I'd wish we'd had the internet back in the early 80's. We had a little 6 x 3 table in our pub (bar), with a super thick slate that ran non-stop all day every day. The rolls on the table were horrific and figured it needed machining or sanding... had I known that it could possibly have been fixed with adjustments like this (if it had them) or at least shimming the supports... I would have been a hero. But we locals learned to roll with the rolls, any visitors had little hope though. We had a guy come up to re-cloth it and I’d asked and 'hoped' he'd level it as well, but he left it just the way it was, was so damn annoyed after he left. Considering an average human hair is about 4 thou (0.1mm), I doubt too many people would ever notice, so understand your tolerances. Thanks for the instructional video Paul, I thought it was brilliant.
Lmaoo that sounds like a nightmare! I’m a soft shooter at various shots so any unleveled table will definitely make me miss my shot! Which is really annoying
@@stevenm6200 Playing on a table you know is an advantage... but, everyone wants to play on a level one. I used to amaze people sometime (that weren't local) and it was knowledge of the table. I always wished it had been fixed though. Thanks for the comment.
Wow! What a great video. Detailed, exacting and very well explained. It makes piano tuning seem easy! lol. Thanks for this demo. Just illustrates that you need a machinists level to do this properly. Levels purchased at Walmart just won't cut it!!
was it necessary to have the side rails on during the demo? was thinking of installation of the felt on both the rail and the bed … and if they would have an effect on the level of the playing surface.
agh! I would have loved to have seen a 'test run' of a ball on the bare slate, just to see how accurate this system is. Maybe you could add this to the vid. I think I speak for quite a few who are curious to see what difference 1/1000" makes to a ball.
My experience when flattening slate via brick layer's string stretched tight and matched washers as feeler gauges, then leveling whole table via carpenters level is a ball rolls perfectly and i mean perfectly straight on bare slate. Meanwhile my method has probably more like a 10 or even 15 thousandths error
Interesting topic! Something you do not see in this detail in a 5min How its made video. Thanks for taking the time! One question though: Wouldn't it be better not to lean on the outer rim or place the belly on it when taking measurements with this precision?
beguiling does the one piece slate bend or warp a little? If it didn't, you'd think that the slate would be flat and just need the corners adjusted? fascinating.
How do you actually level something to within a thousandths of and inch tolerance? Can it even be done with shims? A playing card is like 1/20th of an inch. The thinest paper that practically falls apart in your hands is only like 1/3 of that (or 1/60th) of an inch. Do they actually make shims so thin (1/1000th of an inch) that you cannot even really see them when they are turned perfectly perpendicular?
Hi Jon, a deck of playing cards is about 5/8 inch thick which makes each card about 1/83 of an inch thick. If the cards are 1/20th of an inch thick, your deck would be over 2-1/2" thick!
At 9:40, how is it possible to have the slate low in the middle? That suggests the slate is not flat. Is there a natural sag due to weight? Can the slate flex that much?
I believe so, and because the level is so accurate. The center of the table is always at its lowest point, if the slate is made of homogeneous material.
On the left side of the table, how can the arrows be pointing in opposite directions if it’s one the same piece of slate? Doesn’t that mean that piece of slate is not flat?
That is correct..... Once you get down to measuring thousandths of an inch, there will be peaks and valleys across the 9' slate that need addressed. The slate is milled to .01" but we want to try to manipulate the slate with the leveling system to get the slate to at least .002".
@@aaronberger5504 is it better to have a 3 piece slate for a more accurate leveling? I figure a smaller piece of slate should be flatter than a 9 foot piece.
@@johnvelocci8760 Defintely 3 piece slates have much more points of adjustability than does a one piece slate. I can’t imagine there are many one piece slates as they would be much too heavy and difficult to move as well as more prone to breakage.
Why can't you just use a transit and level the four corners of the table after your 3 pieces of slate are straight across. That is the way I do the tables and it takes me less than 15 minutes per table with an accuracy of a few thousandths.
You needed to show the Level so we could see the bubble, without seeing what you were seeing you could have just read a script without the table, would have made your efforts much more clear.... thanks for the info though....
first of all its not granite, its slate. Two different animals. Slate bends and can flex over a 12 inch span. Diamond has wedges built into the frame. Other pool tables require the use of hardwood wedge shim, which are broken off. You also got to consider this is an instructional video. I am pretty sure Paul can do this in 10 minutes.
Granite even a few feet thick can bend too. leveling a flat surface is the same regardless of the material, understanding what that tool is actually measuring is a start.
today I learned that a solid piece of slate that has been machined to perfection can be unlevel in so many places. I'm sure a 6 ft or 4 ft level might have sped up the process
@@alyssagarcia4750 can you see under 1/1000 over one foot with a long level. Is that level you're talking about actually within tolerance at that length?
