OMG thank you SOOOO SO much for the video. I got lucky. When putting my pool table back together after a move, I was clueless and not wanting to spend around $500 to have someone come and do it. So of course I turn to youtube. Your video was the first one I watched. Usually when I do youtube guided "projects" I have to watch handfuls of videos and then try to piece it all together. Here's where I got lucky...this time, I only had to watch ONE. Your video guided me easily from start to finish. Perfect, easy, simple explanation. I'm surprised my pool table turned out great and the whole process actually went... smoothly! Thanks for making a piece of my life so much easier!!!
I know this is a old video but it’s the best one on RUclips hands down . Never did a table before but after watching your video and doing the same thing you did my table looks like I paid someone a lot to do mine my table plays great and looks great thank you very much for this video
Thank you the help that you have given me. I am rebuilding a coin box built in 1976. You have provided a very helpful video to people like me. After reading a lot of the comments , I was very surprised at the arrogance of some of the people that responded. Its always these people that are so critical that have little to offer other than their egos. Again, I thank you for making this process so much easier for me.
Thank you Dave! I'm so glad we could help. Yeah for some reason there are some people who think it's their way or the highway, but there is always something to learn from others luckily. Thanks again for watching!
Just wanted to thank you we bought a table half renovated, thought how hard could it be? Well if not for your great teaching I would not have been able to do it. You gave me the confidence to get it right and with some persistence managed to do justice very happy and appreciate your instructions here from Australia 😅
Let me be one of the many to say, an awesome video, I don't have a High Dollar table, but it's decent, made by True Shot, the rails are dead, so I'm trying to learn as much as I can on what to do to replace them and felt them, I just need to find a video on how to remove the rails on that particular table. Thanks again for the video.
We do have a replacing bumpers video (that's kind of old but people love it). Here's the link, hopefully it can help! ruclips.net/video/srqsV4a792U/видео.html
This has given me the courage to do our rails ourselves. What a great tutorial, the camera angles and the explanations were done extremely well. Thank you
I'm currently constructing a 7 foot pool table and have designed the rails. This helped me a lot to understand how to assemble them. Thanks for explaining in such fine detail!
I built my first pooltable and did not care to get it reasonably sourced. But your video has made me courage and explained it to me super. Of course, I am not convinced so fast but the result. Thank you for your guidance and a praise to the chamberlain.
Glad I caught the comment around 12:40 about the different technique for tensioning Simonis cloth ... I had lots of ripples, but after hearing that, I actually went back, pulled a million staples, and redid all six sections. They are now as clean and taut as any pro job I've seen around these parts. Thanks again for the excellent video!
Recently bought a used table and couldn’t believe how easy it was to disassemble, move, and reassemble. Am fascinated with the ease of covering and can’t wait to get some good cloth to do complete recover.
I watched several video on replacing the bumpers and the cloth, and this by far is the best video. The detail and explanation guided me thru the process.
Thank you so much for explaining that better than my boss who was been doing this 20 years. I’m training to lead a pool table installation crew of two guys and I want to be the best I possibly can. You just showed me a few tricks my boss didn’t even know. The hammer the top of the rail afterwards is the main trick I learned. That and where to start setting the cloth to rail. You are going to make me a better worker so thank you
That's the best thing I've heard! Thanks Kyle! That is exactly why we made these videos, so we could help our own installation crews get out and start refelting
Without a doubt, Take A Break has provided us with the most detailed, valuable video on rail recovering. Outstanding work, Gentlemen! I have wrapped up my rails: varnish, cushions, and Simonis HR860. Now, to wrap up the rest of the table, then party like it's 1999!
Great and informative video. I'm planning to make a 40" mini table for my 6 year old for Christmas, and plan to make actual rails in smaller scale with U23 cushions and pool table cloth, to go with 1.5" balls. The method for stapling the cloth at the corner pocket ends is genius!
Great vid - definite confidence builder as I get ready to refelt a table I've been working on refurbing for three weeks! I think I'll be able to play tonight!
Great video. It gave me a better appreciation for the amount of time, having the right tools and expertise it takes to do this job right. I got an estimate earlier on the cost so I might go with the experts rather than attempting to do it myself.
That's usually the wise decision unless you're a handy person or you love doing projects like this, which people often do! Thanks for watching our video
Just redid all 6 rails. This video is superb and tells you everything. Couple tips... Listen closely to what he says when doing the miters. You need to pull a little toward the side your working and twist the cloth slightly. So if your working then right side, pull right and twist thumb counter clockwise. On left side pull left and twist clockwise. You want to decrease the slack on the straight side. All felt is a bit different. His cutting is very clean. Mine was rippled where a staple was not shot.
Yes, all the cloth types certainly have their differences. and that sounds like you have something like a speed cloth or maybe even simonis, because it's really easy to get ripples
@@TakeABreakSpasandBilliards i replaced simonis with regular felt. The felt didnt cut as easily as the video. But that tip of pulling and then twisting slightly decreased the time and hassle significantly...so much so that that ripple in the straight part was completely flat by the time i got to that area. Thanks again man! Solid technique.
@@TakeABreakSpasandBilliards Installer set it up yesterday. Said my bumper replacement and felting was superb. Joked he'd send me his bumper jobs. No thanks, 6 in a lifetime is enough. The felting is fun.
Just came across your videos this week and let me tell you, you are a very good teacher . The camera shots were very good as well. I completed my rails yesterday based on your instructions, never done this before and it took me about 2 hrs including the bumpers and they came out great. I would love to see how you cover the pool table itself. Well done sir. 23 Take A Break Spas and Billiards
@@TakeABreakSpasandBilliards I'm about to build a Table and this gave me exactly what I needed To have confidence in getting the felt done right.... Thank You..!
Thanks for the guide, was a big help. I had not changed my Championship tournament cloth in seven years and I sure did not remember much about doing it. Championship cloth seems to be a much tougher cloth than Siminos as I was changing that every 3 years or so. The Championship cloth still played well but I wanted to switch to the blue cloth.
So glad we could help! Yes, I believe championship cloth is more rugged than Simonis because it has a higher ounce count, meaning it is thicker. Simonis is the best for performance because it is a speedcloth that lets the ball glide with a smaller amount of friction, but that also means it's a thinner cloth that will get stretched really tight.
