they are done to WPBSA standards.

Star tables from the factory are also tighter than the standard WPBSA tournament tables.

Terry

Wouldn't it be simpler for all the orgs to agree one template, and from then on, all manufacturers could make all tables to that template? So then, a club player could relate more to a match table on tv (in terms of tightness of pockets?)

[throtts]

Had this conversation on another thread with poster vmaxsteve with regard to my set up.. Terry and vmax are correct, all the pockets are very tight using a IBSF template set up. If you look across towards one of my middle pockets from say the black spot area you will see how tight the pocket really is, your cueing has to be smack bang right as have all the other pots too..

However, it is very good for practice, if you are a decent player but if you have a normal social game with someone then the frame will take long to complete and become scrappy. If you are serious, IBSF openings are the way to go.

[philip in china]

Wouldn't it be simpler for all the orgs to agree one template, and from then on, all manufacturers could make all tables to that template? So then, a club player could relate more to a match table on tv (in terms of tightness of pockets?)

Yes, good isea. ANd why not have standard sized wheel nuts on all cars, and a standard size cheque that fits a standard sized envelope. Cards which work across all different ATMs and EFTPOS terminals throughout the world A standard sizing for shoes would be good and equivalence in university degrees. (Excuse me the nurse says it's time for my medicine).

Seriously though, why not? I suspect it is because the senior officials want to be different thereby keeping things more involved and maintaining their positions!

[Particle Physics]

Yes, good isea. ANd why not have standard sized wheel nuts on all cars, and a standard size cheque that fits a standard sized envelope. Cards which work across all different ATMs and EFTPOS terminals throughout the world A standard sizing for shoes would be good and equivalence in university degrees. (Excuse me the nurse says it's time for my medicine).

Seriously though, why not? I suspect it is because the senior officials want to be different thereby keeping things more involved and maintaining their positions!

Yep, divide and conquer. If they have a monopoly, why give it up?

If they did, a lot of players could grow up on standard size tables. Cloth and cushions would differ of course, but at least we'd be playing on table dimensions used at tournaments. There is a post complaining of snooker dying on TSF. The tournaments are so far removed from a club experience. This is one way in which we can relate the two together. I know of a club/pub that has a new Riley's table and its middle bags are tighter than on tv. There is no way you can screw the pink in on that table, she just won't take it, and we've all tried. Set against this, I've seen big bags on old tables at Rileys, so that's just a potting exercise really.

Some folk think snooker tables come as 12' x 6' standard, but this is only half the story. We already have standard balls, so why not a standard pocket for those balls? There needs to be a middle ground where a standard is devised for all manufacturers. Keep it simple.

[pottr]

My table plays fairly tight.

The corner pockets are all three and a quarter inches wide across the slate fall and the middle pockets are three and a half.

[nrage]

Is anything stopping someone with a star table from buying some light tracing paper and a soft pencil and making some templates for the slate openings (slate height) and pocket openings (top of cushion height). You'd only have to do one corner pocket and one middle pocket. Then trace them onto some cardboard, scan them into a PDF, and we'd have some templates to compare tables with. If you don't have a scanner, send me the card and I'll scan it and send you a PDF.

[Deepscrew]

The middle pockets on the STAR tables at SWSA are the tightest i have ever played. By far.

As a previous poster says, from the black spot it looks almost invisible!

[vmax4steve]

Wouldn't it be simpler for all the orgs to agree one template, and from then on, all manufacturers could make all tables to that template? So then, a club player could relate more to a match table on tv (in terms of tightness of pockets?)

My suspicion is that the WPBSA don't want to reveal that their templates allow for bigger pockets making the pro game easier than we are led to believe. I am also suspicious that the WSC table pockets at the televised stage are even bigger again to allow the BBC to indulge their fanaticism with century breaks rather than with the game of snooker itself.

[Terry Davidson]

I agree with vmax here. I've played on the tables at the SWSA and they are tighter than my own which was set up to WPBSA template size, and the difference is amazing at the corner pockets and astounding at the middle pockets.

My IBSF templates show an extra 1/8" or so on EACH side and also the fall of my slates is more into the table than the IBSF template allows.

I think the reasoning is like this...in every high break there are always shots to the middle pocket which will have to be played at pace to get position. I think the WPBSA has intentionally made the middle pockets slightly easier in order to give the pros a better chance to continue a break.

In saying this I also think for the corner pockets the fact that the pros are always on a brand-new cloth makes those pockets APPEAR easy and in fact they are with the newer and more slick cloths but they are not really loose.

But when Dennis Taylor comments that the tables on TV are much tighter than your average club table I'm thinking to myself 'BOLLOCKS Dennis'! I know with worn and slow cloths on club tables there might be a few clubs with larger pockets but in general most club tables will not play as well as the tables the pros use.

However, that said...I think one big way to regenerate interest in snooker is to have club owners/managers widen the pockets on most of their tables so the average player can pot balls a little easier. This seems to be the draw with US 9-Ball besides the smaller table. A better player who has already learned how to pot and play position doesn't need to play on the big pocket tables (unless his confidence needs a boost!) and the owner can keep one or two templated tables for the better players.

For myself, I HATE tables done to the IBSF templates (mostly Wiraka tables as they make the templates for IBSF) since the middle bags are TIGHT! and attempting to continue a break using the pink at pace is a very tough shot

Terry

[Terry Davidson]

I do have mechanical drawings of the WPBSA, B&SCC and IBSF templates which I can email to anyone who wants them although I'll have to find them on this computer first. I did email out a bunch about a year ago to different people

Terry

[philip in china]

Yes, please Terry some time when you find them. It is absolutely not urgent. You have my email.

I do have mechanical drawings of the WPBSA, B&SCC and IBSF templates which I can email to anyone who wants them although I'll have to find them on this computer first. I did email out a bunch about a year ago to different people

Terry

[Geoff Large]

I think many are missing the point about these templates , they are all for STEEL BLOCK CUSHIONS not standard cushions , you can only use them as a guide for standard cushions , there have over the years been many billiard table manufacturers , some of those older tables the woodwork is even in the way of the template , I find it very frustrating as a billiard fitter that there are three differant type of templates .

Rileys used the Billiards & snooker control Council template and was the one used for many years , you could not buy a set but had to rent them out from the B&SCC for around £200 a year , they sent out a renewal dated disc much like a tax disc for a Car to fasten on the template , even BCE used them , then all of a sudden the templates where changed , and getting hold of a new set ,, NOT some paper copy is impossible . WHY ?

I still use my set of B&SCC set That I inhereted from my uncles old firm back in the 1980s , if people want the star temlates then you have to call in the star franchise fitters to get the work done , I am still after a copy set made up from a paper copy , I have another older set of B&SCC templates which I can rejig Down to star size .

If anyone can help me out with these paper templates I would be most thankfull
to c.large@btinternet.com

[philip in china]

I have just thought. At the school we have a laser cutter which will cut through fairly heavy acrylic sheet- like upto maybe 10mm. If anybody has a scanned image of the templates I can just put it into the computer attached to the cutter and turn them out until the cows come home!