Cabinets provide the overall look and style of the table. However, their main purpose is to provide a strong, solid, flat base to support the slate. Cabinets can be constructed thousands of different ways. For that reason we will only cover the basic V-shaped cabinet found on most tables.

Take a look under the table and inspect the corner brackets. The entire weight of the table rests on these brackets so it’s important they are strong. Corner brackets can be made of steel or wood. Steel is superior because every bracket is precision made the exact same way every time. This allows a perfect fit of the tables corners. Wood brackets are not always cut the same. Angles and size change because of blade thickness, sharpness, or simply how fast the wood was cut. Wood corner brackets can flex, bend and crack resulting in sagging and spreading of the cabinet.  Steel, on the other hand, provides you with unlimited anti-sag stability.

Now inspect the tables bracing. Most tables use cross braces but no center brace. A center brace makes for a more rigid cabinet allowing better anti-sag support for the slate. If a table does use a center brace inspect how it is attached to the cross braces. A center brace that is just butted up to the cross brace is useless and purely cosmetic. To provide the necessary strength the braces must interlock with each other. It is also best if the interlocked braces are screwed together, preferably using steel brackets.
Closely inspect the beams used in construction. Many tables use solid lumber for braces. However, high quality laminated beams make for a better support. Laminated beams are stronger and straighter than solid lumber. They are also warp free because the grains constantly fight each other for straightness. Solid lumber is more prone to warping and splitting causing the center of the table to sag.

Inspect the cabinet walls. Generally the thicker the wall the better, but beware a thick cabinet wall does not mean a well built table. Some manufactures use thick walls to compensate for poor construction. These walls provide support to the perimeter of the slate but not to the center. The game is not played on the perimeter, it is played in the center. So make sure the cabinet is properly braced.

Finally, the cabinet should be fully assembled by factory technicians prior to leaving the factory. This will ensure that all components are precision fit and inspected for permanent frame rigidity, flatness and maximum load bearing capacity.

The next component important to the stability of the table is the legs. Legs not only add aesthetic value but also must support the entire weight of the table. Most tables use either two pedestal legs or four solid carved individual legs.

Pedestal legs are found on contemporary style tables including low end imported tables, commercial tables and high end modern tables. They’re easily manufactured requiring no special tools. Pedestal legs can be made from any variety of materials including particle board, plywood, and solid wood. They can also be easily covered by any type of laminate including melimine, formica, metal, or even glass. Take a good look at tables that use pedestal legs to make sure they are built to withstand years of use.

Solid carved individual legs are found on most traditional style tables including high end antique quality heirloom tables. They’re manufactured using computer controlled or manually operated leg carving machines. Computer controlled leg carving machines make exact carves for a perfectly matched set of legs. Manual carving can be inconsistent, showing flaws between the legs. Either way the legs should be made from several laminations of stacked hardwoods to create one solid slab for maximum strength and stability.

Pool tables are available in a wide variety of stains and finishes to best complement your decor. In addition to beauty the finish must also protect the wood. A high quality finish will be impervious to water, alcohol, marking and scratching insuring that your investment will have long lasting beauty with minimal up keep. It is best if the pool table uses a name brand finish. Off brand finishes may fade, chip or deteriorate in time.

To protect and seal your pool table a water tight stain sealant should also be applied to the internal frame cabinet. This sealant creates a barrier lock assisting in hardening the outside finish coat as well as sealing and protecting the interior cabinet. Most manufacturers skip this step and leave the under side exposed to moisture that can enter the wood and cause it to split and crack.

Hardware is an often ignored yet very important aspect of a pool table. These brackets, screws, bolts, nuts, and washers are what hold the table together.

Quality hardware will be zinc plated or black anodized and Oil free so it won’t rust. It must also be grade “A” metal so the heads won’t strip allowing the hardware to be reused.

Inferior hardware can rust and come loose causing the table to wobble. It may also need to be replaced if the table is moved.

One interesting aspect of hardware are the rail washers. Rail bolts are typically 3/8” thick and slate holes are 1” wide. This is done to allow enough play to square the rails properly during installation. A washer is needed to prevent the 3/8” bolt head from sliding through the slate. Most pool tables use flat washers. Due to the 1” holes being covered these washers will warp allowing the bolt to come loose. A simple solution would be to add lock washers, but this doesn’t work. Since the holes are still 1” thick, the lock washers just push the flat washer through the hole. Leaving the rails to be retighten every 6 months.

Some companies have found a solution to this called domed lock washers. A dome lock washer is exactly what it sounds like. It’s domed for resistance against the bolt head. Plus it also has teeth that lock into the bolt head. Once a dome lock washer is tightened it will never come loose on it’s own, leaving the rails tightly secured to the table.

A quality pool table is an investment for you and your family, one that can be passed from generation to generation, or at least moved from one home to the next. Considering the mobility of Americans it is good to know your investment can be readily disassembled and relocated.