I have to say your video was done very well, your clear details and camera angles were truly the key , made a beginner like me look like a pro at the end of my rail change, thank you
Dave, my table looks fantastic but I had to watch your video about 20 times to get the corners on the bumpers right. You're my savior, Tomorrow is the Super Bowl and I'm having company, wouldn't have been the same without a pool table. Not a big football fan, but I like Tom Brady, Nascar is my sport. Football lost me on the KNEE THING. I'm a Viet Nam Vet. MAGA, You're #1
That’s awesome. Yeah that’s why we wanted to do this video, mostly for the ability to replay over and over again for our employees to learn. Hope your table plays great!
Thank you so much for this awesome video! My daughter and I be felting and reassembling my pool table. I'm a bit nervous but this will definitely help. I'm gathering now as you know I will be looking for other videos on how to assemble the Slate as well.
Trust me, I've been asking to film a slate video for awhile now! There is a catch to slate, because every table is a little different. I hope to make a slate video soon, but in it we can only show the tips and tricks for that one brand of table, which will most likely be Olhausen.
I worked for a shop in Vegas called A-1 Billiards for almost 3 years after HS. They were friends of the family and my brother worked there for probably 15 years. The old man , his sons and nephew were all excellent pool table mechanics . My brother as well. Some things just don’t change. We covered rails exactly the same way. Literally step by step near identical . I haven’t touched a pool table since probably 99 or maybe 00’ . We sold a LOT of tables. I think 500 a year or so. Plus we serviced what seemed like every bar in town. 2x a year we would cover bar tables 10-12 hrs a day for weeks! I didn’t mind it though as it was a break from carrying slate and frames up stairs. The upstairs, over the garage loft/gameroom is very very common in vegas. .
A couple of things to point out. If the feather strip is loose wrap it with masking tape, it works great and wont damage the feather strip. Don,t use 3/8 staples unless the wood on the rail is completely worn out 1/4 " is perfect. I've been doing this for 36 years.
Hey that's a really good idea! The only concern with using electrical tape wrapped around the feather strip would be the bulge on top of the featherstrip which would then show through the felt. It would work if you cut little strips and covered just the bottom and sides though. Not sure the leg of the staple matters too much though. It's what we use because that's all our industrial grade electric staplers can use, works great on every rail worn or new, and we don't want to have to have multiple different staplers for different scenarios. When it comes to staplers for people doing DIY, we recommend that it's industrial grade so it can at least drive the staple into the wood, but you bring up a good point in making sure that the leg is appropriate. Something like a 5/8's leg would be overkill!
@@TakeABreakSpasandBilliards I use 1 1/2 masking tape on feather strips. I use Duo-Fast commercial staple guns and shoot 1/4" in cloth and 3/8" in pockets.
@@mavgrab74 that is awesome, we use Duo-Fast as well! Dave (the guy in the video) just told me that they do take different staples, so you taught me something new! Thank you very much for pointing that out
Staples in the feather stripping is not a good plan to fix a loose feather strip unless this is the last time that rail will be recovered. One inch wide piece of masking tape on the bottom of the feather stripping folded up both sides would be the preferred method. If someone is watching this video they need to center the feather stripping and do a center mark. When they become as competent as you then they can skip this step. You can work with the blind apron, but a beginner needs to remove the blind apron so they can grip the rail better and reduce the possibility of dropping the rail on the floor as they can put the rail more to the middle of the table. When working with tournament cloth "speed cloth" it is fine to have the small bumps in the face of the rail rubber (not wrinkles) these small bumps will relax out in a few hours and the rails will be more responsive. Excellent technique on the corner pockets and the side pockets are very good as well. I gave the video a thumbs up.
Yeah I agree about the tape. We've had a discussion about it in the comments a few times. I like the pointers you give for beginners, ensuring that they have a good first time experience. Your comments are thoughtful and helpful!
Instead of staples through feather strip making it a nightmare for the next guy recovering, we take 3/4” masking tape and wrap the 3 sides of feather strip going into grove. Sometimes it’ll take 2-3 layers to build out feather strip to where it’s tight. Been doing it this way on commercial Gold Crowns for years and never had a rail cloth pull loose.
Yes I think that is a better idea as well. Featherstrips that are too small have been rare, and we had seen this particular rail had been stapled before, so we were replacing the staple and thought it would be a cool tip to mention. But the masking tape, or electrical tape as suggested by another commenter, would be fill the gap and doesn't harm the structure of the wood.
Perhaps he best video on RUclips for refelting rails. Curious about the staple in n the feather strip. One, was the staple long enough to bite into the rail, or is the purpose of the staple to displace the wood in oversee for it to fit thighter. Secondly, if the felt on the rails is ever replaced, the person replacing it is going to be pissed. Thirdly, cutting that tiny little piece out of the end of the rail is money
Hey thanks for watching Greg! Normally we don't staple feather strips because it's a very rare case that feather strips are too small. When we were asked by the customer to refelt these rails, we discovered the marked section was loose, so in the moment we weren't really trying to research better methods. We went with it as a quick fix. I've really liked some of the other comments below where electrical tape could help fill the gap so there wouldn't be any splintering like the staple might cause. In this case, the staple was not long enough to drive down, nor did it expand the wood, but it did catch the felt so the strip was more effective in holding the felt in place. If only there was a way to keep this video up and edit it so we can jump in and say "Hey guess what there's a better way that won't damage the featherstrip for future uses!" So thank you for asking and clarifying. Thanks for the compliments and contributing to the comment community!
Thank you, this was a great help. But I need to add if you have a laminate table be careful it's very easy to crack the laminate and not know it when you're installing the feather strips. I cracked mine slightly but not funcionally ... just a heads up.
This is very true! You need to line up that feather strip really well, because if don't line it up right the feather strip will knick the edge. Thanks for pointing that out Stuart!
Great tutorial... The finer points on how to deal with the feather strip and the fold at the center pockets avoided some creativity of my own that would have produced less than optimum results. THANKS!
