pooltableguys.ws/PoolTableOpenForum&rss null's blog en-us Sat, 21 Dec 2024 16:03:51 UTC Sat, 21 Dec 2024 16:03:51 UTC http://pooltableguys.ws/PoolTableOpenForum&p=F359DEB3A96922D7E040010AAB0148AF  Hello spring, love living in this part of the world.  I keep hearing my clients talk about the fact that they are not professional pool players. You do not have to be a professional pool player own a quality for a reasonable price. This is a resent job I did. This table was manufactured in Asian, so note the quality and workmanship, and the reason I prefer North American made pool tables. My favorite pool table manufacture is Olhausen. First issue is that staple boards used are inconsistent in thickness resulting in unevenness (not sure if that is a word) when leveling. Second, the wood used is difficult to insert staples resulting in possible cloth detachment. Third, these boards consistently become detached resulting in re-gluing, which cost more money and sometimes added time depending if the customer wants to wait for the glue to properly set. In most cases when I re-glue these boards, I set the slate shortly after, hoping the glue sticks. This is not my first choice for this repair as yes the table goes together until you take it apart and have to do the same fix. The best choice is to replace the boards with press board. Press board gives a consistent thickness and stronger staple attachment. This choice does come with a price, down time as the repair need to be completed, material cost and labour. Overall, if you can find a pool table that does not use this system, you will be farther ahead.    I find the that most buyers go for looks without looking under the hood. The reason for this is that they really do not understand or know what they should be looking for. I have always said all my answers are free, all you have to do is ask. As much as I want your business, I would rather have you understand what you are getting then get something you will not appreciate down the road.    Anyway, do yourself a favor and ask the questions. You do not know what you do not know, so it is okay to ask.      2015-05-11 10:56:47 http://pooltableguys.ws/PoolTableOpenForum&p=E0384442FD935F7AE040010AAB016124   What a wonderful fall so far. Yeah I know it rains a lot in the Lower Mainland, however, this year has been unreal. Great weather, NHL hockey is back, Christmas is around the corner, what more can we ask for. So I was recently speaking with a guy who had purchased a new Asian made table. I was somewhat shocked by what he told me, yet not surprised one bit. He mentioned to me that his new table started to sag in the middle. I asked him where he purchase the table and he told me, (not going to mention who, does not really matter). He spoke to the seller/installer and said, "Yeah, I can fix that." In all my years working on pool tables, I have never come across a North American made table have that issue. The problem is that most Asian made tables are not engineered as strong as the North American made tables. Yeah the price looks good, in fact the table even looks good, however, open the hood and it could be a whole different look. Take a look at this Asian made pool table frame. Note the end frame rail is about 3/8" hire then the side frame rails, yet the bottom of both pieces line up with the top or the leg. When you look at this pool table once it is together, all you will see is how the leg and frame pieces come together. To level this pool tables correctly one has to add shims between the slate and top of the frame. This takes away strength and stability, which over time can become loose and will need to be adjusted down the road. It may not seem like a big deal, however, this job cost the home owner more money as it takes longer to adjust the slate and level the table. So that cheaper pool table does not always cost less. The point to my blog is do some research on the purchase before you buy it. Ask questions, if someone in the industry does not want to answer your questions, think about, is this the company I want to hire to sell/install my table. I answer all questions whether you hire my services or not. As I mentioned in a previous blog, the most common statement people make is, "We are not professional players." Yet if I do not have a table leveled properly, I get called back to fix the issue. If your not a professional player, why call me back? Because you still want you, your family and friends to enjoy playing pool. You may not be a professional chef, yet if your new gas stove top is not installed and adjusted right and it takes 30 minutes to warm a pan to fry and egg, your calling that installer back to fix the issue. Anyway enough of the lesson. Contact me if you have any questions regarding anything about pool tables, if I do not know the answer, I will find it. Enjoy our beautiful fall season. 2013-11-13 20:10:11 http://pooltableguys.ws/PoolTableOpenForum&p=D8659C26E7CCB250E040010AAB015CD6 Wow, what a great summer in Vancouver. Okay, lets get to the helpful hints and why you should call a professional. I recently moved a once beautiful pool table for a family who originally moved the table themselves. Here's why it was once in perfect shape. Before they attempted to move the table, there was nothing wrong with the table. They removed the legs, tipped it on it's side and move the table from one house to another. Most of you are thinking, perfect, well guess what, snap. Both side aprons one the ground side broke. 