Pool table installation part 10 stretching the felt mpeg2video

[merc45]

im doing my 3 piece slate right now, been watching your videos thanks, i do not have 'wood' to staple to, got to use spray glue, i have to figure how to do that

[snakeclaw]

@merc45 my table did not have wood either, and the spray option seemed terrible as i was not confident i can get the tension i needed to have a fast table. soo...if you look at all my vids, you'll see that i glued a bunch of 3/4" mdf board with gorilla glue to the back of the my slate.  i had home depot rip the mdf into strips for me. i had to trim it to fit. i used the whole 4x8 sheet to add mass which was a really good thing to do. filled the legs with pebbles too. good luck!

[merc45]

@snakeclaw Thanks, I got it all done, i used the spray glue,  super 77 adhesive by 3M, I pulled with about as much as i felt comftorable with, the table plays pretty well, balls roll real well.... im happy that its done, the longest part was getting the seams smooth, did the bes wax about 15 times.

[snakeclaw]

@merc45 hey, cool. maybe the spray glue will work. my table had the felt sprayed on the perimeter when i bought it and the balls could barely roll, but maybe the felt was old and fuzzy and wasn't tensioned properly. glad its working for you though.

[Phatbiker1]

@snakeclaw 

[Phatbiker1]

@merc45 You can use Durham's water putty to do the seems, there is a video on Youtube that shows how to use it.

[merc45]

@snakeclaw thanks man, yeah it seems all good. I did notice after I tightened down the bumpers it seemed that the slate may have gotten a little bit out of level with the next slate over, I can feel it if I check VERY closely, does not look like it affected game play, I am not running a tourney here so its fine.

[Phatbiker1]

@snakeclaw I'm about to recloth my table. I have taken it apart and put it back together several times over the years, used the spray glue and had no problems. It's like contact cement, you have to let it get tacky first so you can stretch the cloth and have it stay in place. Now after 25 years it needs new cloth on the bed and rails, I will use the old ones as a rough pattern.

[snakeclaw]

@Phatbiker1 i can only comment on what i have experience with. if spray glue works for you then its great. i wasn't confident enough that it would tension my cloth well enough so i opted out from doing that. i also wanted more mass to my slate so the idea of adding another 75 lbs to my slate was appealing. best of luck. cheers.

[alphacapo]

most Guys love the glue, it allows them to do tables quickly when you set up 150 tables for state/nationals you dont have time to dick around...done properly their is no difference between the glue and the staples, except the glue when you have an extra hand goes many times faster. I stretch the piss out of my cloth when i do it every year. better safe than sorry....lots of humidity and weather in IL summers Loose cloth sucks.

[snakeclaw]

@alphacapo sounds like you have more experience than myself with the glue. on all the tables i've seen that had glue, the action was terrible. it was like shooting through mud. maybe you have a better technique or better glue. well, whatever works. and yes, loose cloth is about the worst thing ever.

[alphacapo]

i like your videos, i happend to stumble on it, But IMO your not stretching that cloth enuff....Tour Edition is very stretchey...you really need to STRETCH it, with two hands puling as hard as you can while another guy staples or smooths over glue, i mi be rong but i dont see how you got that table stretched tight at all, with one hand and a pair of fancy pliers?

[snakeclaw]

@alphacapo good point. with regular installations, you pull that felt on the corners real tight with both your hands and some body weight. these canvas pliers have a pry-lip on the back side and can generate quite a bit of leverage if used properly. the cloth was actually too tight when i was done and it started to tear on 3 of the corner pockets. i like it tight, though, and it plays fast. its hard to communicate how well these pliers work until you actually use them. cheers.

[MrRjturner]

Can I ask, are you stapling directly into the slate (stupid question Im sure), or is there a wood piece. Really appreciate your response,

[snakeclaw]

there are no stupid questions, just stupid people! LOL.

but really, here is your answer. my slate did not come with a backer board. when i bought it off craigslist, the felt was wrapped around the edge of the slate and held in place with spray adhesive. it was VERY lame.

I had home depot cut a 4x8' sheet of mdf 3/4" into strips and i glued it onto the back of the slate. i stappled into that. slate wont allow staples

i have another video showing this. search my videos and you'll find it.

[syco262]

I'm no expert but couldn't you just turn the staple gun upside down with the first method of stetching???

[snakeclaw]

i guess i could, but what a pain that would be. my arms dont twist like that very well.