I have 20 years of doing tables. Never seen a rail done the way you do. Takes me 20 min to do a set of rails. No need to have so much extra over the feather strip
Yup, doesn't take very long at all once you know how to do it and you do it often. I'm sure you know everyone does it different, all in the name of making customers happy.
Awesome tutorial, very descriptive and informative. BUT of course I bought Simonis to do my rails and table. Any chance there is a video of you reclothing rails using Simonis since you mentioned it's a bit different?
I know you installed your cloth 3 years ago, I'm just going through old comments right now. We will hopefully have one up soon, because we need to do one for our delivery guys internally and we will share that information with the world once that video is completed.
The center pocket method is easier to do. Can I apply the center pocket method to all the corner pockets since I'm not good at getting those wrinkles behind?
I agree that it is easier. I'm not sure how to adapt it to corner pockets simply because most customers expect us to make that corner look perfect and sometimes extra cloth on a corner might cause a ball to rebound differently than expected. Have you already tried doing the folding method personally? Did it turn out good?
Thanks for watching! I wish I could remove the music off of this 7 year old video, but RUclips does not provide the native tools to accomplish this. As such the only other means would be to delete and reupload the video, which would delete all of its search data, making it unavailable to future viewers because the algorithm would no longer recommend the video. However! I have finally re-edited the video with the original footage and made a separate upload! Here is the link to the video: ruclips.net/video/SjKzUzLTywg/видео.html
This is by far the best video! Unfortunately our rails have all rounded ends and our stretching doesn’t seem to be enough to prevent the wrinkles and we can’t do a fold since there are no corners. Do you have any tips?
That sounds like a strange table to have rounded ends. If there are no corners you'll likely need to use a thin ounce cloth and just stretch it, staple it, stretch it, staple it kind of like how we step the corner pockets. Do your best to keep the wrinkles behind the staples and not on the playing surface.
Thanks. For others who may need it: We ended up using the old fabric as a pattern and it had rounded points so there was actually a bit of stretching from both sides of the ends and way less fabric to contend with. This worked much better.
We would probably do it similar, yes, though most Valley tables have detachable bumpers that are prefelted and you just screw them onto the rail. We haven't used water during cloth installs
Great video!! I’ve gotten the courage to do my table on my own. After paying someone to botch it :( one question though what size of staple you used? Thanks!!
That's sad someone botched it. We use a Duo-Fast Stapler with 1/2 crown and 3/8 leg. Here is a link to the gun itself: www.nailgundepot.com/duofast-eic3118a-22-gauge-electric-upholstery-stapler
Hi There - this is really one of the most helpful videos out there on Felting Rails. You noted that you were using a Duo_Fast Stapler with 1/2" crown but the link you provided goes to a DuoFast EIC-3118A Stapler which is a 3/8" crown 22 guage. I am looking to get the stapler you were using. Is the 3118A 3/8" crown stapler the one you use with 22 ga. staples or a different one? Much appreciated.
@@TakeABreakSpasandBilliards hi thx for the response but are you meaning it can use any staple length? Length of the legs? The crown is the width of the staple and for that gun is only 3/8”. Just making sure thx
@@Dinodinot Alright, I just got with our purchaser because apparently we recently just bought a new gun for ourselves! Here is the link to the gun we bought: www.nailgundepot.com/duofast-ewc5018a-20-gauge-general-purpose-electric-stapler
As far as we can tell, they both have the same quality, rebound, and longevity. Here is a link to the cushions we've always used: www.imperialusa.com/imperial-mark-1-43-in-k66-cushion-rubber-set-of-6.html
This is the only video that I’ve found to give the confidence to Re cloth my own cushions Can you please advise how much excess of cloth over the ends to allow before cutting. I am doing six 10ft cushions of a snooker table.
Hey Twizzian, great question. When we do our rail cuts, they usually come from the bed cloth if they are not pre-cut by the cloth manufacturer. We will usually take about a 5 inch cut away from the felt, and the cloth length is already long enough for the rails. I would say you want at most 4 inches extra on the ends, which you will staple down and then cut away the excess.
Darn, I'm sorry to hear that friend. We haven't made a Simonis video in a while and its been hard to pin dave down to make one. Hopefully we make one soon!
Great video! I will be using Speed Cloth since I have a 9' table (that's what was suggested to me). Did you make a video for that type of cloth? Thanks!
Thank you for such a fantastic video. The angles are fantastic and the craftsman has superb commentary. What size staple are you using and who is the gun manufacturer?
Thank you for the high praise! We use 1/2 crown with 3/8 leg staples with Duo-Fast Staple guns. Here is a link to the gun itself: www.nailgundepot.com/duofast-eic3118a-22-gauge-electric-upholstery-stapler
I’m glad you mentioned how different the technique to lay down Simonis 860 is. Which is pretty much all we do on tournament tables. Quick question, why such long stapes? Even for Champion cloth I use 1/4” along rail and 1/2 at ends. I guess cause I know I’m the one that’ll be removing them. Nice wrap btw.
Simonis is awesome, isn't it? Gotta love that stuff. We've used the 3/8's for a long time, though it's hard to pinpoint when we started using them. They do get wedged into the wood pretty good, but we've gotten really good at removing them. I think one reason we still use them is to simplify and streamline our process, not having to switch ammo mid process or carry two guns. Do you work here in Utah?
Take A Break Spas & Billiard: I meant 3/8 not 1/2”. We use 1/4” on everything except when doing cheaper cloth and we have fold at side pockets , 1/4 “ is a bit short. One gun for all lengths. When doing leather drop pockets, then I use narrow crown 3/8-1/2”. . Sorry I’m on the East coast , in Jersey and NY area. Keep up the fine work.
Great video! Thank you for the detailed instruction. Where can I purchase the cloth? And my second question, is it advisable to reuse the existing cloth if it has only come loose?
Depends on where you live I guess, haha! I highly recommend you check out a local dealer and shop local. We're a local company in Utah, though if you did want to order from us and you aren't in Utah you can call in at 801-489-6005, hit 1 for sales, and then hit 1 for Springville and we can ship one out to you. You can re-use existing cloth, you just need to make sure you can get a good stretch. If there isn't enough slack to pull and staple, then you probably need new cloth.
