Whats wrong with my pool table and how do I fix it?
7/29/2008 7:59:39 PM
Whats wrong with my pool table and how do I fix it?
Hi. I bought a Brunswick 7 ft table about a year ago. It's at a little vacation cabin so it's been used very little.
I was playing the other day when I noticed I could hear a strange sound while playing. When examining the table I noticed that at one end, where the middle slab meets the end slab, there's a ridge. In other words, the two pieces don't fit together flat. If I roll a ball across the table you can hear when it rolls across that ridge.
It's not noticeable just through site. But if you run your finger tips along the table you can certainly feel it. And if you roll a ball very, very slowly at it, it will actually stop the ball and make it go backwards. The felt is also showing the first signs of wear from the ball rolling across the ridge.
As I said, the table is not quite a year old and been played only a few times. I'm going to go and talk with the store that we purchased it from and who also installed it. But I have zero knowledge about tables. Can anyone help? Is this problem common? Is it their fault? What needs to be done to fix it, and should they take care of it or will we have to pay for it?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Whats wrong with my pool table and how do I fix it?
Replies & Comments
Fenwick on 7/30/2008 12:00:45 AM
I'm going to hazard a guess, or 3. First, settling. Perhaps the floor, the table or both. Next guess humidity, warping? I hope not. Then the heat and or cold caused something to warp or contract and or expand; again I hope it did not warp. " a little vacation cabin" is the tell. No heat during the cold and no cooling during the heat when unoccupied? Worst or best case scenario you end up paying a small charge to reset the table? I hope it's a slate table and the repairs are covered under warranty.
gary on 7/30/2008 12:41:56 AM
Thanks Fenwick. Though it's a vacation cabin we keep the temp pretty moderate. Doesn't get below 60 or above 80. No extremes. And it is a slate table.
I don't mind paying to have it reset for a valid reason. I just can't come up with one. I'm afraid it was installed that way and I simply didn't notice and now I'll have to pay for their mistake.
quickshot on 7/30/2008 9:56:19 AMIs there a possibility that some one other than you was at the cabin and tried to move the table around. If so, the moving may have cracked or loosened the cement that was used to seal and smooth the slate lines. On a way out thought, was the table perfectly leveled to begin with?
No, no one else uses the table. I'm 99 percent sure no one's done anything to the table without my knowledge.
Was it level to begin with? That's the question and I don't have an answer. I wish I knew more about pool tables when I bought it. I was so excited and didn't check to make sure there were no problems. I'm thinking that the problem was there from the beginning but I didn't notice it. So it looks like I'm out of luck and will have to pay for the repair. Thanks for the advice.
- quickshot on 7/31/2008 11:41:46 AM
I'd go back to the store and the installer. A year is not a long time especially since it has little play time. If you think they are giving you a hard time contact Brunswick. Sometimes the answer is under the unturned stone.
Good luck.
Mitch Alsup on 8/8/2008 4:22:48 PM
My guess is that the plaster that hides the joint has come "unglued" (pun intended).
This is going to require the pool table to be disassembled, including taking the rails and pockets off, so the felt can be unpinned and the joints accessed.
Getting to the issue is the hard part, fixing it is not hard. You just need some pool plaster or glue, wait for it to dry, and sand lightly to eliminate any bulge.
Before you put cloth back on the pool table, roll some balls around and make sure the slate pieces are as flat as you can get them. Its surprising how much easier it is to see roll with the felt off. Anyways, adjust the shims so that the bed is absolutely dead flat.
The original cloth you removed can be reused and the table reassembled.
About twice a year, 3 of us used to redo the pool table at the Frat house in about 3 hours total time including felt, level, and occasional cushions. That was 35 years ago so the names of the products have changed. The time we rebuilt the cushions we also rebuilt the wooden frame backings on the slate (look the table was built in 1903) and it took a couple of days before the table was back in use.
Make sure the cushions are tight and the pockets spaced evenly and you will be good to go.
Did it get fixed?
Whats wrong with my pool table and how do I fix it?
- Title: Whats wrong with my pool table and how do I fix it?
- Author: gary
- Published: 7/29/2008 7:59:39 PM
