Table maintenance

[bob1]

Thanks for the clarification regarding the pockets. I guess the owner has the right to do
whatever he wants with his tables.{Granted I wish the tables would be cleaned occasionally.}
The build on my house will be starting in the next month, with the hopefull finish in 3 months. I had contacted other table mech"s and they
all seem to use as a resource the person you suggest, even a person who has been
doing tables for 15 years has contacted your person in regards to advice.
When time comes I guess he will be the person.

[Terry Davidson]

Geoff:

The fitter who did my table has the nap on the side cushions running from baulk to top which I believe is correct. He has the top cushion nap running from green side to yellow side and the baulk cushion from yellow side to green side, which lines up with your right-handed theory.

Perhaps I stated it wrong originally.

Also, there's a seller on EBay.uk who is selling #10 bed cloths slightly used for one tournament and is supplying 6811 for the cushions. As you say this would not last as long as the 6811 or the Hainsworth although it might last a while on a private table. Not much good for a club though unless they have a resident pro and put it on the match table and restrict access to that table.

We get the 6811 here in Canada for about GBP230 depending on exchange rate (it's $430CDN) and that's what I put on my table. I have to admit I don't iron the table a lot, maybe every 2 weeks, however I do brush it lightly and block it every day and my basement is very dry so the speed has remained very good throughout the life of the cloth.

A damp room will kill the speed of a cloth of any weight and I normally recommend a de-humidifier to those people installing in a basement, which are normally a little damp. In my old house I had a nice Brunswick 8-leg table with leather pockets and before I put in the de-humidifier I used to get mold on the leather s the basement was very damp. I used to get a coup[le of quarts of water every few days out of the de-humidifier.

Terry

[Terry Davidson]

Bob1:

The table fitter is not to blame for those pockets. The pocket irons and leathers were ordered by the owner from the UK somewhere and he had the rails made by a woodworker somewhere in Canada who was copying the original rails.

Those tables are old Burroughs & Watts and I loaned the table fitter my IBSF templates, however the owner decided he wanted his pockets done to the WPBSA template size, which are a little more generous on the middle pockets than the IBSF pockets.

Terry

[Geoff Large]

Bob1:

Where are you in Canada? I can recommend an excellent table fitter who was trained by Riley in the UK and who doesn't charge an arm and a leg. He can get you the good rubber and the WOE 6811 cloth and he will put the rail cloths in the right direction as far as nap goes too (there's a specific way to do the cushions, with the nap running baulk to top cushion and the top runs towards the yellow side and the bottom cushion runs to the yellow side.

Terry

hi Terry , I would differ from youre description of covering end cushions to direction of yellow side of table , as a billiards fitter of over 30 years experience and trained by a fitter who was trained by ex riley Thurston/clare and burroughs and watts fitters , I was taught that the cushions are numbered 1 to 6 , 1 being baulk cushion and in a clock wise direction the numbers would be 1 2 3 4 5 6 , numbers 1 to 4 cushions are nap to left of cushion , number 5 and 6 is nap direction to right of cushion , the exception being burroughs and watts fitters who where trained to cover the end cushions in the same direction as 5 and 6.
And this is where some fitters argue in which direction the end cushions should follow , but if you think about it , most fitters are right handed and it is the body and minds direction to brush to the left of the body if right handed , try brushing the bed cloth from both sides and tell me which is most comfortable , you will find right handed people prefer the green side of the table to brush ( or iron ) as youre body is facing the direction of the brushing , change to yellow side of table and youre body is facing into the table if you still use youre right hand to brush , so that is why 1 to 4 is the prefered direction of those cushions , the side cushions have to follow the direction of the bed cloth nap , so no choice on 5 and 6 cushion these have to be covered to the right to be the correct method of recovering .
So I and most fitters would argue the case of the ex riley fitter who chose to recover the baulk and end cushion to the right towards the yellow .
UNLESS he is left handed , but that is no excuse because if the owner is right handed or the table cleaner is right handed , he has to contort his body bringing his right arm across the body in an unnatural pose to brush the end cushions .

Why burroughs and watts decided to cover baulk and spot cushions to the right is a mystery to me , some say they only did this on their steel cushions , but I have witnessed old tables with standard cushioned which have not been touched since burroughs and watts installed have the direction to right also on end cushions .
I think it is because one of their senior fitters at B&W was left handed , and instructed all fitters under his control to cover 1 and 4 to the right .
Or they where trying to be differant to other firms .