As you shop around, you will hear a lot about guarantee’s. To qualify a guarantee, you must first understand where the product is being manufactured and the credibility of the manufacturer. A guarantee can tell you a lot about the quality of the product you are buying.

If a manufacturer is cutting corners and knows that eventually the table will fail, the guarantee will be limited. But if a manufacturer has engineered the table to a higher standard, then that table will have a lifetime guarantee.

Most manufacturers provide a lifetime guarantee on slate but limit the guarantee on the table. Don’t be fooled by this and ask to see the written guarantee prior to buying the table. Find out if the guarantee is being honored by the dealer or the manufacturer. If it is honored by the manufacturer then find out where they are located. Will you have to ship parts to another state, or another country? If it is honored by the dealer, what happens if they go out of business?

Finally a guarantee is only as good as the manufacturer offering it. So a manufacturer that has been making tables for a year can’t accurately guarantee a table for 5 years. But a manufacturer that has been making tables for decades can accurately guarantee that the table is tried and true, and honor a lifetime guarantee.

A better deal will never be obtained if you buy the table at the local Quicky Mart. Always seek out a billiard professional. Department stores could save you a buck but at what cost? The bitterness of poor quality and service will linger long after the sweetness of low price fades.

Companies that use billiards as a sideline are just in it for a quick buck. Their only interest is making money. While a dedicated billiard shop is also here to make money, their primary business is you. To them billiards is not a sideline, it’s their livelihood.

The dealer you choose to buy your table from is very important. The best pool table you can buy is only as good as the people who assemble it. So make sure that the dealer is a BCA member committed to installing your table in accordance with the BCA regulations.

In many cases 60% of your table may not come from the manufacturer! Table manufacturers only make tables. They do not make pockets, cloth or slate. Table manufacturers buy these products from other companies to include with their completed tables. However, these products are available to dealers as well. Dealers will sometimes purchase only tables from the manufacturer and get pockets, cloth and slate elsewhere.

This can be a problem.

Sometimes a rail is manufactured to fit brand “A’s” pockets; but if the dealer has purchased brand “B’s” pockets, the pockets may not line up properly. Plus not all pockets are created equal. So be sure the dealer is using the recommended pocket brand and not a cheaper version of it.

There is no worry if cloth will fit the manufacturers table. Because cloth can fit on any table. The main concern here is that the dealer is not using an inferior grade of billiard cloth.

Because slate is extremely heavy it is extremely costly to ship. To cut corners dealers will often order tables from the manufacturer but obtain slate from a local vendor. This can cause problems since the manufacturer will only guarentee slate it has sold. In addition some companies have even tried to pass painted particle board off as slate by misspelling it “Slaat”. Don’t be caught by this. Buy from a reputable dealer.

Questions

01) Will the table adequately fit in to the room?
02) Does the table use a full profile K-66 cushion?
03) Does the cushion have a canvas back and control top?
04) Is the cushion natural gum rubber?
05) Does it sink or swim?
06) Is the rail at least 5.25” wide?
07) Is the rail cross laminated together?
08) Is the rail made of Hardwood or Softwood?
09) Does the rail use floating rail plates to mount to the slate?
10) Does the rail use diamond sights?
11) Are the blinds attached useing unexposed hardware?
12) Does the blind feel solid?
13) Are the pockets American made?
14) Do the pockets use die cast irons?
15) Is the pocket brand recommended by the manufacturer?
16) What blend of cloth is used?
17) What is the cloth weight?
18) Does a lot of light pass through the cloth?
19) Is it a full oversized slate table?
20) Do the rails bolt directly to the slate?
21) How thick is the slate?
22) Is the slate matched and registered?
23) Does the slate come from the table manufacturer?
24) Is the slate support frame mounted to the slate or the cabinet?
25) If mounted on the table is it a seamless frame?
26) What type of wood is used for the frame?
27) Does the table use steel corner brackets?
28) Does the table have a center brace as well as a cross brace?
29) Do the braces interlock or butt up to each other?
30) Are the beams solid lumber?
31) Is the table prebuilt at the factory?
32) Are the legs made of solid stacked hardwoods?
33) Can the legs adequately support the weight of the table?
34) Is the finish impervious to water, alcohol, marking and scratching?
35) What brand of finish is used?
36) Is the underside of the table sealed with a water tight stain sealant?
37) Is the hardware zinc plated or black anodized and Oil free?
38) Is the hardware grade “A” metal?
39) Are the rails fassened useing dome lock washers?
40) What is the table guarantee?
41) What is the slate guarantee?
42) Who handles the guarantee?
43) Where is the manufacturer located?
44) How long has the manufacturer been in business?
45) Are the dealer and manufacturer both BCA members?
46) Is it a billiard store, or is billiards a sideline?
47) How long has the dealer been in business?