Pool Table Slate Crates

Ever wonder what it looks like to have some pool table slate crates built? Below you will see some pictures of that. Slate crates aren't a very difficult thing to make. They do take time in all the measurements, time in cutting all the pieces and time actually assembling them. Keywords being time.
When we build pool table slate crates, we always start with the border. Making a square perimeter around the slate, we measure and then cut the border pieces. Pine is the most affordable material to use and typically a 3x1 will do. You will just need a ton of it. Do all your pre-measuring first though so you don't have much waste and you don't buy more than you need.
The next thing is the corner areas. There are a few ways to do this. Our preferred method is to attach the corner areas over the top of the border and then one side will be packed with shock material to give it spring and allow some flexible movement.
Lastly, all you need to do is cut pieces that will hold the slate in. Typically, you will do one side over the border then lay the slate into the half crate. After that, you will seal the other sides corners and fit that sides middle pieces. We do it in a way that both sides will have end and middle shock points filled with a secret ingredient.
There you go! Slate crates! Wouldn't it be easier to just have Big Break Billiards do it?

Setting Up A Used Olhausen Pool Table

  Normally, it is a pleasure setting up an Olhausen pool table. When they are past 10 years of age, we sometimes fret though. Not that it's a terrible table, ok maybe in a way it is because they are ALL made out of particle board and laminate frames, but we know that there have been numerous billiard technicians that have worked on this table and it is probably going to need some extra attention.
  This particular Olhausen pool table went together relatively well. Some of the legs were beginning to crack and also some of the slate screws needed filliing, but overall it wasn't in too bad a shape for the age. It was the cloth that had been destroyed and moved so many times it was nearly impossible to reuse it.
  The pool table recover was recommended to the customer, however, they elected to not have new pool table cloth put on. This presented a problem because the billiard technicians that previously installed the cloth, trimmed the pocket cuts so that the customer HAD to buy new cloth. But hey who are we to complain. You will see some pictures below of how it came out with what we had to work with. The customer was shown and was very happy that half of the pool table cloth wasn't even stapled on in places in the pockets. As long as they are happy though Big Break Billiards is happy too. Just remember when we recommend something like this to be replaced it isn't to make more money off you. It's to get your pool table back to a playing condition. Professional player or not, it's still a precision game.

Yet Another Happy Pool Table Customer

Ben and Derek,

I wanted to thank you both for the awesome work on the legacy table.  The new cloth plays great and the pockets are just right.

Thank you,

Aaron

Big Pool Table Projects | Busy Billiard Week

This week, and this month, is, and has been, such a busy time for Big Break Billiards. We have shipped arcade games to the east coast, beer pong tables to New York, and now a pool table to Texas! One top of all of that there are some big pool table projects to have done by the time we move our store at the end of March.

We are doing a couple of improvements to a used Legacy pool table that we had sold to a customer. He requested that we recover the 8ft pool table in Simonis pool table cloth, add a backing to the slate, and also triple face the rails to tighten up the pockets.

Then there is all this billiard service work needing to be done starting with a 9 foot Connelly Ventana pool table that needs some help with new Tour Edition pool table cloth and Tour Edition cushions. The table also needed minor logo work done with re-attachment and also a good polish on it. More to come with this.
There is also a 9 foot Europa pool table sitting in our store that needs a good deal of work done as well. New cushions, new cloth, re-tap the rail inserts, and new hardware.

Lastly we need to crate, palletize and ship off an old Vitalie pool table to get it to Texas.
So much to do, so little time to do it. Did we mention that we have to recover an entire bar and then move a whole different bar here soon? That is almost another 30 tables to mess with. It should be exciting.

World of Leisure Makes Such a Bad Pool Table

  As typical, we hate having to work on, move or service any World of Leisure pool table. These tables are just complete wastes of money. However, what are we going to do? Tell the customer that and insult them? Not likely. What is even worse is the shady billiard company that sells and installs these pool tables. Look at this for reference:

Really Colorado Billiards? BC Billiards? or Mattress Billiards Direct? or whatever the hell bankrupt company name you are using these days. There was absoluetely nothing you could have done to prevent this from happening huh? Nothing? Really? This company is the bottom of the barrel. Maybe that is why they price war and under value their service work. Maybe that is why they continue to go bankrupt and change their name. Maybe. Not to mention the slate seams were just terrible, the level was way off, and every slate screw was stripped out. Good luck getting any service warranty from these dudes. Goodness. Get what you pay for though:

Well another of their customer that is now ours! So lets talk about what Big Break Billiards did for him.
This was another standard, in the city, pool table move. The table is a 7 foot size and was a laminate and press board made import. It had half inch thick slate and it was unframed.
Everything went smooth for the pool table dismantling portion. Naturally, we had to fix some of the issues wrong with it and we also recommended a pool table recover due to the pool table cloth situation in it's current form. The customer chose a forest green color cloth and ok'ed the recover. Any hour later we had an extrememly happy young pool table owning family! Thanks guys! Now it's more level than the pros play on!