So I had my felt replace recently and the feather strips are all driven in to deep so that the felt is way below the side rails. Is there a way to easily lift the feather strip up so the felt is slightly above the side rails so I can cue off the rails and not my hand?
Unfortunately there isn't an easy way to lift that strip without redoing the rails or poking holes in the cloth. Those get wacked in pretty good and there's a divot because either the strip is too small or the cloth was just a really thin cloth. Even then it's supposed to at least be smooth, though our rails with the thickness of Championship can be raised up like 1/16 or 1/32 of an inch, but nothing that you would necessarily cue off of.
VERY good info sir,thank u for the video,i have a few questions ,when u have time sir..1)how long are the staples do you use,is there a brand of staples you like best. i have never done this so here goes...what brand of felt would you use on a valley 7 foot bar room table...i only want to do this once (hopefully in my life time)this will be for my game room and i would like it to last a good long time so i dont have to do it again,i would like a thinker felt if they make it,so i would THINK it would last longer,3)what is speed felt and should i stay away from that to keep the felt nicer /longer..thank u for your time,thomas
We use a Duo-Fast Staple with 1/2 crown and 3/8 leg. It works for every need you have on a pool table. Valley tables are an interesting breed, because their bumpers come pre-felted and you bolt them onto the rail. So you might consider finding your local Valley dealer (if you're in Utah, we're your dealer) and asking them for new bumpers and possibly a new playing field. If you want to try and DIY refelting those bumpers and you're looking for something that will last a long time you should try and get Simonis 860 cloth. It's the best on the market. Otherwise anything from Championship cloth is pretty standard and should last you several years. Speedcloth is typically thinner and not going to last as long, which is why it is a standard cloth on most tables, including Valley I believe. Iwan Simonis is the only manufacturer who gets the fastest cloth with the highest durability, and because of it's tight weave its also naturally liquid resistant. Those are my two recommendations for you. Let me know if you have another questions!
Simonis cloth will show a lot of stretch marks everywhere there is a staple using this method. The pocket areas have way too many staples in my opinion. You could prevent a lot of those wrinkles by cheating the cloth under the featherstrip at the corner pocket ends. Simonis Cloth will let you know how good of an install job is. 80 percent of my pool table work is Simonis cloth installs. This is a good rail recover but the woolen cloth is very forgiving.
We personally use 3/8's leg and the crown is dictated by what kind of stapler you use. Just make sure it's industrial grade so the staple gets into the wood and gets into the meat of it well, perhaps a minimum of a 1/4 leg?
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OMG thank you SOOOO SO much for the video. I got lucky. When putting my pool table back together after a move, I was clueless and not wanting to spend around $500 to have someone come and do it. So of course I turn to youtube. Your video was the first one I watched. Usually when I do youtube guided "projects" I have to watch handfuls of videos and then try to piece it all together. Here's where I got lucky...this time, I only had to watch ONE. Your video guided me easily from start to finish. Perfect, easy, simple explanation. I'm surprised my pool table turned out great and the whole process actually went... smoothly! Thanks for making a piece of my life so much easier!!!
Wow, thank you much for the praise! Glad it helped you so much. If you have any questions feel free to ask as well.
I know this is a old video but it’s the best one on RUclips hands down . Never did a table before but after watching your video and doing the same thing you did my table looks like I paid someone a lot to do mine my table plays great and looks great thank you very much for this video
That's fantastic, these are my favorite kind of comments. Very happy for you Randy!
Thank you the help that you have given me. I am rebuilding a coin box built in 1976. You have provided a very helpful video to people like me. After reading a lot of the comments , I was very surprised at the arrogance of some of the people that responded. Its always these people that are so critical that have little to offer other than their egos. Again, I thank you for making this process so much easier for me.
Thank you Dave! I'm so glad we could help. Yeah for some reason there are some people who think it's their way or the highway, but there is always something to learn from others luckily. Thanks again for watching!
Hands down this is the best video on reflecting rails ive found ! Thank you so much for taking the time to make it and post it
Very glad you think so Michael, thank you!
Just wanted to thank you we bought a table half renovated, thought how hard could it be? Well if not for your great teaching I would not have been able to do it. You gave me the confidence to get it right and with some persistence managed to do justice very happy and appreciate your instructions here from Australia 😅
That is awesome, glad we could help!
Best Video Ever First tutorial I learned properly
Thank you Manav!
Let me be one of the many to say, an awesome video, I don't have a High Dollar table, but it's decent, made by True Shot, the rails are dead, so I'm trying to learn as much as I can on what to do to replace them and felt them, I just need to find a video on how to remove the rails on that particular table. Thanks again for the video.
We do have a replacing bumpers video (that's kind of old but people love it). Here's the link, hopefully it can help! ruclips.net/video/srqsV4a792U/видео.html
This has given me the courage to do our rails ourselves. What a great tutorial, the camera angles and the explanations were done extremely well. Thank you
Thank you Doug! Very glad to have helped you!
@Fred Jaminson thank you!
I'm currently constructing a 7 foot pool table and have designed the rails. This helped me a lot to understand how to assemble them. Thanks for explaining in such fine detail!
You're welcome! Hope it goes great! Custom pool tables are always impressive
@@TakeABreakSpasandBilliards well if you want photos as it's getting done, let me know. I've been working on the ball return collection today 🤙🏼
Yeah for sure! Love to see them
This is the best video on felting a pool table. The triangle cuts in corner rails is priceless! Thank you.
Thank you for watching T.J.!
I built my first pooltable and did not care to get it reasonably sourced. But your video has made me courage and explained it to me super. Of course, I am not convinced so fast but the result. Thank you for your guidance and a praise to the chamberlain.
Thanks for watching and the praise Chris!
Glad I caught the comment around 12:40 about the different technique for tensioning Simonis cloth ... I had lots of ripples, but after hearing that, I actually went back, pulled a million staples, and redid all six sections. They are now as clean and taut as any pro job I've seen around these parts. Thanks again for the excellent video!
Glad that helped! Haha
Recently bought a used table and couldn’t believe how easy it was to disassemble, move, and reassemble. Am fascinated with the ease of covering and can’t wait to get some good cloth to do complete recover.
