How Many Rails

[lesedwards]

Hi there I have a very old 5x10 Brunswick Snooker Table which I am contemplating changing the rubber. I know they have not been changed in over 30 years. I am starting to notice them getting hard close to the pockets and also when trying to make shape you have to give it a little extra because it seems to come off a little flat. But yet I still get 4 rails from end to end and 4-1/2 from side to side. Any help would be great. If I change them I am going with Northern Rubber.

[philip in china]

If you are getting 4 rails along the length but only 4-1/2 across then you definitely need new rubbers! This shows that the rubbers are absorbing a lot of the shock from the ball striking them. (If you are happy with that answer read no further).

Think of it like this. If you had a huge table- say 60' long and you cued a series of balls they would stop at more or less the same point. This would be decided by the speed of the cloth and your cue technique.

Now if you are using the cushions on a normal sized table and they were 100% efficient you would get the same travel out of the ball as on your 60' table. So if you got say 50' you would expect 3 rails plus a bit. Of course with 100% efficient cushions you would also get exactly the same distance going across the table.

100% cushions, of course, cannot exist. On the example you have given you are getting only half the distance and the difference is the amount the inelastic cushions are absorbing.

[lesedwards]

Hi Philip thanks for your reply. That's what I was looking for a straight forward answer. I figure I should get 6 rails what do you think?

[philip in china]

Too many imponderables! It depends on your cue power, speed of the cloth and even the make and condition of the cue ball.