Proline Billiards Pool Table

     Yesterday, we had the pleasure of moving a relatively decent Proline pool table. While it was easy to service and held a decent level; there were some construction problems with it as well. Overall, it was a fantastic pool table for the customer and the issues were none other than manufacturing problems we personally didn't care for.

     The move was long. Louisville to Lyons then back to the shop. The pool table dismantle went smooth and we had a very easy walk out to the truck. The pool table was a tapered leg post style design which meant it's legs went from the ground to the slate. The frame consisted of 4 side panels and there was a barrage of individual cross members and center I-beam pieces. Brazilian slate was attached to this model and it was also covered in an 860 Simonis pool table cloth. It was a darker mahogany finish and had shield pockets.
    
     Setting up the pool table was extrememly easy as well. This was to be expected though as just about any American made pool table is. Hardware is key to almost any table and it had great hardware. There wasn't really much to complain about. But hey, we are the best so naturally we will find something either on the technical side or the manufacturing side to pick apart.

     So the problems? Well first off the pool table frame, legs etc. were made from a pressed poplar. Really Proline? What irriates us with stateside billiard table manufacturers is that they try and produce a pool table to compete with the low priced import junk. What this means is you get a severly overpriced product that is inferior in quality. It is only more expensive. Proline, Olhausen and a couple other small timers are doing this and completely destroying their name in the process. Connelly Billiards, for example, still produces a domestic hardwood table that doesn't compromise it's quality. They do make laminate and veneers but these are tables that are specific to that and Connelly doesn't try and sell something as a hardwood that really isn't like the Proline's and Olhausen's out there. Watch out!
     Installation wise, the previous billiard technician wasn't too impressive. Loosely pulled on the Simonis billiard fabric which is a no no. Didn't properly fill the neccessary slate screw holes on the playing surface. Just a matter of attention to detail. Since we at Big Break Billiards hold ourselves to such high standards we normally tell the competition that if they want to be the man, well then, they have to beat the man. That man is Big Break Billiards!
     Problems solved and customer happy with an awesome in home pool table for him. Feel free to get free advice from us at info@homeandbilliards.com
     Pictures of table and job:

Used Connelly Ventana Pool Table.

     Yesterday we picked up a really old Connelly Ventana pool table for a customer. This poor pool table looked like it had gotten into a bar fight. Come to find out it had actually been in a bar before this customer had bought it a few years back. So it was nice to see that the visual abuse that the table underwent was due to poor customer care in the bar it was in.

     The rails looked as if the stain and finish was almost completely rubbed off. The leg trim was broken and needed reattaching. The pool table pockets, well, the pockets just were no longer there and needless to say he had gotten some new ones for it. The pool table cloth was thrashed and not very well taken care of thus needing replacement. Due to the great amount of direct sunlight and lack of pool table cover, the pool table cushions were rock hard and needed replacement.

     All these things that made this table look so terrible and probably play even worse, but that isn't what upset us going into this job. The billiard technician, or should I say slate monkey, that worked on this table did more internal damage to it than the customer ever could have to the exterior.

     Firstly, the rail bolts had been half replace by bolts that were entirely too long and need extra washers to shorten them. Not only that but the "other bolts" used had a much bigger head size to them. After further inspection we noticed that they were the kind of rail bolts that one would use on a cheap crummy import pool table. He is lucky that the billiard installer didn't slip up even more while tightening these bolts and push one up through the pool table rail and crack it altogether. Lucky.

     Next were the pocket screws. Not only were there all sorts of different sizes involved, but they were all extremely loose. This is just unacceptable and there is no reason they should be like this. Again, this could have caused the rails to have been cracked while putting them on or taking them off.

     Then, the cloth. Goodness. What can we really say about this? First off it was only half on there. Really? You staple only half of the bed cloth on and then blindly staple the pockets to a point that creates bubbles and wrinkles? Guess there is a reason this guy is no longer in business. This part was so irritating I can't even continue to talk about the cloth.

     Next was the worst part of all. This pool table installer actually cause the slate and entire pool table to become so undervalued with what had been done next that it is disgusting. Instead of having the proper knowledge on how to fill stripped screws to make them grab the frame again he actually went around the slate, drilled new holes all over the place and then put in tiny wood screws to use for leveling. Come on dude! He did this everywhere too. So instead of using the proper slate screws that are almost triple the length and thickness he thought it better to drill new holes and use an inferior WOOD screw. Keyword there being wood not slate screw. Bad pool table technician. The thing now needs additional work because of this guys stupidity.

     Lastly, well, that just about sums it all up really. Overall the guy was terrible and actually cost this customer more money just to get this pool table to a point it can be played on again. Remember, you get what you pay for. Saving a small amount of money now could mean loads more money down the road.

     Same name, better quality and the most experience with the trade. This is why our customers are loyal and choose Big Break Billiards over the cheap guys. Get it done right with us. It's your break, make it big!