So did you ever get new cloth?
Finished my first rail last night after watching this video a few times. Thanks for sharing all the info.
Yeah for sure! How did they turn out?
@@TakeABreakSpasandBilliards Overall, pretty good. By the time I finished the sixth, I felt like I had it down - just in time to be done :)
@@dangerwillrobinson23 awesome, glad they could turn out well for you.
I watched several video on replacing the bumpers and the cloth, and this by far is the best video. The detail and explanation guided me thru the process.
So glad to help!
Thank you for the excellent video! Was able to get the rails done on our table without any issues
Glad it worked out for you Steve.
Thank you so much for explaining that better than my boss who was been doing this 20 years. I’m training to lead a pool table installation crew of two guys and I want to be the best I possibly can. You just showed me a few tricks my boss didn’t even know. The hammer the top of the rail afterwards is the main trick I learned. That and where to start setting the cloth to rail. You are going to make me a better worker so thank you
That's the best thing I've heard! Thanks Kyle! That is exactly why we made these videos, so we could help our own installation crews get out and start refelting
Thank you for educating me.
You're welcome!
Excellent tutorial! Same with me, you gave me confidence to do my rails now when I recover our table. Thank you very much!
Glad we could help!
Without a doubt, Take A Break has provided us with the most detailed, valuable video on rail recovering. Outstanding work, Gentlemen! I have wrapped up my rails: varnish, cushions, and Simonis HR860. Now, to wrap up the rest of the table, then party like it's 1999!
That is awesome Trump, do you got any pictures to show off?
Always...I take copious pictures so people know what they are getting when it comes time to sell it.How can I share pics w/you?
PS ... sorry for late reply - just saw the inquiry.
Maybe share a web link to the image here in the comments?
Great and informative video. I'm planning to make a 40" mini table for my 6 year old for Christmas, and plan to make actual rails in smaller scale with U23 cushions and pool table cloth, to go with 1.5" balls. The method for stapling the cloth at the corner pocket ends is genius!
Thank you for the comment!
Great vid - definite confidence builder as I get ready to refelt a table I've been working on refurbing for three weeks! I think I'll be able to play tonight!
So happy to hear that Jason! I hope it goes great for you.
Really appreciate your help with this topic. Practice and perseverance is all it takes. Thanks
Thank you for taking the time to watch and learn!
Great video. My dad and I were able to redo the rails because of this tutorial. Awesome job.
Glad to hear it Matthew!
Thanks, I think this is one of the best videos on felting rails. I've added a reference to it in a compilation article about the topic
Wow thank you so much! Can you give a URL to the article for us if it's online?
@@TakeABreakSpasandBilliards Yes, of course: ofwoodworking.com/how-to-refelt-pool-table-rails/
@@yonosetampoco447 thank you!
Couldn't do it without this video, Thanks for taking the time,
So glad we could help!
Great instruction! Thanks!
Thanks for watching!
Thank you so much for taking the time! After hours and many other videos this is the one that was the easiest!
Thank you for viewing and getting it done!
Great video. It gave me a better appreciation for the amount of time, having the right tools and expertise it takes to do this job right. I got an estimate earlier on the cost so I might go with the experts rather than attempting to do it myself.
That's usually the wise decision unless you're a handy person or you love doing projects like this, which people often do! Thanks for watching our video
Great video guys! I'm restoring an old table and going to take it on myself and this will surely help.
Happy to help!
Let us know how it goes, Rex! You are not alone :-} I am in the process of refurbishing my 3rd table, 2 this year alone!
Nicely done. About to do my rails for the first time.
You can do it!
I can't thank you enough, I need to do my rails, can't afford to have em done. but thanks to your tutorial I know I can do it . Thanks
+buck rogers so glad we saved you so money! Thanks Buck
Just redid all 6 rails. This video is superb and tells you everything. Couple tips...
Listen closely to what he says when doing the miters. You need to pull a little toward the side your working and twist the cloth slightly. So if your working then right side, pull right and twist thumb counter clockwise. On left side pull left and twist clockwise. You want to decrease the slack on the straight side.
All felt is a bit different. His cutting is very clean. Mine was rippled where a staple was not shot.
Yes, all the cloth types certainly have their differences. and that sounds like you have something like a speed cloth or maybe even simonis, because it's really easy to get ripples
@@TakeABreakSpasandBilliards i replaced simonis with regular felt. The felt didnt cut as easily as the video. But that tip of pulling and then twisting slightly decreased the time and hassle significantly...so much so that that ripple in the straight part was completely flat by the time i got to that area.
Thanks again man! Solid technique.
@@apostlej2015 Awesome! I'm glad you got that technique down. Have fun playing on your table!
@@TakeABreakSpasandBilliards
Installer set it up yesterday. Said my bumper replacement and felting was superb. Joked he'd send me his bumper jobs. No thanks, 6 in a lifetime is enough. The felting is fun.
That sounds awesome! So hopefully you don't have to refelt those for a long time then huh?
Just came across your videos this week and let me tell you, you are a very good teacher . The camera shots were very good as well. I completed my rails yesterday based on your instructions, never done this before and it took me about 2 hrs including the bumpers and they came out great. I would love to see how you cover the pool table itself. Well done sir.
23
Take A Break Spas and Billiards
Thank you very much! That is always heartwarming to hear the success stories.
Best video Ive seen on this...!!!!
Thanks Nick!
@@TakeABreakSpasandBilliards I'm about to build a Table and this gave me exactly what I needed To have confidence in getting the felt done right....
Thank You..!
@@2869may that's what I like to hear!
Great video skilled tech this will help a lot to do a good job on my table thank you!
Thank you so much for taking the time to watch!
Thanks for the guide, was a big help. I had not changed my Championship tournament cloth in seven years and I sure did not remember much about doing it. Championship cloth seems to be a much tougher cloth than Siminos as I was changing that every 3 years or so. The Championship cloth still played well but I wanted to switch to the blue cloth.