700 plus pounds of table was just a little too much weight for this 1/2" thick finished with a brass inlay piece of wood. Now does this happen all the time, no, just most of the time. The savings of moving the table without the assistance of a professional was about $300.00, the cost to replace those 2 apron pieces about $350.00, net savings a loss of about $50.00, or glue the broken pieces. On the resale of this table, someone notices the broken or missing pieces, net loss value to the table about $400.00 to someone buying it or a total loss as they would not be interested in buying it, so potentially you could lose over $400.00 or more depending on the current market situation.   Bottom line folks, is it worth it to take the chance to move it yourself, short term maybe, long term no way.   2013-08-29 12:54:15 http://pooltableguys.ws/PoolTableOpenForum&p=D8659B308BD6B250E040010AAB015CD6 Hi all,   It is obvious that I am not a big blogger.  I hope that those who do drop by are able to get something from my blogs. Well Spring is over and Summer is here.  Not that the rain is any indication of Summer.  I have picked up a couple of things since the last time I blogged.  Mostly, people look at price and looks versus quality, construction, and healthy stains.  They generally do not know the difference between Boston and Snooker pockets until it is too late.  So, hopefully we can clear the air to assist your decision making process. Boston pockets have a larger opening then Snooker.  Boston pockets us 2 ¼” balls versus 2 1/16”, (2 1/8” usually in the US).  The bigger the pockets and balls the easier it is to pot the balls.  In other words, the game becomes more fun for inexperience player’s especially younger players.  The smaller the pockets and balls, the more accurate and gentle you need to be when potting the ball.  Now I keep hearing; “We are not professional players.” This is usually said by those who see a pool table for less money, which in their minds justifies the purchase.  However, from experience, I know that in a very short time, those same people stop playing regularly because the games take too long and are frustrating. So, unless you are really looking to improve your play and get ready for tournaments, then I would highly recommend purchasing pool tables based on Boston style pocket versus price. Now, Asian made tables are hot items.  Why?  Well for the retailer, then pick them up cheaper and sell them for similar prices, which for them is great because their profit margin is greater.  Great business for them and the Asian manufacture.  However, most Asian tables are just not the same quality as North American made tables.  I for one try as much as possible to support North American manufactures, we need to.  An example of some of the quality issues are, poor stain, not enough stain layers, wood not cured correctly, frames, legs and cross supports not engineered for strength, hence making the table wobble, frames tops not planned accurately hence having to raise the slate with far too many shims, different pieces of slate, which, yes does make flushing the seems challenging, the staple board thickness inconsistent, thus making leveling challenging, type of wood used for the staple board too porous making tight cloth installation challenging, and the worst one I have seen is new tables freshly out of the box with mold due to the table stain not being able to cure properly. Yes, I work on these tables, because I am a pool table mechanic; however, if you ask for my opinion, look for North American manufacture pool tables.  It may take longer to find one, but in the long run, healthier, safer, and more durable for years to come. Hope you enjoyed my little rant, always looking for comments and questions.   Joey   2013-06-20 15:33:17 http://pooltableguys.ws/PoolTableOpenForum&p=CB17DED26C054229E040010AAB01454E Looking at my last post, I just realize how long it has been since I last posted.  Wow time flies. I have worked on many tables lately, and I will say that there have been some surprises to the new owners.  The Rubber surprise.  The rubber surprise is the surprise of finding out that the rubber on the rails of the pool table you just purchased are bad. Now you have a dilemma.  I want new cloth, but the rubber is gone, okay just replace the cloth and save the money because we are not pro’s.  My suggestion is replace the rubber and cloth at the same time or wait until you can afford to do both.  Yes I am closing the door to making some money, yet to be honest, I would rather you wait.  It is like painting a rusty car without repairing the rust first. I love making money, but its bad karma to make it the wrong way.  Be magnanimous! I find that many people when looking for a pool table feel that they know what they are looking for and know how to get a great deal, yet I come across many people that have purchase a used table and paid way too much for the condition of the table.  Be smart and ask a professional.  