It's Billiard Time!!!

One of the final things to do to complete my bar room project was to order a nice pool table. I have always wanted a pool table and simply never had the opportunity to own one and even more importantly, never had anywhere to actually place one. With this room, that was now not an issue. I put a lot of time into researching tables and companies and got a lot of advice over the internet. I finally settled for a table from the A.E. Schmidt company. More on them later. I ordered my table through Phila-American Shuffleboard Co. Inc. - an A.E. Schmidt dealer and it took about a month to have it made in the St. Louis, Missouri plant and get it to my home for installation. The main installer was Frank LaCroce, that's Frank in the first picture below, a third generation installer who really knew his job. While he and his crew were installing the table, I was told that Frank started as a young boy, sweeping up around the pool table factory and progressed up through the ranks and is now one of the top installers in the area.

The table comes in components when these guys recieve them and they erect it on-site. The main frame came as one unit and had the legs, a raised panel design incorporating oak and satinwood hardwood in my case, bolted onto the bed frame. Once that was done and it was positioned, the slate began to be set. Three pieces of one inch slate made up the playing surface.

Once the slate was positioned into correct alignment with all sides, it was on to perfecting the surface. Although the surface was very close to being perfectly flat, a light sanding was done on the two seems, in preparation for the next step, and that is the sealing of the Joints and the screw hole voids.

Frank told me that I had done a great job on the leveling of the floor since it was a former garage and the room from front to back had a difference of 5". You can see below that he was using a level to check for "levelness". He actually didn't need to adjust the table at all as the floor's levelness transferred right to the tables dimensions.

Meanwhile, Frank's two assistants began to construct the rail assemblies and the pockets. They eventually would be erected into two assemblies before being applied to the table. Each assembly was composed of the end rails and the two adjoining side rails.

The red felt (to go along with the rooms red theme) began to be applied.

The pockets began to take shape thanks to an electric staple gun.

Once all stapling was completed, excess felt was trimmed away.

Now it was really beginning to look like a pool table! After the felt was completed, the rail assemblies were set on the table surface and were bolted on from underneath.

RACK 'EM UP!!! What do you think??? It's a great looking table.

I upgraded on the ball set. I simply loved this set, which is supposed to mock a stone look. Actually, it is supposed to look as if they incorporate granite in them.

Here's a closer look.

The A.E. Schmidt Billiard Company is the second oldest pool table manufacturing company in the USA. Second only to Brunswick. Out of St. Louis, Missouri, the A.E. Schmidt tables are crafted as heirlooms, to be enjoyed now and treasured later for their superb play and timeless beauty.