So glad we could help! Yes, I believe championship cloth is more rugged than Simonis because it has a higher ounce count, meaning it is thicker. Simonis is the best for performance because it is a speedcloth that lets the ball glide with a smaller amount of friction, but that also means it's a thinner cloth that will get stretched really tight.
I have to say your video was done very well, your clear details and camera angles were truly the key , made a beginner like me look like a pro at the end of my rail change, thank you
Love to hear it Michael. Glad it helped. Good feedback for us too
Great video!!
Thanks!
Thanks you encouraged me to recloth my table by my own :)
Glad we could help!
Your explanations guided me perfectly through each step of my felting job. Your skilled at catching the details. Thank you.
That means a lot, thank you cuppycake1993!
Thank you for your excellent tutorial.
Thank you for watching!
Dave, my table looks fantastic but I had to watch your video about 20 times to get the corners on the bumpers right. You're my savior, Tomorrow is the Super Bowl and I'm having company, wouldn't have been the same without a pool table. Not a big football fan, but I like Tom Brady, Nascar is my sport. Football lost me on the KNEE THING. I'm a Viet Nam Vet. MAGA, You're #1
That’s awesome. Yeah that’s why we wanted to do this video, mostly for the ability to replay over and over again for our employees to learn. Hope your table plays great!
Great video ! I'm in the process of recovering my rails and this is just the information I needed !
So glad we could help!
Thank you so much for this awesome video! My daughter and I be felting and reassembling my pool table. I'm a bit nervous but this will definitely help. I'm gathering now as you know I will be looking for other videos on how to assemble the Slate as well.
Trust me, I've been asking to film a slate video for awhile now! There is a catch to slate, because every table is a little different. I hope to make a slate video soon, but in it we can only show the tips and tricks for that one brand of table, which will most likely be Olhausen.
I worked for a shop in Vegas called A-1 Billiards for almost 3 years after HS. They were friends of the family and my brother worked there for probably 15 years. The old man , his sons and nephew were all excellent pool table mechanics . My brother as well. Some things just don’t change. We covered rails exactly the same way. Literally step by step near identical . I haven’t touched a pool table since probably 99 or maybe 00’ . We sold a LOT of tables. I think 500 a year or so. Plus we serviced what seemed like every bar in town. 2x a year we would cover bar tables 10-12 hrs a day for weeks! I didn’t mind it though as it was a break from carrying slate and frames up stairs. The upstairs, over the garage loft/gameroom is very very common in vegas. .
Glad to have another tradesman watching our videos.
Exceptional video!
Thank you so much Deep Divers!
A couple of things to point out. If the feather strip is loose wrap it with masking tape, it works great and wont damage the feather strip. Don,t use 3/8 staples unless the wood on the rail is completely worn out 1/4 " is perfect. I've been doing this for 36 years.
Hey that's a really good idea! The only concern with using electrical tape wrapped around the feather strip would be the bulge on top of the featherstrip which would then show through the felt. It would work if you cut little strips and covered just the bottom and sides though. Not sure the leg of the staple matters too much though. It's what we use because that's all our industrial grade electric staplers can use, works great on every rail worn or new, and we don't want to have to have multiple different staplers for different scenarios. When it comes to staplers for people doing DIY, we recommend that it's industrial grade so it can at least drive the staple into the wood, but you bring up a good point in making sure that the leg is appropriate. Something like a 5/8's leg would be overkill!
@@TakeABreakSpasandBilliards I use 1 1/2 masking tape on feather strips. I use Duo-Fast commercial staple guns and shoot 1/4" in cloth and 3/8" in pockets.
@@mavgrab74 that is awesome, we use Duo-Fast as well! Dave (the guy in the video) just told me that they do take different staples, so you taught me something new! Thank you very much for pointing that out
Staples in the feather stripping is not a good plan to fix a loose feather strip unless this is the last time that rail will be recovered. One inch wide piece of masking tape on the bottom of the feather stripping folded up both sides would be the preferred method. If someone is watching this video they need to center the feather stripping and do a center mark. When they become as competent as you then they can skip this step. You can work with the blind apron, but a beginner needs to remove the blind apron so they can grip the rail better and reduce the possibility of dropping the rail on the floor as they can put the rail more to the middle of the table. When working with tournament cloth "speed cloth" it is fine to have the small bumps in the face of the rail rubber (not wrinkles) these small bumps will relax out in a few hours and the rails will be more responsive. Excellent technique on the corner pockets and the side pockets are very good as well. I gave the video a thumbs up.
Yeah I agree about the tape. We've had a discussion about it in the comments a few times. I like the pointers you give for beginners, ensuring that they have a good first time experience. Your comments are thoughtful and helpful!
Totally enjoyed watching your video on felting the rails. You explained the reasoning and technique really good nfo.
Thank you Ed!
Super helpful thank you
Glad it was helpful!
Great how to answered all my questions
Thanks for watching Daniel!
Nice video - thanks!
Glad you liked it!
Instead of staples through feather strip making it a nightmare for the next guy recovering, we take 3/4” masking tape and wrap the 3 sides of feather strip going into grove. Sometimes it’ll take 2-3 layers to build out feather strip to where it’s tight. Been doing it this way on commercial Gold Crowns for years and never had a rail cloth pull loose.
Yes I think that is a better idea as well. Featherstrips that are too small have been rare, and we had seen this particular rail had been stapled before, so we were replacing the staple and thought it would be a cool tip to mention. But the masking tape, or electrical tape as suggested by another commenter, would be fill the gap and doesn't harm the structure of the wood.
Superb vid my man. No im off to do mine.
Awesome, good luck!
i watch this video for the firth time done my table great lesson! thanks!
Glad to help you!
Thank you bud, great video.
Thank you Rico!
great video, I feel im ready to refelt my table
Go get it Smith! Thanks for watching!
Muy bueno el vídeo desde jujuy Argentina
Muchas Gracias!