It cannot hurt to ask the questions.  It the professional does not get back to you or does not give you answers, questions his/her ethics. The other thing I want to caution you on is pool table mechanics that say they are the best, guys that say that x-famous person or company picked me to work on their table, as I am the best, guys that say they are professional pool players so they know how to work on tables.  Well guess what, I know how to drive a car, yet ask me how to change the engine, I would not know the first thing to do other then calling a mechanic. Here are the facts about this business, most of the service company’s charge roughly around the same price for service work.  Most of the time, appointments are booked not on price, but on how that person feels when making that service request.  I have book many jobs where I am have priced higher or lower and got the job on how the person felt about talking to me.  In addition, I am sure that I have lost some jobs because of the same reasons. Therefore, the moral of the story is, there are a few of us out there, some good, some not, go with your gut or first feeling.  If it does not feel right, take the time to shop around, it will be worth it. As always, all my answers are free, I give you my opinion based on my years of experience in the business.  It is my opinion, which I hope helps you make your own decision.   Good luck, have a safe and joyous Holiday season.   Joey 2012-12-05 21:47:33 http://pooltableguys.ws/PoolTableOpenForum&p=C64AA1B3080A6B95E040010AAB01644C Hey all, Been a while since I last wrote. New to the blogging thing. Just moved shops, still organizing the bigger space. Just want to let you all know that if you are selling or buying a used table some heplful points to consider.   Selling - Put the playing surface size of the table in your ad, this is the most important measuerment for establishing rooms in relation to cue size. Put the manufacture name. Include good pictures, more then one if you can from different angles. If you do not want alot of calls that will take up your time, the more info and pictures you can include, the less lookieloos you will have. Say the that the pool table hardly ever gets used is not alwasy a good thing to include in your ad. The rubber needs playing as this is what moves the oil particales in the rubber keeping the rubber young. The longer you do not use the table the quicker the rubber dries out and becomes unplayable.    Buyers - I always suggest North American made tables as I am more comfortable with the quality of workmanship and health of the stains and curing of the tables. Know the size of your room before you start to look. You can go to http://www.pooltableguys.ws/roomsizetips  to get an idea of room size to relationship of your future pool table. You can also go to http://www.pooltableguys.ws/helpfulhints to get some helpful hints on other things to consider when buying a pool table. As always all my answers are free. I believe in education so that you make the right decision the first time. Whether you hire me or one of my collegues to do the work, the bottom line is for you to have enough information to make the right decision and not get caught with extra expenses because you did not ask the right pool table questions.    Enjoy!   Joey 2012-08-02 10:30:59 http://pooltableguys.ws/PoolTableOpenForum&p=B60A3455111C07C9E040A8C0AC0078E4 Hi, welcome to my first ever blog. I hope that this forum is educational and satisfing. As a pool table mechanic, I am amazed at how many people do not use my free education service before making that decision regarding pool tables. Yes I am a salesman of sorts, with a twist of course. My goal is to educate you as best I can so you can make the best decision on pooltables. You can use this forum or ask me a question(s) at http://www.pooltableguys.ws/questionform  All my answers are free. Now just because you ask the question, this does not mean that you have to hire or order product from me, (I hope you do if you are in British Columbia, Canada), however, my true goal is to educate you so that you can make the best decision. Here is an example of someone who did not use my service. They hired me to move a used pool table that they had purchase. They thought that the pool table they purchase just needed to be moved. The cloth was in okay condition, which in this case I was able to save to be used again when I installed the pool table at their house. However, the rubber rails (or cushions as some call them) were shot. This means that they do not react the way they should. The rubber was hard as a rock. If they wanted to play this table properly, and keep interest in playing, the rails would need to be replaced. Of course they were not expecting this expense, plus the cloth would have to be replaced on top of it. Now that great deal for their pool table just lost a huge amount of value. The point to the story is, if you know what to look for, you can better negotiate the purchase price and get fair market value. Anyways, I hope that this blog will help those out there in cyberspace. It should be fun learning about blogs and getting to learn from you as well.   Joey at www.pooltableguys.ws   2012-01-16 10:26:31