All About Pool Tables

Pool tables have remained the same fundamentally in appearance and construction for many years. Though the methods for manufacturing them have changed over time, the only major variation that has developed is between English and American tables. Despite the lack of structural change however, there have been big changes in the materials, the accuracy of construction and the quality of the components which have helped produce generations of skilled pool, snooker and billiards players across the world.

Pool has become the most popular game from the ‘billiards’ family. There are two main groups of games within this family: ‘Carom Billiards’ and ‘Pocket Billiards’. Carom billiards is a game played on a table with no pockets, and Pocket Billiards encompasses any game played on a billiards table with pockets, including pool, snooker, bar billiards and anything in between.

This was the beginning of the game we know today, and cemented the design of pool tables. A pool table is constructed of three main parts:

1. Base Frame: the main body of the table, comprising of the cabinet and legs. If the table is coin-operated the mechanism will be inserted into this part
2. Slate Bed: a large piece (or for bigger tables several pieces) of ground slate which forms the playing surface of the pool table
3. Rail Assembly: the cushions, pockets, gully boots and table top are all form the rail assembly

Modern technology means that we can now factor in many things which our pool predecessors could not. These include the wood used to build the table, how the slate is ground to achieve the most level surface, the wool used in the cloth, the quality of cushion rubber and even the materials the balls are made from. The World Pool-Billiard Association (W.P.A.), and in England the English Pool Association (E.P.A.) have stringent standards which must be met for competitions.

The base frame of pool tables is normally constructed from a hard wood (such as Oak or Mahogany) to provide a solid base for the slate bed to rest on. The cabinet is usually made from four panels, inner supports and held firm by the four legs. Traditionally legs were hand carved or ‘turned’ using a lathe, though this design is now more predominantly featured on snooker tables. A lot of modern manufacturers produce tables built from MDF instead. While this reduces the cost of the tables (many are sold into the domestic market, rather than clubs/pubs) this cheaper wood does not have the long life of a solid hardwood pool table.

The slate beds are now all machine ground, and many are exported from Italy. The quality of the slate itself, and the tools used to grind it are key to producing a flat playing surface. The tiniest variations is surface height can affect the movement of the balls and therefore the player’s enjoyment of the game. Most slates are now diamond ground to ensure a smooth, high quality finish. In the UK there is at least one company using laser measurement, who claim to be able to improve the surface even further. As with the base frame, modern manufacturers have produced cheaper tables with MDF beds for the domestic market. These tables do not have the long life of a slate bed, which is unaffected by humidity or temperature, and can be prone to warping or breaking if they are not properly cared for.

The rail assembly is made up of a number of different components. The wooden ‘rails’ are typically made from the same hard wood as the table, and often feature details in a complimentary metal such as brass, copper or chrome. These metal details are finishing parts such as ‘corner bosses’, angle spots or trim. Modern cushions are made predominantly from Northern Rubber (or similar). The cushions themselves comprise of the rubber inner section, which is covered by the cloth, and a ‘block’ which they are attached to. On pool tables the cushion blocks are wood, however on competition snooker tables the blocks are made from steel to provide greater ‘response’ from the cushions.

The inner parts of the pockets (gully boots, pocket itself, ball return etc) are typically constructed from hard plastic or hardened rubber. Hardened rubber is the preferred choice, as it both reduces noise when balls are potted and minimises wear to the surface of the balls are they move through the table.

The cloth is one of the last things to go on the pool table, and is also one of the most important. Modern cloth is typically 100% wool, and there are two main types:

1. Worsted or Speedball Cloth (used mainly on American pool tables)

2. Napped or Directional Cloth (used mainly on English pool tables)

The difference between the two is the ‘nap’, the direction the thread all ‘points’. If you imagine stroking a dog, all it’s fur grows in the same direction. Stroking against the dogs fur is harder than with it, and this principle applies to playing on napped cloth. The nap runs from the baulk end (the end you place the cue ball at to break at the start of a game) of the table down.

Worsted cloth gives a faster game, because there is less resistance from the cloth. American pool tables range from 7 – 9 feet (9ft being the official competition size), and have larger balls, so the worsted cloth provides a much better game. English pool tables range from 6 – 8 feet (7ft being the official competition size) and have smaller balls, so napped the game dynamic is quite different.

Finally, the construction of the balls also affects play, and now that you know the fundamentals of pool tables it is important to understand the effect balls have upon them. Most modern pool balls range in size from 1” ½ to 2” ½ and the weight varies depending on the size. They are typically constructed from a polymer resin, and come in two different varieties:

1. English League Balls (7 red, 7 yellows, 1 black ball and a cue ball)
2. American League Balls (7 spots numbered 1-7, 7 stripes numbered 9-15, 1 black number 8, 1 cue ball)

The most famous name in billiard balls is a Belgian company called Aramith. They make the official snooker tournament balls and pool tournament balls, as well as many others. Aramith make their billiard balls from a phenolic resin to produce much harder, higher quality balls. This reduces friction wear on the cloth (striking a cue ball can accelerate it from 0 – 30mph in a matter of seconds) because the surface is smoother, and also improves play. The weighting of a set of billiard balls is extremely important as well, to ensure that they all behave the same when struck, thus ensuring a fair game.

That is what all this development is for – a perfectly finished pool table and a perfectly finished set of pool balls provides you with the environment for the perfect game of pool.

Now all you need is a bit of practice…