Great video. Shows you how crappy diamond tables really are though. It makes sense why the slate is so warped though, because it looks like either Brazilian, Chinese, or some manmade composite slate. Quit cheaping out Diamond, and put some Italian or Welsh slate on that table. Also, make a stronger frame. Diamond is so overrated. What garbage.
Thanks for giving out our secrets. Why would you put this on the internet cause you taking away jobs for professional pool table installers like me. Much appreciated.
Scrapple Samwich Do you realize that this video literally will not effect you at all. Only about 35k people have watched this video. Also, out of the millions of tables around the world, how many people do you think will actually take the time to do this? And out of that extremely small number, probably none of them will have been one of your customers.
Is this a real comment? Everything is on the Internet. If your job is so simple that an hour long video will put it in jeopardy, you should consider a more marketable skill set. Maybe you're right though, since all those videos showing how to fix a car are putting mechanics out of business left and right. Let's not forget the plight of accountants, web designers, or plumbers- ever since the Internet has shown me how to balance books, build a website, and shit in a workable toilet, their job market has all dried up!
What I learned from this video: a solid 1" slab of slate is not as rigid as I thought! It seems much more flexible and deformable than I had imagined.
Same here.
Very nice video Paul. Thanks for taking the time to talk and demonstrate all the small details.
Great content, Great presentation, and very clear. I have ordered a machine level, and can't wait to use it.
I'd wish we'd had the internet back in the early 80's. We had a little 6 x 3 table in our pub (bar), with a super thick slate that ran non-stop all day every day. The rolls on the table were horrific and figured it needed machining or sanding... had I known that it could possibly have been fixed with adjustments like this (if it had them) or at least shimming the supports... I would have been a hero. But we locals learned to roll with the rolls, any visitors had little hope though.
We had a guy come up to re-cloth it and I’d asked and 'hoped' he'd level it as well, but he left it just the way it was, was so damn annoyed after he left. Considering an average human hair is about 4 thou (0.1mm), I doubt too many people would ever notice, so understand your tolerances. Thanks for the instructional video Paul, I thought it was brilliant.
Lmaoo that sounds like a nightmare! I’m a soft shooter at various shots so any unleveled table will definitely make me miss my shot! Which is really annoying
@@stevenm6200 Playing on a table you know is an advantage... but, everyone wants to play on a level one. I used to amaze people sometime (that weren't local) and it was knowledge of the table. I always wished it had been fixed though. Thanks for the comment.
this illustration is the best I've seen and has the most logic
Does diamond make a .pdf or document with step by step guides?
Wow! What a great video. Detailed, exacting and very well explained. It makes piano tuning seem easy! lol. Thanks for this demo. Just illustrates that you need a machinists level to do this properly. Levels purchased at Walmart just won't cut it!!
You are truly a master pool table technician. I never knew what a demanding and technical process this is.
Thank you Paul for this video!
Very, very good explanation and demonstration. Bravo. Thanks very much.
was it necessary to have the side rails on during the demo? was thinking of installation of the felt on both the rail and the bed … and if they would have an effect on the level of the playing surface.
agh! I would have loved to have seen a 'test run' of a ball on the bare slate, just to see how accurate this system is. Maybe you could add this to the vid. I think I speak for quite a few who are curious to see what difference 1/1000" makes to a ball.
My experience when flattening slate via brick layer's string stretched tight and matched washers as feeler gauges, then leveling whole table via carpenters level is a ball rolls perfectly and i mean perfectly straight on bare slate. Meanwhile my method has probably more like a 10 or even 15 thousandths error
Final test, a piece of 24" x 24" 1/4"-3/8" glass and a ball. Lay the glass on different spots and place a ball in the middle, if it rolls, readjust.
this is why there's a sign at my bar, NO SEX ON THE POOL TABLE
not my bar, the bar I go to
Very good video, do you have one for a 7’ table?
Interesting topic! Something you do not see in this detail in a 5min How its made video. Thanks for taking the time! One question though: Wouldn't it be better not to lean on the outer rim or place the belly on it when taking measurements with this precision?
And then we have the New Jersey EARTHQUAKE!! lol.
Are the skirts bolted to the slate or just resting on it? Is the process the same for a Pro-Am that is a 3 piece?
You get an A+'s Paul, a lot tougher than it looks....
Is it the table or the concrete?
beguiling does the one piece slate bend or warp a little? If it didn't, you'd think that the slate would be flat and just need the corners adjusted? fascinating.
Machinist level notches indicate about two sheets of paper variance in height per foot. I'd be surprised if any slate is that perfectly milled.
Hey Paul - do you do Brunswick tables as well?? (pleeeeze?)
Yeah - shame we couldn't see the readings on the level as you did this. Maybe another camera??
