Snooker slate middle pockets

[chas6868]

Can anyone tell me if the cut in the slate fall in old b/watts tables from 1930/40 is any different than say 1980s upwards table.
Ie is it tighter.

[DeanH]

if you don't mind, I am going to move this thread to the Tables sub-forum; as I think the resident table fitters don't look around the whole site but just the sub-forums of their interest

[Derek P]

A fitter would be better answering this but I believe any table pre 1980 will have the old billiard cut middles hence can't take the pace of the powered blue centre bag it will pop back out or acute angle reds are often spat back out even if it's bang on the middle.

I know this cos I've been a member of some crap clubs, with cheap skate owners who still use them and have for the last 40 years not upgraded to a snooker table whilst still charging the clientele more expensive hourly rates.

[Geoff Large]

Depends there are many old slates with vertical drops and some with slanted drop
the same can be said for modern slates

some manufacturers made their middle drops so that it was more easy to fit cloths to makers like Karnehm and hillman did this

it is now the norm for a modern match table to have vertical drops to all pockets

this makes fitting some match cloths that have no give very hard to fit .
I even struggle on these type of falls .

from a fitters point of view they should be made to fit cloth more easy , from a players point of view they like vertical drops .

in comparison there are more slanted drop slates around than vertical .

[chas6868]

Its the circumference of the pocket cut on the slate I am talking about.
As they do tend to spit them out.

Possible the leather pocket bits are a different shape maybe

[Derek P]

I can't go billiard tables one of my pet hates destroys your middle bag game, lose confidence in the simplest of little stun shots and your cue action turns into some mad jabby jerk trying to fudge a ball into the middle while getting a reaction off the white with little to no pace which is nigh on impossible on a cheap carpet rug cloth. Some club owners should be taken out and shot for what they provide for paying customers they really annoy me with the bargain basement approach to snooker clubs.

[philip in china]

I just went into the snooker room and looked at my B & W table. They are not a straight drop.

Geoff thought my table was 1930s.

[Geoff Large]

I just went into the snooker room and looked at my B & W table. They are not a straight drop.

Geoff thought my table was 1930s.

did your table just have replacement modern Riley cushions or did it also have modern slates ?

think it was old slates with modern cushions but it was that long ago Phil , that I have forgot .

[philip in china]

Original slates plus new cushions. I suppose that that is about the best possible combination!

[Geoff Large]

Original slates plus new cushions. I suppose that that is about the best possible combination!

sure is Phil . good old welsh slate harder and more denser than italian Chinese or even Brazilain or Portugese slate .

[philip in china]

Still not got round to that new cloth, but I will be ordering it soon, probably this week.

The "slate" on my Chinese table, when I really was "Philip in China" was actually some reconstituted stuff. It did the job, but these old B & W slates are incomparable in terms of quality.

[chas6868]

All I want to know really is how to make these middle pockets easier.
In terms of jumping out the middles

[Geoff Large]

You could also rasp some of the slate away on the next re-cover for a more generous fall to accept the ball better .

[chas6868]

When the ball hits the back of the middle pocket it has a little hesitation before it goes down.

[chas6868]

My slates are original Welsh slates so I take it it is a very old b\watt table.
Just wondering is the diameter of the slate cut out in the middle pockets smaller than a modern table.