Recovering My table

[KellyStick]

I will be recovering my table with Simonis soon. I like a fast table that you can control with the subtleties of stroke. Can't say I always get there but I like it nice and fast.

Anyway, I'm pretty much sold on simonis and so talking me outa that would be hard but I don't mind if you try. might learn something.

I have an 8' Olhausen Oak Gibraltar I think might be the name. Doesn't really matter...

What I need is a good procedure to cover the table. I have done it twice and have not achieved the speed I think I should get and I think it is due to loose cloth. Any advice about the proper procedure to apply the cloth would be wlecome. Mine is and has been stapled under the slate. This is a pain but that is how it was and is still done. I think tightness is critical but sequence is probably something I don't know about. I heard someone say they wet their cloth to apply it in order to get a shrinkage tighteness when it dries. This brings to mind any advice about the seems in the slate. I have used plaster of Paris but have all but decided that wax is the way to go.

I'll take advice about leveling and/or shimming the slate as well.

I planned to have the rails done by someone else but on the other hand if you can educate me on how to do it myself I would consider it, especially at the pockets where it wraps around the "titties". I recall that this was not a very fun part of this.

SO! Any advice at all is welcome. Paying someone to do it all is ok but I really already am aware of that option so suggesting it is not real helpful. I want it to be perfect by the way so I am willing to take the time, even though I am basically lazy, except about pool and some other things....

[wolfdancer]

I've been involved in recovering a few hundred tables....I did the grunt work, helping out one of the top mechanics in the country. I've also watched Ernesto Dominguez, another top mechanic (and pro player) recover tables, several times.
This doesn't make me any kind of expert...
I can tell you that I have never seen either guy ...wet the cloth...slate is porous, like wood...don't add water to the mix.
When they switched from the older cloth to Simonis...they found they had to stretch the Simonis more then the other. While you can buy a cloth stretcher tool, you can get away without one. Begin stapling at the center of one of the ends put a few staples in, and go to the other center end...pull very firm, get a good stretch, and staple again near the center...to finish the job you now need to add side to side stretch as well as lengthwise.
Nobody uses plaster of paris for the seams...Durhams Water putty is used to fill the slate holes....one guy used bee's wax for the seams ...but every so often you'll get a lump of wax stuck under the cloth....Ernesto uses Bondo, which makes sense if the table is not going to be torn down in the near future.
Doing the rails is another job where experience helps...you need to fold over the extra cloth, and cutting a slit at the right place also helps. Practice getting the cushion ends done with the used cloth that you remove..and check first to see how the last guy dressed up the ends...
Doing your own table is a labor of love...why worry about how fast you can do it? Good luck....maybe you can post photos of the finished project?

[scaramouche]

Simonis says:

Because untrained or unprofessional installers have difficulty installing Simonis cloth, Simonis recommends installation by professionally trained table mechanics only.

But if you must, /ccboard/images/graemlins/tongue.gif they have installation instructions for download

http://www.simoniscloth.com/Installation.htm

[KellyStick]

Thanks, that was what I was looking for. What I still miss is some feeling guidance on just how tight the cloth should be. It might be that the procedure sequence helps this a lot. In the past I have actually used pliers and such to real pull on it while someone else staples.

[BigRigTom]

<blockquote><font class="small">Quote scaramouche:</font><hr> Simonis says:

Because untrained or unprofessional installers have difficulty installing Simonis cloth, Simonis recommends installation by professionally trained table mechanics only.

But if you must, /ccboard/images/graemlins/tongue.gif they have installation instructions for download

http://www.simoniscloth.com/Installation.htm
<hr /></blockquote>

I too plan to cover my table in the 860.
I have the cloth already and have been titer tottering back and forth as to if I want to tackle it myself or pay someone to do it for me. I am leaning toward the pro installation but I honestly don't know anyone around here that you can depend on to do it really good for you. I have several friends who have had their tables covered by different mechanics and every one of them have complaints about the quality of workmanship. The pride in craft is a hard thing to find.......now the real reason for my post.....

It may only be me but I went to the above link and that page is nice but none of the links on that page worked for me....so I could not get into the "Installation Instructions" beyond the first page.

Anyone else having that problem.

[homepc]

I have recovered my table several times. This last time I did it with Simonis cloth. I didn't have any trouble with it. I am not a professional installer. My friend had his table done with Simonis cloth recently and hired someone to do it. The installer did say that it was hard to work with. He said that it took him an hour longer to install the cloth because it was Simonis. But again, I really didn't have any problems. I will do it again when its time.

[DeadCrab]

Doing the pockets (cutting wedges) requires a little arts and crafts handiwork. When you are doing the cushions, I recommend a couple of practice tries first. I used some of those red "shop towels" to practice cutting the flap for the cushion nose.

Good links for building/covering pool tables:

http://www.champbilliards.com/ (instructions)
http://www.mzanetti.ch/pooltable/Pages/Printed_version_pdf.pdf
http://www.calspas.com/billiards/manuals_bars_and_billiards.htm
http://www.refelting.com/cushions.htm