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DIY table advice?

Postby AndyBlack

Hey guys, I'm new here!
Name's Andy

I'm coming back home next month and I plan to reorganize my garage and install a snooker table.
I'd like to make a DIY one, huh. So, any advice is appreciated.
I looked up some ideas on Pinterest here (https://www.pinterest.com.au/supercapit ... ool-table/)
and read some ""beginner"" articles like this https://justcraftingaround.com/diy-pool-table/ and this (http://recroompick.com/how-to-measure-pool-table/)
still got many questions about the materials and sizes.

I've only played in bars, and I'm not a professional player. Neither a woodworker. Still, I'd like to at least try.

So, waiting for your feedback. Maybe someone had such an experience?

Re: DIY table advice?

Postby Prop

Hi Andy, welcome to the forum :-)

My first thought was “why build one, when you can buy one?” Maybe you like the idea of a project, and you are handy with tools and engineering. This would make sense in terms of it being something fun to do if you had plenty of time to spare and plenty of engineering skill (not to mention all the tools needed). There would be no financial value in building your own, even if you did have the time and the skills. But, then you go on to say you have no woodworking skills. So really there’s no point. Unless of course your idea of a fun project is making a complete hash of things, spending money on materials that turns out were wrong or you didn’t need, and generally spending hours and hours getting frustrated and disillusioned with something you’re completely out of your depth with (and I’m not being presumptuous about your ability here, more speaking from personal experience!)

A few other things to note, to actually play snooker or pool properly (regardless of who made the table) you need about 6 feet space on each side of the table. So for a pub-style pool table, you need a space measuring around 15ft x 18ft. For a full size snooker table, 18ft x 24ft. I’m not sure how big your garage is, but it’s something to consider.

If you’re dead set on getting a table in your garage, measure the space you’ve got first. This will give you an idea of what size table to go for, or if it’s even viable.

If there’s room, and you do still fancy a project, I would suggest hunting down a table in need of repair or restoration. The key thing here is that the tricky bits (made even more tricky by having no woodworking skills) are already in place. Things like dimensions, cushion height, and so on. See it as a template. A blueprint. There may still be some mild woodworking required, but crucially you won’t be starting from a conceptual stage.

You can look at getting new rubbers, a high quality cloth, refinishing the legs and sides in a nice varnish. The list goes on.

It goes without saying; if you can find a table that was originally built to a high standard (regardless of its current condition) you’re more likely to get a better final result. And it’ll probably be much more fulfilling. There’s something special about the idea of rescuing a 1923 slate bed Riley 6x4, but not so much an Argos £79.99 chipboard bed special that was a piece of sh*t when it left the factory.

Something like this would make a good candidate:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Old-Slate-Sn ... 890.l49286


Good luck <ok>

Re: DIY table advice?

Postby acesinc

Fantastic post, Prop! I agree with every word, especially, "There would be no financial value in building your own, even if you did have the time and the skills."

In case the OP does indeed end up building/re-building a table that is of, shall we say, an "unusual" size, there is always the question of how do you figure out where all the spots belong? Everyone already knows I am a bit of a Rules geek, and everyone also ought to know that I am something a maths geek. But the Rules ONLY define spot placement for a standard table; there is no guidance for unusual sizes.

Fortunately, maths to the rescue! When the spots, "D", and Baulk Line were originally laid out on the table, their sizes and positions were all based on surprisingly simple ratios. No one seems to realize this today and I find it disappointing that there is nothing in the Rules about it. Those simple ratios (some of them are obvious, others not so obvious) are as follows:

Obviously, there are the four spots down the centerline halfway between the faces of the two side cushions. Ratio: 1 to 2

The Center Spot (Blue Spot) is midway between the faces of the Baulk cushion and the Black cushion. Ratio: 1 to 2

The "D" is has a diameter exactly one-third of the Baulk line. Ratio: 1 to 3

The Pyramid Spot (Pink Spot) measured from the face of the Black cushion is exactly one-fourth the length of the table surface measured between the faces of the Baulk cushion and the Black cushion. Ratio: 1 to 4

The Baulk line measured from the face of the Baulk cushion is exactly one-fifth the length of the table surface measured between the faces of the Baulk cushion and the Black cushion. Ratio: 1 to 5

The distance from Brown Spot to either Yellow or Green Spot is one-sixth the length of the Baulk line. Ratio: 1 to 6

No other perfect ratios for a while, until we get to:

The Spot (Black Spot) is exactly one-eleventh(!) the distance measured between the faces of the Baulk cushion and the Black cushion. Ratio: 1 to 11




So if the only "snooker" you may have available must be played on a smaller table surface normally used for pool, you can use these ratios to mark your table accordingly.

Good luck with your project, Andy!

Re: DIY table advice?

Postby Running side

Welcome to the island Andy,as already said by prop more than likely going to be disappointed with self build. A friend attempted same project

Re: DIY table advice?

Postby Prop

Good info there, Aces <ok>