Billiards Articles

Interested in how to make a pool table? The project will typically will run into 70-80 hours and leave you poorer by about $1500

But building a billiard or pool table can be a most rewarding weekend past time for the casual wood working hobbyist. The internet is replete with How To articles and tips to build a pool table in detail.

Once you put your heart into it, those weekends can result in a beautiful hand-crafted pool table that can equal or surpass commercial tables costing twice as much.

First thing’s first

You must have a plan of action. And it pays to have a blueprint or construction diagram to guide you in building your pool table. Check out some pool table brochures as well as visiting sports stores that have pool tables. Acquaint yourself with its typical designs and of course there are drawings on the internet you can also look into.

Size matters
Make sure you have adequate room to put your pool table. Unless you just plan to build one for show or eventually for sale. A pool table has a standard length of 8 feet with the slate typically measuring 95” long by 51” wide. The first rule is to have at least 5 feet of clearance from each side of the table to allow your player enough room to maneuver his shots.

The Slate
Remember the pool table is nothing without the Slate. That’s a slab of solid material covered with some felt material over which you play the game. There are pre-fabricated slates with holes already drilled. Getting one right at the start can save you time and effort as well as the calculations on those holes. Because the pool table’s construction revolves around it, make sure to have the slate before proceeding with any table construction.

The Tools and the Wood
Pool table building requires no specials tools that a furniture wood worker doesn’t already have. And needless to say, unless you have some excellent grounding on furniture making at home, attempting to build a pool table might tax you more than you bargain for. Better practice on simpler furniture first.

It’s determining the kind of wood that can make or break a good pool table. The harder the wood the better it becomes. But that means the skill needed to shape one into a pool table gets harder as well. Hardwood like Hickory and Oak are best suited for the project.

Gluing two types of hardwood ply can also be just as sturdy and may even be cheaper for the table legs. A ¾” thick hardwood glued to a ¾” oak plywood is a great option for the table legs and body.

The Table Body and Legs

Construction of the table body to support the slate and hold the sub rails for the side and corner pockets comprise the main chore of the project. Just like the slate, the sub rails are also available pre-fabricated.

You just have to ensure that the dimensions of the body cabinet can accommodate those rails. As mentioned earlier, there are internet sites that basically spoon feeds you with the details to undertake this project with tips on how to drill and angle the pocket holes, installing the rails, making beam support for the slate and make body finishing trims.

It’s really one hell of a construction project for the hobbyist wood worker at home. Skill and experience will definitely make the effort a rewarding one provided you start things right the first time around.

Recommended Resources

1. I’d recommend you read these step by step instructions by Justin Grant on how to make a pool table. Very informative: http://www.ucs.louisiana.edu/~dph2591/building-a-pool-table.html

Now lets practically check out how the pros do it..Below are videos from Eagle Lake Woodworking Company showing you how they build their pool tables

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

[tags]billiard table, pool tables[/tags]

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