table

• drawing lines on the cloth
• how to clean and maintain
• humidity effects
• pocket sizes
• "speed" of the cloth
• standard table and room sizes

drawing lines on the cloth

How can I draw lines on the cloth for lining up practice shots or for marking the rack location?

from Billy_Bob:

I put lines on my table for practice by using a construction chalk line. You pull the line out of the spool, pull the line tight between the two points, then snap it. Then I vacuum up the excess dust. For example I place a line diagonal from corner pocket to corner pcoket. Then can practice progressive straight in shots and align the balls exactly straight on the line.

Also I use "tailor's chalk" which you can get at a fabric store or a sewing store. They use this to mark hems on pants legs for how high they should be. It is white and triangular shaped with sharp edges. I use this to mark where the rack goes on the table for quicker racking - commonly done with 14.1 (straight pool). Again this leaves "particles" on the table after marking, so I vacuum after marking the table.

from Deeman (concerning the head string line):

They use a pen with white ink. You can get one at a crafts store. The white pen does seem to be the best choice for permanent lines although i have the standard black ones.

how to clean and maintain

What's the safest and most effective way to clean a table's cloth?

Here's a good resource for table maintenance: www.fgbradleys.com/et_table_maint.html

from Fran Crimi:

Two things you don't want to see happen to your cloth regardless of it's type, are stretching and breaking too many fibers which result in fuzziness.

Vacuums with a hard pull will stretch the cloth. Rotating brushes will obviously break more fibers than non-rotating brushes. If I were you, I'd get rid of the rotating brushes and use a fine brush on a vacuum with a light pull. Then move the vacuum in one direction down table...and this has nothing to do with the cloth being directional or non-directional. This is about breaking the least amount of fibers as possible. Don't go back and forth like you're vacuuming your carpet.

When you're done with that, run a slightly damp cloth in one direction down the length of the table, always towards the foot rail, and let it air dry. No blow dryers. Vacuum as infrequently as you can. The more often you do it, the more fibers you'll break. Simonis 860 should not be even slightly fuzzy, unless you're breaking the fibers.

What should I do to keep my table in good condition?

from RSB_FAQ:

1. Keep the table clean - cover it when not in use; don't let food or drink near it; keep junk off the rails. Let everyone know that the table is to be treated with respect and care, then be sure and follow your own advice.
2. Avoid using talc. Also, do not chalk your cue over the table, or place the chalk upside-down [open-side down?] on the rails.
3. Brush your table regularly (after each session is not too often), and clean the rails with a damp cloth.
4. Vacuum the table at least every few weeks with a dust buster type. Avoid using a vacuum cleaner with rotating brushes unless you have worsted wool cloth, like Simonis or Granito. Also, if you have a non-worsted or directional cloth, always brush or vacuum the cloth in the same direction, usually head to foot. Vacuum the table brush itself to remove the chalk dust.
5. At least once a month, use a damp lint free towel to wipe down the cloth. Some prefer instead to mist the cloth with a water and then brush it.
6. Wash the balls regularly, at least with water, or maybe mild soap and water.
7. If you want to practice jump or masse shots, get a little extra square of cloth to put under the cueball, or you may leave little white marks all over the table.
8. Don't let people sit on the rails - it will cause the cushions to come loose.

humidity effects

How does an increase in humidity affect how a table plays?

With more humid conditions, the following changes occur:

1. The cloth plays slower (because of increased rolling resistance) .
2. English "takes" more on the rails (i.e., the ball "bites" more due to increased friction).
3. Draw shots are more difficult due to increased "drag" (due to the cloth playing "stickier" with increased sliding friction).
4. Banks go "shorter" (due to more friction and CB hop).
5. The CB hops off the rails more (and this delays post rebound curve, making the effective bank angle even shorter).
6. The pockets play "tighter" because rebound is "shorter" (and rail-induced spin "takes" more) off the pocket walls.
7. The balls can throw more, and there can be more cling/skid (because the balls tend to get more dirty and hold chalk residue more).
8. Swerve happens sooner so squerve (the combined effects of squirt and swerve) will be less.

pocket sizes

Are there standards for the sizes of the pockets on different tables?

There are standard sizes (and other geomtric specs), and they can be found on the WPA equipment specifications page. An illustration of the different parameters can be found in TP 3.5. However, not all tables are made the same. Rails and pockets can vary significantly from one manufacturer to the next. The side pockets are usually larger than the corner pockets, especially on larger tables; however, on many coin operated "bar boxes," the opposite is often true. Pockets are also sometimes "shimmed" to make the openings smaller to make the table play "tougher."

For more information about pockets, see:

http://billiards.colostate.edu/threads/pocket.html

"speed" of the cloth

What is the "speed" of the cloth, and how do you measure it?

Joe Waldron has a good article on this topic, with other resources, here:

http://www.sunburstselect.com/PBReview/Stimpmeter1.htm

Related information concerning the effects of coth "speed" on draw and drag shots can be found here.

standard table and room sizes

What are the standard table sizes, and how large of a room is required for each?

from RSB_FAQ:

The minimum space for a table is the playing area plus the length of a cue (58") plus about 6 inches for the back swing, more for comfort, on each side. This gives the table:

"Seven foot" tables vary in size. Work down from the 8' dimensions. "8+" is an "oversized" 8-foot table.

If your room does not meet these minimum size requirements, many billiard retailers will suggest that you can still put a table in, and use short cues (52", or 48"). Many people have found they are unhappy having to resort to shorter cues, and should have either gotten a smaller table, or no table at all. Others, of course, take the opposite view -- they are delighted to have any table.

In the end, only you will know whether you are happy with the room dimensions and need for short cues. Before you spend $2000 for a table that will cause you to smash the walls in frustration, try this:
(1) Find an indulgent pool hall when it's not busy. (2) Measure your space (at home) carefully, including the distance from the table to all walls that require a special cue (3) Go to the pool hall with a piece
or pieces of plywood or some such, and a short cue, and set up the "walls" to replicate where the walls would be in your house. Play for several hours, using the short cue when needed.

Between two tables you can do with about the length of a cue, the limit is caused not by the cue, but by the player being able to go into his stance between the tables. Deluxe rooms really need more room on all sides to let possible passers-by move without bumping into the players.