Tables

I was very interested in the article by Peter Wide (BQR. No18. P22) on billiard table dimensions. I find it amazing that tables should vary so much and assume that this may be partly due to slates now coming from Italy instead of Wales. However, I also assume that good billiard players, who can adjust their game to suit a wide throw of the cue ball, would have no trouble in playing on either Imperial or Metric tables. Particularly if the player is a top-of-the-table expert, cannons and pots not being influenced by table dimensions.

I have to admit that after playing league snooker for 20 years my only interest in the table was the green bit on the top! At the start of a match I could quickly establish the approximate weight of the cloth and the speed of the table; whether the pockets were undercut, whether or not a ball could be banged in up the cushions or had to be rolled. In those days these particulars of the playing surface was all that interested me.

Then, the late Herbert Beetham introduced me to billiards, and my whole world changed.

First of all I had to re-learn how to strike the cue ball. No more the rather heavy below-centre striking; much more smoothly, following through further, and usually striking slightly above centre. Snooker is all about cue ball control whilst billiards is far more about object ball control and so pace and, "Touch," become so much more important. My next stage was to get as much practice and gain as much experience as I could into as short a time as possible - things I should have been doing when much younger. I came to the unavoidable conclusion that I needed my own table, and so for the first time began to look at table with an eye to what was below the green baize. What things there are to consider. Was the depth of the side runners 12 inches or 10 inches. Were they 2-5 inches wide or 1-5 inches wide? Did the table have one, two, or three intermediate runners under the slates. What was the thickness of the slate? Did I know that Welsh slate is much heavier than Italian slate at the same thickness? Was I aware that Oak is heavier than Mahogany, but that old African Mahogany is much heavier that modern Brazilian Mahogany? It seems that the heavier the table the better. Round legs or square legs, fluted or carved? What would be the best weight of cloth to have? Should I have steel block cushions or wood blocks. Northern Rubber Co best grade rubbers or Norland Grade, or Taiwanese imitations? Choosing a billiards table for your home is not such an easy job and a lot of the above characteristics are not readily determined by the amateur buyer. So go to one of the top companies, one that manufactures tables, or re-conditions them to look as good as new. Or go to your local billiards firm, who, though they may not have the facilities of the big boys, will have the knowledge, experience, and craftsmen, whose advice is invaluable in making your decision. It is there that you can learn how the playing characteristics of a table are determined by cutting rubber by hand, using steel templates, putting on and stretching cloths, and all those other tricks of the trade that make a table what it is. Is there any wonder that tables can vary so much in their playing characteristics. And all this without even considering the effects of temperature and humidity on the timber and the cloth. We begin to realise that whether or not a table is Imperial or Metric, slight differences in the playing area, are probably the least significant features when considering the playing characteristics of any particular table compared with any other.

I hope readers may find these few thoughts of some interest. Now back to the table in an attempt to improve cue action, pots with side, cannons, touch, and all those other fascinating aspects of the game. An attempt to improve which I hope will one day result in that magical century break.