Now there where some firms in liverpool , who in the 1980s and 90s when table manufacture was at its peak , to save time and there BENCH fitters BRAIN , instructed all cushions to be covered nap to the left , one of these firms was Enbild.
When I recover a cushion , I note which number it is , and always put an arrow in pemament marker on the cushion tape covering the rubber to the direcrtion of nap , this avoids an accident of covering 5 or 6 to the left , which in my early days I often did

Bob the best rubber is Northern rubber made in Retford Nottinghamshire UK , the cloth to use is debatable as for what you want from wear and tear to fast or slow table .
No 10 is the profesional cloth made in the West of england , WOE 6811 tournement is slightly thicker and slower due to longer nap , Hainsworth Smart is the same quality as 6811 T , but has a finer nap and therfore plays a bit faster .
No 10 and hainsworth match will not last long , but 6811 and hainsworth smart has alonger life span , as for how long , its all down to use , if youre car is covering 10,000 miles a year , and youre friend is only doing 5,000 miles a year guess which will need new tyres first , it is the same with cloth , use the table every day or use it 3 times a week , the one being used every day will require a recover First .

[bob1]

Thanks for responding Terry:
I think I know the name of the person you are talking about. I don't need to mention his name. I believe he did the tables at Shooters for the Canadians. One concern I did see
with the snooker tables was the way the side pockets were done. It was like they got
the wrong size leather and just put it on. Then they used thin white tape to try and
cover the exposed iron, at least an inch on each side. I thought that was pretty poor
especially for the Canadian Championships. I do know that he had a helper who was
as you know in the Canadians, but I thought they did work together. That was the only
problem I noticed with the tables, but since I have zero training on preparing a table
there might be other problems although the cloth looked pretty good? By the way
do you know the age and make of these tables?

I am in the Toronto area, and hope at some point to get some coaching from someone,
like yourself, who has an open mind and a great interest in getting training from a variety
of people. You obviously have a true love for the sport. I would think all the costs you
have and seem to be putting into coaching /training seem to be as I said for the love
of the sport and not just to make money of coaching.
Thanks again for your advice.

[Terry Davidson]

Bob1:

Where are you in Canada? I can recommend an excellent table fitter who was trained by Riley in the UK and who doesn't charge an arm and a leg. He can get you the good rubber and the WOE 6811 cloth and he will put the rail cloths in the right direction as far as nap goes too (there's a specific way to do the cushions, with the nap running baulk to top cushion and the top runs towards the yellow side and the bottom cushion runs to the yellow side.

Terry

[bob1]

Thanks for the help!

[bongo]

Hi Bob,

The 'nap' on a snooker table cloth should ALWAYS run from baulk end to spot end (spot end is the 'black spot end'.)

I am not so sure about the cushions but I think the best is 'Northern Rubber'. The cloth is West of England (WoE) 6811 or WoE No.10.

[bob1]

Hi: New to this, what direction should the nap go in on a 6x12 table? I have a Westbury BCE professional that has iron rails. It has not been put together yet I also was wondering, when the
room is ready, the best new rubber to put on these rails and the best felt?
Any help appreciated.
p.s. I have heard the "best"?? cushions are GP German black rubber, and the cloth
West of England 8611 cloth?
Thanks again

[highbreak 8]

Thanks Barracuda , I had heavy night , i get it now .
ps i dont iron the tables , they wont let me near electricity and heat , and cloth so thanks for the tip ,slight angle slightly going over the previous line .

ps , Can the slightly white tramlines that have been left on our table be erradicated , it looks like a green zebra .

[barracuda911]

perhaps you shouldn't be ironing your cloth if you can't work it out?

the iron MUST be flat on the table, not on its edge!

instead of ironing the cloth with the iron parallel to the top and side cushions, just turn it a fraction, so its leading edge isn't going straight ahead like a bulldozer, but slightly angled. thats the secret to avoiding those 'tram lines'.
but the iron MUST be flat on the table, not tilted, like you mentioned.

[highbreak 8]

If the iron is at a slight angle, even though it is travelling parallel to the side cushion, of course from baulk to top, the side of the iron isn't parallel to the cushion, but at a slight angle, to stop the extreme edges of the iron going up the table, to cause 'tram lines'.

bongo

Thanks , ive had a long day and i am a bit thick tonight , do you mean tilt the iron slightly ,or iron the cloth at an angle , as i can't see how an edge of the iron would not be touching the cloth if it was leant to one side . I NEED A DRAWING .

[barracuda911]

i didn't mean brush a hole in it. lol
what i did mean was....if you are brushing the cloth and can't get simple chalk marks out, then you aren't applying enough brushing power.

[moglet]

Brushing won't get rid of all the chalk marks .

Hi, I would have to ask why you are getting so much in the way of persistent chalk marks on your table. Normal chalk dust shed from a shot is easily brushed off, usually only when you have got too deep on the cueball and the tip and cloth have met each other would you have some trouble removing the mark. It is best if you don't use any cleaning product because of the possible damage, even simple remedies in ignorance of the consequences can do damage, if you are patient most of these marks will disappear over a few days or weeks. Vigorous brushing?, mmm, can do damage too if the brush has hard bristles, "soft" as recommended safeguards the cloth quality.

[barracuda911]

You don't need a cloth spray, just a more vigorous brushing.