OT: anybody ever move a pool table?

Do ya really gotta move it? Reason? Get a pro who knows how! Ken.

Yes.. Actually the guy who bought ours had a professional do it and I watched... If its worth anything, you might want to do the same..

If not, the side molding is basically stapled on. Remove the staples, pull the side molding, remove the fabric, and from there you should be able to find the bolts holding it all together and remove them.. Be careful not to gouge ANYTHING. Probably end up with a top and 4 separate legs. Two people can easily move the top and you carry the legs out individually..

I suspect you can do it, but like anything you're doing for the first time -- make sure you have plenty of time... And if you have actual assembly instructions -- even better.

Just my 2 cents.

__________________ Note: To reply, replace the word 'spam' embedded in return address with 'mail'. N37.3 W122.0

I have a new table that will eventually get installed in the new house we're building. What A.P. described is the reverse of how it gets assembled. He did good!

Yep, they are heavy, especially if they're 1" thick slate. Each of the three sections of slate for ours weigh well in excess of 100 pounds.

Harold

I've done it a couple times -- easy to disassemble and move; takes a little more skill to set up.

Without knowing how yours goes together, it's hard to offer details, but here's the gist, as I recall:

If your table has a ball-return, that comes off first.

Remove the rails. You may have to remove the pockets first, or they might come off with the rails. They may also be attached to the table or frame; it depends on your model.

Pull the staples to remove the felt from the tabletop.

Remove the slates and their leveling shims from the frame. There are probably three slates, bolted to the frame. Together, they're heavy, but individually they are pretty easily handled by two men. Each slate is probably laminated to a backer (e.g., particle board). Don't try to take that apart.

Also, mark the slates, if they are not already marked, and make a note of which one goes where: head, middle, foot. The rail at the head of the table usually has the manufacturer's name or logo; the foot usually has the spot (on the felt). Sometimes the spot gets put at the head, for example, when crew doesn't check with the owner before assembling, or when the owner changes his mind later.

Remove the frame from the legs if necessary. You might be able to move the frame-and-leg assembly without taking it apart.

Transport it to the new location.

Set up the legs and frame. Make sure they are solid (no rocking), square, flat, and level, in that order. Shim under the feet with masonite, fine- tune with playing cards.

Install and level the slates. Use a sensitive level. A 12" machinist's level is perfect for the job. Again, the playing cards really help with fine-tuning.

Fill the gaps between the slates with plaster of Paris. Fill any dings or divots in the slate while you're at it. Give it 15 minutes or half an hour to set and then sand flat. Fine drywall screen works great, or just use 120-grit sandpaper.

Now comes the hard part: re-installing the felt. It has to be stretched across the table, and because it was trimmed after its initial installation, there is not much material to get a grip on. A pair of pliers helps, but be careful not to tear the felt. Honestly, if the felt's more than a very few years old, consider replacing it. Stretch it tight and staple it with heavy-duty staples. I used a pneumatic stapler, but an electric one would do as well. The mechanical staplers, like the Arrow models, don't penetrate as well.

Reinstall the rails and pockets, and ball-return, if needed.

NOW, you can drink the beer. You'll need it.

Cheers!

Jim

I hate to perpetuate an off-topic posting, but even more I hate the thought of ruining a perfectly good pool table.

As the owner of a nice pool table with imported Italian slate, and having watched a team of professionals installing it in my home, I would strongly advise you not to attempt to move the table on your own.

The slate on your table is likely between 3/4 and 1" thick. It comes in either one giant piece that weighs aprox. 900lbs, or three sections which each weigh up to 300 lbs. But that is the easy part...

When you attempt to disassemble the slate from the frame, you can't simply loosen the bolts. Because of the way they are installed, this can actually release stress too quickly and crack an otherwise good piece of slate. Then you can throw the table away.

Even if you managed to disassemble the table successfully, you are then faced with the more daunting task of reassembly. Assuming the table is in three pieces, each has to be leveled perfectly. This process can only be handled by professionals. It even involves the use of a blowtorch and beeswax! (That is not an exaggeration.)

My advice to you is to contact a local billiards dealer and have them make the move. Be prepared to pay between $200-300. Such is the cost of owning a nice table.

An>

Having finished a seven month remodel project, I am ready to get my pool table. I am buying a neighbor's Olhaussen. He had it professionally installed, and he said that he wouldn't consider moving it himself. He is a contractor. He said there are just too many things that can mess it up, and if it messes up, they have to fix it or replace the broken parts. $300 for a guaranteed job isn't out of line when dealing with an expensive heavy table. AND, yours will have to come up steps, probably.