Perhaps he best video on RUclips for refelting rails. Curious about the staple in n the feather strip. One, was the staple long enough to bite into the rail, or is the purpose of the staple to displace the wood in oversee for it to fit thighter. Secondly, if the felt on the rails is ever replaced, the person replacing it is going to be pissed. Thirdly, cutting that tiny little piece out of the end of the rail is money
Hey thanks for watching Greg! Normally we don't staple feather strips because it's a very rare case that feather strips are too small. When we were asked by the customer to refelt these rails, we discovered the marked section was loose, so in the moment we weren't really trying to research better methods. We went with it as a quick fix. I've really liked some of the other comments below where electrical tape could help fill the gap so there wouldn't be any splintering like the staple might cause. In this case, the staple was not long enough to drive down, nor did it expand the wood, but it did catch the felt so the strip was more effective in holding the felt in place. If only there was a way to keep this video up and edit it so we can jump in and say "Hey guess what there's a better way that won't damage the featherstrip for future uses!" So thank you for asking and clarifying. Thanks for the compliments and contributing to the comment community!
Very helpful
Glad you think so!
Great Video! Learned some good techs.
Thanks for watching Bill!
Great video. Congratulations.
Thank you!
Great video and the music didn’t drive me nuts. Lol
Thank you! Glad the music wasn't bad for you haha
Best one I've seen.
Thank you!
Great job love the way you do the pockets..
Thanks Bruce!
Extremely helpful thanks
Than you Jahangeer!
Thank you
Welcome!
Thanks! I was unsure of how the felt was secured on the top of the rail. Feather strip! I'm off to the races!
Go get 'em Pirate!
Thanks bud it was a great video 😀😀😀
Glad we could help!
Thank you, this was a great help. But I need to add if you have a laminate table be careful it's very easy to crack the laminate and not know it when you're installing the feather strips. I cracked mine slightly but not funcionally ... just a heads up.
This is very true! You need to line up that feather strip really well, because if don't line it up right the feather strip will knick the edge. Thanks for pointing that out Stuart!
great video. I'm a 20 year veteran of the carpenter trade building my first table....
Glad we can help you!
Doing my rails this weekend, wish me luck.
+Little Bear canoe company how did it go?
The rails are great. Still working on rails. table has cloth, maybe this week end i will have some rails and cloth started. Big job
engineering aspect for pool board required great skill.
Thanks Jairam
awesome, best video I've seen.
+Bill Mroczkowski you're too kind, thank you so much
Great video, I plan to refelt my table and your video is by far the best one I have found on RUclips. Do you happen to have a video on leveling slate?
It is certainly on the list!
Muito boa explicação agora entendi....👍👍👍👍👏👏👏
Thanks!
Great tutorial... The finer points on how to deal with the feather strip and the fold at the center pockets avoided some creativity of my own that would have produced less than optimum results. THANKS!
You bet Carl!
I have 20 years of doing tables. Never seen a rail done the way you do. Takes me 20 min to do a set of rails. No need to have so much extra over the feather strip
Yup, doesn't take very long at all once you know how to do it and you do it often. I'm sure you know everyone does it different, all in the name of making customers happy.
Nice job I look like a pro thank you so much
So glad we were able to help Merquiades!
the best !
Thanks!
Awesome tutorial, very descriptive and informative. BUT of course I bought Simonis to do my rails and table. Any chance there is a video of you reclothing rails using Simonis since you mentioned it's a bit different?
I know you installed your cloth 3 years ago, I'm just going through old comments right now. We will hopefully have one up soon, because we need to do one for our delivery guys internally and we will share that information with the world once that video is completed.
The center pocket method is easier to do.
Can I apply the center pocket method to all the corner pockets since I'm not good at getting those wrinkles behind?
I agree that it is easier. I'm not sure how to adapt it to corner pockets simply because most customers expect us to make that corner look perfect and sometimes extra cloth on a corner might cause a ball to rebound differently than expected. Have you already tried doing the folding method personally? Did it turn out good?
Excellent demonstration of the task. The music was extremely frustrating and made it hard to hear. Do you have the video without music please??
Thanks for watching! I wish I could remove the music off of this 7 year old video, but RUclips does not provide the native tools to accomplish this. As such the only other means would be to delete and reupload the video, which would delete all of its search data, making it unavailable to future viewers because the algorithm would no longer recommend the video. However! I have finally re-edited the video with the original footage and made a separate upload! Here is the link to the video: ruclips.net/video/SjKzUzLTywg/видео.html
This is by far the best video! Unfortunately our rails have all rounded ends and our stretching doesn’t seem to be enough to prevent the wrinkles and we can’t do a fold since there are no corners. Do you have any tips?
That sounds like a strange table to have rounded ends. If there are no corners you'll likely need to use a thin ounce cloth and just stretch it, staple it, stretch it, staple it kind of like how we step the corner pockets. Do your best to keep the wrinkles behind the staples and not on the playing surface.
Thanks. For others who may need it: We ended up using the old fabric as a pattern and it had rounded points so there was actually a bit of stretching from both sides of the ends and way less fabric to contend with. This worked much better.
Thanks for sharing!
I have a valley coin-op table do you staple the corners the same as you shown, also do you light spray with water first to help the stretch
We would probably do it similar, yes, though most Valley tables have detachable bumpers that are prefelted and you just screw them onto the rail. We haven't used water during cloth installs
Great video!! I’ve gotten the courage to do my table on my own. After paying someone to botch it :( one question though what size of staple you used? Thanks!!
That's sad someone botched it. We use a Duo-Fast Stapler with 1/2 crown and 3/8 leg. Here is a link to the gun itself: www.nailgundepot.com/duofast-eic3118a-22-gauge-electric-upholstery-stapler
Hi There - this is really one of the most helpful videos out there on Felting Rails. You noted that you were using a Duo_Fast Stapler with 1/2" crown but the link you provided goes to a DuoFast EIC-3118A Stapler which is a 3/8" crown 22 guage. I am looking to get the stapler you were using. Is the 3118A 3/8" crown stapler the one you use with 22 ga. staples or a different one? Much appreciated.
That is the stapler we use. It can use any crown between 3/8ths and 9/16ths, so 1/2" crown is right in the middle of that.
@@TakeABreakSpasandBilliards hi thx for the response but are you meaning it can use any staple length? Length of the legs? The crown is the width of the staple and for that gun is only 3/8”. Just making sure thx
@@Dinodinot Alright, I just got with our purchaser because apparently we recently just bought a new gun for ourselves! Here is the link to the gun we bought: www.nailgundepot.com/duofast-ewc5018a-20-gauge-general-purpose-electric-stapler
Is there any difference between gray bumpers and pink bumpers? If so, what is the difference?
