subject: The Basics Of The Pool Tables Understood [print this page] A pool table is a six-pocket billiards table on which pool is played. Pool tables provide a flat surface for competitors to play on.
Pool tables are usually made of quarried slate. The surface is then covered with cloth, surrounded by rubber side cushions, and then placed on top of four legs.
The earliest known pool table was given to Louis XI of France. The game rapidly grew in popularity and spread throughout France and into other areas of Europe.
Throughout Europe furniture makers started working hard to fill the demand for building pool tables. Eventually, some started specializing in just making billiards tables.
John Thurston, an English table maker, made big changes in the functionality of our modern pool tables. He had been building and testing different materials to improve pool tables since 1826.
By 1840, due to his innovations pool table beds started to be made of slate, the same high quality material most pool tables are made out of today.
John Thurston continued to experiment with pool tables to find the best side cushions. He tried various materials such as hair, shredded fabric, and feathers to stuff the cushions.
As a result, in 1835, he introduced rubber cushions to the sides of the pool table. The rubber cushions were not initially a success.
Depending on the temperature the material would change. As a result, John Thurston attempted to market cushion warmers. He marketed them with only partial success.
John Thurston's problems, with the rubber cushions, were ended by a new discovery by Thomas Hancock. In 1843, Thomas Hancock, an English engineer, discovered vulcanization.
Vulcanization is the process of combining rubber with sulfur or other additives in the presence of heat and pressure to improve the strength and resiliency of the rubber while reducing the stickiness and odor of the original rubber material.
Thurston used vulcanized rubber in his later cushions. Vulcanized rubber is still used today by most pool table manufacturers, although today, many pool tables are made from synthetic materials. Thurston's first set was presented to Queen Victoria.
In the United States, the production of pool tables has been a stable industry since about the mid-19th century. The Brunswick Company, the forerunner in the U.S. industry, started commercial manufacture of pool tables in 1845.
Pool tables provide entertainment through an endless list of different games. Some of the most popular and well-known games include eight-ball, nine-ball, straight pool, and one-pocket.
Pool tables generally have six pockets, one in each corner of the table and one at each midpoint of the two longer rails of the rectangular table. Pockets rimmed with leather or plastic are most commonly found in home billiard rooms and pool halls.
The most common type of pocket found in bars, pubs, or arcades are coin operated tables which lead to ball-return troughs inside the table, which channel the balls into a collection chamber on one side of the table.
Pool tables come in various sizes depending on the needs of the customer. The most common sizes are 9 foot, 8 foot, and 7 foot. In all cases, the table is rectangular with a 2:1 ratio.
The bed, or actual playing surface of the pool table, is almost always made with slate. Slate provides the smoothest and most even surface.
Typically under the felt, or cloth, the slate is one inch thick. Other materials occasionally used for pool table beds may include wood, typically medium-density fiberboard, and other synthetic materials.
Some materials are higher quality and will help your pool table to last longer. Six markings are placed along the pool table to help the player aim and set up bank and kick shots.
These markings are also known as sights or diamonds. These markings can be found along each long rail; the side pockets are placed right where the seventh would go.
On the short rail, you will find three markings. These divide the playing surface into equal squares and assist players in lining up shots.
Most games played on a pool table will require the use of pool balls and cue sticks. Each pool table comes with fifteen balls eight of them are colored solid and seven are white with a colored stripe.
The cue stick is used to hit the ball. Cues are typically about 58 inches long and weigh around 18-21 ounces.
Most cues are made of wood but sometimes the wood is covered or bonded with other materials including carbon fiber or fiberglass. Before you purchase a pool table, it is helpful to know the basics.
