Pool Table Moving
Are you moving from one home to another?
Have you just found the used pool table of your
dreams and need it moved to your home?
Maybe you need your table moved from one room to
another room to have the flooring replaced.
Whether you are moving a pool table across the
room or across the country, NEVER MOVE A POOL TABLE BY PICKING IT UP. Most pool tables are not meant to be handled this way. At the
best, you will " pop the seam " between the 3 pieces of slate and the cue ball
will skip when it hits the seam. At worst, you will crack one of the slate
pieces, break an apron, or pull the rail hold down bolts right through the slate
.
The coin operated pool tables that you see in the
bars have one big piece of slate. These tables are made for commercial use and
can be moved by picking them up if you are only going across the room.
Disassembly
Before disassembling a pool table take a good look
at all the components. Disassembling a pool table is not really difficult
but everything should be marked with a magic marker so it can put it back
together again. It's easy, nowadays, to take some
pictures of the table with a digital camera.
Cloth
Check the cloth for any holes or cuts. If
the cloth has a hole or a cut it will need to be replaced. When the cloth is restretched
during reassembly, a small hole will become a large hole quickly. Also, if
the cloth has been stretched or installed twice it will need to be replaced.
The bed and rail cloth must be changed together. If not,
the colors won't match, and your pool table won't look right.
Slate
Carrying the slate is awkward and heavy.
Each piece of slate on an 8 foot table will weigh at least 150 pounds. Going up or down a set of stairs
is very hard. Inexperienced people carrying slate can get " out of sync "
easily and can get hurt.
The slate doesn't have to be crated if it is only
being moved a short distance but it
should be transported vertically. If the slate is moved horizontally make
sure that all the pieces are fully supported.
Reassembly
Putting the table back together is the hard part.
Assembling the frame and leveling the slate is tedious and time consuming but
must be done correctly for pool table to play right and not
"drift".
A precision level, not a carpenter's level, must
be used if the job is done right. Each of the 3 pieces of slate
must be leveled to the table and to each other. Time spent here is time
well spent.
Slate Seams
The seams between the 3 pieces of slate must be
filled so the ball does not bounce when it hits the joint. Slate joint wax
works the best. It is flexible and keeps the joint smooth.
Beeswax can also be used although it is quite soft.
Some installers use "bondo"
but the filler will have to be chipped out of the slate screw holes if the pool
table ever needs to be moved again. This can result in a broken piece of
slate.
DO NOT
USE DRYWALL COMPOUND. Drywall compound is not hard enough and will
chip when the ball hits it. Then there will be "floaters" under the
cloth.
Cloth Installation
First, make sure the cloth is right side up and
the nap is running head to foot. It sounds simple, but it is amazing how
many times this happens. When the cloth is restretched be careful
not to rip it. The older the cloth, the more likely it is to tear.
This is especially important when the cloth is being pulled into the pockets.
Most cloth is stapled onto the slate frame. A hand
stapler can be used to tone those "Popeye" forearms. An electric stapler is much
easier.
Some entry level pool tables do not have a wooden
frame to staple the cloth to. If your table is like that you must glue the
cloth to the slate. Please just glue around the edges of the table and be
careful not to get any overspray on the cloth.
Conclusion
Using a professional can save time, possible
injury, and may even be cheaper if something gets broken.
Billiards Plus will move your pool table the right
way. Our technicians have many years experience.
If you live in the Windsor to Chatham area your
pool table can be dismantled, moved, and reinstalled at another location.
We can also dismantle your table and crate the individual slate pieces for the moving
company.
We also offer short term storage for your table,
if you are moving homes and need the table taken down at one house and
reassembled later at your new home.
Our technicians know what to do so you don't have
to.
Stop in and let our
professional staff help you today.
Do you have a
question? Contact Us.
Telephone at
519-739-1822
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