As far as we can tell, they both have the same quality, rebound, and longevity. Here is a link to the cushions we've always used: www.imperialusa.com/imperial-mark-1-43-in-k66-cushion-rubber-set-of-6.html
Great video. What size of staples do you recommend for the side rails
1/2 crown and 3/8 leg is what we use on everything
This is the only video that I’ve found to give the confidence to Re cloth my own cushions
Can you please advise how much excess of cloth over the ends to allow before cutting. I am doing six 10ft cushions of a snooker table.
Hey Twizzian, great question. When we do our rail cuts, they usually come from the bed cloth if they are not pre-cut by the cloth manufacturer. We will usually take about a 5 inch cut away from the felt, and the cloth length is already long enough for the rails. I would say you want at most 4 inches extra on the ends, which you will staple down and then cut away the excess.
Take A Break Spas & Billiards thanks very much for the help comment.
I’m also enjoying all your other videos even though I do not live in USA
You're always welcome!
thank you for that nice explication video, but i have an simonis cloth and we did it with some lines to see 😢. I hope you can help me out
Darn, I'm sorry to hear that friend. We haven't made a Simonis video in a while and its been hard to pin dave down to make one. Hopefully we make one soon!
Great video! I will be using Speed Cloth since I have a 9' table (that's what was suggested to me). Did you make a video for that type of cloth? Thanks!
Not yet, but boy I can't wait to post one
Thank you for such a fantastic video. The angles are fantastic and the craftsman has superb commentary. What size staple are you using and who is the gun manufacturer?
Thank you for the high praise! We use 1/2 crown with 3/8 leg staples with Duo-Fast Staple guns. Here is a link to the gun itself: www.nailgundepot.com/duofast-eic3118a-22-gauge-electric-upholstery-stapler
Thank you!!
@@KevinWorrell Yup you bet!
I’m glad you mentioned how different the technique to lay down Simonis 860 is. Which is pretty much all we do on tournament tables. Quick question, why such long stapes? Even for Champion cloth I use 1/4” along rail and 1/2 at ends. I guess cause I know I’m the one that’ll be removing them. Nice wrap btw.
Simonis is awesome, isn't it? Gotta love that stuff. We've used the 3/8's for a long time, though it's hard to pinpoint when we started using them. They do get wedged into the wood pretty good, but we've gotten really good at removing them. I think one reason we still use them is to simplify and streamline our process, not having to switch ammo mid process or carry two guns. Do you work here in Utah?
Take A Break Spas & Billiard: I meant 3/8 not 1/2”. We use 1/4” on everything except when doing cheaper cloth and we have fold at side pockets , 1/4 “ is a bit short. One gun for all lengths. When doing leather drop pockets, then I use narrow crown 3/8-1/2”. . Sorry I’m on the East coast , in Jersey and NY area. Keep up the fine work.
Great video! Thank you for the detailed instruction. Where can I purchase the cloth? And my second question, is it advisable to reuse the existing cloth if it has only come loose?
Depends on where you live I guess, haha! I highly recommend you check out a local dealer and shop local. We're a local company in Utah, though if you did want to order from us and you aren't in Utah you can call in at 801-489-6005, hit 1 for sales, and then hit 1 for Springville and we can ship one out to you. You can re-use existing cloth, you just need to make sure you can get a good stretch. If there isn't enough slack to pull and staple, then you probably need new cloth.
So I had my felt replace recently and the feather strips are all driven in to deep so that the felt is way below the side rails. Is there a way to easily lift the feather strip up so the felt is slightly above the side rails so I can cue off the rails and not my hand?
Unfortunately there isn't an easy way to lift that strip without redoing the rails or poking holes in the cloth. Those get wacked in pretty good and there's a divot because either the strip is too small or the cloth was just a really thin cloth. Even then it's supposed to at least be smooth, though our rails with the thickness of Championship can be raised up like 1/16 or 1/32 of an inch, but nothing that you would necessarily cue off of.
VERY good info sir,thank u for the video,i have a few questions ,when u have time sir..1)how long are the staples do you use,is there a brand of staples you like best. i have never done this so here goes...what brand of felt would you use on a valley 7 foot bar room table...i only want to do this once (hopefully in my life time)this will be for my game room and i would like it to last a good long time so i dont have to do it again,i would like a thinker felt if they make it,so i would THINK it would last longer,3)what is speed felt and should i stay away from that to keep the felt nicer /longer..thank u for your time,thomas
We use a Duo-Fast Staple with 1/2 crown and 3/8 leg. It works for every need you have on a pool table. Valley tables are an interesting breed, because their bumpers come pre-felted and you bolt them onto the rail. So you might consider finding your local Valley dealer (if you're in Utah, we're your dealer) and asking them for new bumpers and possibly a new playing field. If you want to try and DIY refelting those bumpers and you're looking for something that will last a long time you should try and get Simonis 860 cloth. It's the best on the market. Otherwise anything from Championship cloth is pretty standard and should last you several years. Speedcloth is typically thinner and not going to last as long, which is why it is a standard cloth on most tables, including Valley I believe. Iwan Simonis is the only manufacturer who gets the fastest cloth with the highest durability, and because of it's tight weave its also naturally liquid resistant.
Those are my two recommendations for you. Let me know if you have another questions!
Great job but i would like to see the installation for simonis cloth
Yes sir!
Simonis cloth will show a lot of stretch marks everywhere there is a staple using this method. The pocket areas have way too many staples in my opinion. You could prevent a lot of those wrinkles by cheating the cloth under the featherstrip at the corner pocket ends. Simonis Cloth will let you know how good of an install job is. 80 percent of my pool table work is Simonis cloth installs. This is a good rail recover but the woolen cloth is very forgiving.
Does it matter what kind of staples to use?
We personally use 3/8's leg and the crown is dictated by what kind of stapler you use. Just make sure it's industrial grade so the staple gets into the wood and gets into the meat of it well, perhaps a minimum of a 1/4 leg?