Mine is a straight haul through the front door over level ground. I am not saying that you couldn't do it yourself, and be successful. I'm just saying it would be risky, and if you mess up then you got several boat anchors.

Steve

I remember when they moved the 1923 Brunswick Balke 6x12' snooker table into the basement of the house I grew up in. I was about 9 then. I also remember when they came and took it out. Both times they had two BEEFY guys. The slate on that table was in *six* pieces, and the slate was well over 1" thick, I remember it as being 1-7/8" thick but might have it wrong. Anyway those 2x6' slabs were real seriously heavy and those buff guys were really grunting. Of course, one slip and they'd have cracked the slate, which would have been a showstopper mistake.

That table had absolutely massive underpinnings, like 6x6" beams of some heavy wood, all faced by rosewood. I bet that table weighed at least 800 pounds, maybe 1,500. I used to tell guys if they could lift one end of that table 2" off the floor they could have it. Many of them grunted but nobody ever got any air at all, not even you could slip a dime under it.

Setting up a slate table takes a pro. Period. It has to be level all ways or playing on it will be miserable. Each piece of slate is leveled individually while keeping it planar with all the others. This table was leveled by raising a corner with a car jack and slipping in playing cards. When they were done leveling they grouted all the pieces together. The rails came off with some kind of bolts that had a weird head, don't remember, but the guy's drill motor didn't have enough juice so I loaned him my 1/2" Milwaukee hole shooter and it had enough which pissed him off because I'd shown him up. After the rails came off (rubber with them) then the felt came up. I don't remember exactly how the felt was attached (stapled, maybe) but it certainly came up cleanly and was reused after both moves. It better be, because replacing that felt would not have been cheap.

I would not even dream of moving a slate table myself, and this is coming from a guy who moves machines all over the place. Find a big city that has an old-fashioned pool hall, call that pool hall, and ask them who can still move a slate table. Or, if you're buying it new, ask them. My dad paid $800 in the early 1960s to have it moved the first time, so it isn't cheap.

GWE

Years ago, I bought a used 4 X 8 pool table. Previous owner and I carried it up from his basement and hauled it home in his station wagon. We carried it in to my house and I took it from there, alone. When I sold it, the buyer and his friend took it without my assistance. All amateurs. No problems. Slates are heavy, so be aware of your limits, and go slow.

Now, I have a 5 X 10 snooker table. Custm made, dealer installed. Two guys strained on those slates. My eyesight is gone. Will sell.

If your table have stone-plate : Unscrew the 6 'bumpers' (or frame) ( i don't know what it's called in english :o) surrounding the edge of the plate . If your table is small the plate is 1 pice ,ready to be lifted out. Or some big tables use plates splitted in 2 or 3 parts : Then you need to ripp of (destroy) the green filt (to unscrew the splitted plates). The plate-screws may be found under some 'concrete' (used to plane the plates) Remove plate(s), tilt table 90 deg. and unscrew legs.

reg A.P.

What is the name brand and model of the table? What size is the playing surface? We need to determine if it is a 3 1/2' x 7' (bar box) table, a 4' x 8' table, or a 4 1/2' x 9' table. This will determine whether or not it has a one piece slate or a three piece slate. Having these questions answered will make it easier to proceed with any other instructions.

I can't find a nameplate anywhere.

Measured between the edges of the cusions, 45" by 89"

It has a ball return system. The slate seems to be 1" thick

By dissassemble, do you just mean it needs to be taken off it's legs? I have done one that way. It's not a great table anyways(ie. not slate) but it was still HEAVY. It can then be tipped on it's side and fit through a door way.

JW

Yes. Seems to be made like quality furniture out of hardwood bolted together. I can see a small area of slate way up there at one place. Where would a manufacturer put a plate with a model number? There oughta be one somewhere.

If you lay on the floor underneath the table, can you see the ball returns and the bottom of the slates or is it all enclosed in a cabinet?

I'll send him a recommendation to at least buy a book if he's getting a whole pool table for free, and I'll crawl under the thing and send you some pictures. Thanks!

Can you take a digital picture of it and email it to me at the address on my website?

I can guide you through the instructions, or you can buy the book at this address and have instructional pictures and the whole nine yards. You can even purchase technical support for the book. It will be a lot less time consuming if you buy the book, but I will help you if you don't.