How do you actually level something to within a thousandths of and inch tolerance? Can it even be done with shims? A playing card is like 1/20th of an inch. The thinest paper that practically falls apart in your hands is only like 1/3 of that (or 1/60th) of an inch. Do they actually make shims so thin (1/1000th of an inch) that you cannot even really see them when they are turned perfectly perpendicular?
.01
Hi Jon, a deck of playing cards is about 5/8 inch thick which makes each card about 1/83 of an inch thick. If the cards are 1/20th of an inch thick, your deck would be over 2-1/2" thick!
@@ricktanguay2310exactly
At 9:40, how is it possible to have the slate low in the middle? That suggests the slate is not flat. Is there a natural sag due to weight? Can the slate flex that much?
I believe so, and because the level is so accurate. The center of the table is always at its lowest point, if the slate is made of homogeneous material.
Where are you putting the wrench
Hey Paul,
I noticed that this table is larger than the 7 foot. Would you use a 12 inch level for a 7 footer as well or a shorter level?
Great question! I also am wondering
machinist level and a straight edge is all you need
I wonder how thick the chalk marks are..100thou maybe...I didn't realize the slate bends this much.
its you paul!
No it's you Kim :-)
On the left side of the table, how can the arrows be pointing in opposite directions if it’s one the same piece of slate? Doesn’t that mean that piece of slate is not flat?
That is correct..... Once you get down to measuring thousandths of an inch, there will be peaks and valleys across the 9' slate that need addressed. The slate is milled to .01" but we want to try to manipulate the slate with the leveling system to get the slate to at least .002".
@@aaronberger5504 is it better to have a 3 piece slate for a more accurate leveling? I figure a smaller piece of slate should be flatter than a 9 foot piece.
@@johnvelocci8760 Defintely 3 piece slates have much more points of adjustability than does a one piece slate. I can’t imagine there are many one piece slates as they would be much too heavy and difficult to move as well as more prone to breakage.
Is that a 1 piece slate or a 3 piece slate?🤷♂️
one-piece, it says in the video description
Wow thtmats involved. How can it be low all the way around the table? Wouldn't some parts have to be high for others to be low?
Do you use more than one level?
You can and you actually should if you do it the right way.
How much is that table?
I want to be branch in Vietnam, Can U help me?
quiero escuchar esta traduccion en español
oops, sry, great video
Why can't you just use a transit and level the four corners of the table after your 3 pieces of slate are straight across. That is the way I do the tables and it takes me less than 15 minutes per table with an accuracy of a few thousandths.
Genius
You needed to show the Level so we could see the bubble, without seeing what you were seeing you could have just read a script without the table, would have made your efforts much more clear.... thanks for the info though....
fischer pool tablre r & r
If he actually knew how to level piece of granite, this would have taken about 15 minutes.
first of all its not granite, its slate. Two different animals. Slate bends and can flex over a 12 inch span. Diamond has wedges built into the frame. Other pool tables require the use of hardwood wedge shim, which are broken off. You also got to consider this is an instructional video. I am pretty sure Paul can do this in 10 minutes.
Granite even a few feet thick can bend too. leveling a flat surface is the same regardless of the material, understanding what that tool is actually measuring is a start.
today I learned that a solid piece of slate that has been machined to perfection can be unlevel in so many places. I'm sure a 6 ft or 4 ft level might have sped up the process
you want your level to be smaller than the distance between the shortest distance between your adjustment screws.
@@alyssagarcia4750 can you see under 1/1000 over one foot with a long level. Is that level you're talking about actually within tolerance at that length?
Great video. Shows you how crappy diamond tables really are though. It makes sense why the slate is so warped though, because it looks like either Brazilian, Chinese, or some manmade composite slate. Quit cheaping out Diamond, and put some Italian or Welsh slate on that table. Also, make a stronger frame. Diamond is so overrated. What garbage.
what table for the money do you think out performs diamonds? For the money...
what a joke
Thanks for giving out our secrets. Why would you put this on the internet cause you taking away jobs for professional pool table installers like me. Much appreciated.
Scrapple Samwich Do you realize that this video literally will not effect you at all. Only about 35k people have watched this video. Also, out of the millions of tables around the world, how many people do you think will actually take the time to do this? And out of that extremely small number, probably none of them will have been one of your customers.
Is this a real comment? Everything is on the Internet. If your job is so simple that an hour long video will put it in jeopardy, you should consider a more marketable skill set. Maybe you're right though, since all those videos showing how to fix a car are putting mechanics out of business left and right. Let's not forget the plight of accountants, web designers, or plumbers- ever since the Internet has shown me how to balance books, build a website, and shit in a workable toilet, their job market has all dried up!
It’s been a year, hopefully you’re now unemployed.
I was about to call you to setup an appointment for leveling my table, but after watching this video don't need ya! Thanks to Paul!!! LOL!!!