Arts and Crafts Pool Table

that’s one fancy Thorsen side table ;)
how exciting—I’m just imagining playing a game of pool on a table that I had built myself. What a feeling!!
I’m looking forward to the “step by step” progress.

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

This one has an awesome start indeed! Keep it up!

-- Carpe Lignum - Seize The Wood,

You can check out the videos on my site that detail the construction of this monster:
http://www.eaglelakewoodworking.com/index.htm?videos.htm

The leg system has turned out to be quite a stout affair. They are heavy, stable, and pretty cool looking (if I do say so myself).

-- John Nixon - Buffalo, NY - www.EagleLakeWoodworking.com

Nice stuff John. Beautiful work so far. How much will something like this weigh, without the slate? Then with the slate? Thanks for sharing it with us.

-- Better to say nothing and be thought the fool... then to speak and erase all doubt.

I”ve moved a slate for the tables before, those are pretty dang heavy…. so I’d guess that table is being built pretty much in place? Gonna have to convert the shop to a game room/pub, and let the shop take over another space, right? I think If I built a pool table like that, It might end my woodworking career (just in time for a new hobby!

looks awesome so far!

-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Vincent Van Gogh

The WEIGHT -
There will be about 3.5 sheets of plywood, the slate and the weight of the rails. If I have to guestimate, I’d say 500 lbs?

Feel free to chime in with your best guess!

I’m down with turing the shop into a pub. The room the table is going into adjoins the shop area, so it’ll be a short move. I’ll call in some muscle for that move…I’ve been known to move stuff by myself and suffer the consequences.

-- John Nixon - Buffalo, NY - www.EagleLakeWoodworking.com

there’s a house in our area where they put a pool table on the second floor – as they were building the house and then built the house around the table.

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

That’s awesome Debbie. That must have been one heck of a pool table!

-- John Nixon - Buffalo, NY - www.EagleLakeWoodworking.com

Great start John. We had a pool table as a kid that can from a pool hall. My dad always went to the pool hall as a kid and he always wanted one.

We added on the back of the house and decided to move the pool table there. So we were discussing who he could hire to move the table. I suggested why don’t we move it and if it doesn’t work right then we’d hire someone to level it all up.

When we finished it never played so good.

We found to check for tilt on the table was to shoot balls very slow over the slate without the felt or cushions. You’d hear a tick if the seam was not right and if the ball curved you knew that that side was low. It really allowed us to adjust the whole table top probably like it was not done before.

Good luck in your construction.

PS it took both of us to move each of the three pieces of slate. I don’t know the weight.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

Dad and I lugged a slate (in 3 pieces across, and through a cluttered basement. I don’t know what was worse, holding on and maneuvering, or being afraid of dropping it (not for out feet, but breakage!

We has a 3/4 size pool table in the basement (the landlords basement actually – a great place to spend a summer afternoon… too bad I got used to the size, and unfortunately I never had “game” in college, despite a great pool hall in town.

Debbies comment just reminded me, a friend of a friend had a pool table in their attic – I think the 4th or 5th floor (if not higher!)

I’d bet that table came with, and stays with the house!

I could totally turn my living room into a pool hall… but being completely outnumbered by women in this house, that just aint gonna happen. I’d have to do the outdoor thing like Drew Carey.

-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Vincent Van Gogh

I wonder if you ever sleep!? You are so prolific. Excellent work.

-- http://foldingrule.blogspot.com

I really like the animations in your video where you explain the floating tenons. It makes the video really stand out.

-- John

John -

Just visted your website again and enjoyed the videos. Thank you so much for sharing your expertise!

-- http://foldingrule.blogspot.com

My pleasure David. I have learned so much from other people on the internet that have taken the time to post articles, howto’s, pictures, information, etc. I am committed to giving back.

I just wish there were more hours in a day. I have a lot of different projects going on at the moment.

-- John Nixon - Buffalo, NY - www.EagleLakeWoodworking.com

Woodspar – thanks for the compliment on the animations. I use Googe Sketchup for those, and I have had a lot of positive feedback like you gave on how the animations help clarify what I’m about to do.

-- John Nixon - Buffalo, NY - www.EagleLakeWoodworking.com

John,

I’ve been curious about how the miter lock bits work. It was really nice to see them used in the video. I can’t wait to see the finished product.

-- Jerry L.

How is the table coming John?

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

Wow, that’s some great work. I’m just following Wayne around tonight, as he’s finding some gems that I havn’t seen before.

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

Thanks Mot. I appreciate your compliment.

Wayne, in a word…SLOW. I have recently got sidetracked with some other more important stuff. I have video #4 just about ready to go, so that will show a little more progress. I’ll update this project when the next video is ready.

-- John Nixon - Buffalo, NY - www.EagleLakeWoodworking.com

Greetings all, I finally released the next installment in the pool table video series.

This video focuses on a particular challenge I had with the design. I needed to allow some way for the legs to be shimmed to level the table, but without the unsightly look that the legs are floating off the floor. Take a look at the latest video to see how I solved this design challenge.

As always, please let me know what you think.

Follow this link to view the new video:
http://www.eaglelakewoodworking.com/index.htm?PTBP4.htm

Thanks,
John Nixon

-- John Nixon - Buffalo, NY - www.EagleLakeWoodworking.com

Great looking legs, I’ll have to check out the videos. Thanks for the link.

-- Jesus is Lord!

Thanks oscorner. I assume you were talking about the pool table legs, and not mine…LOL. Kidding of course. Thanks for commenting, and I hope you enjoy the video series.

-- John Nixon - Buffalo, NY - www.EagleLakeWoodworking.com

Brilliant. Great video.

-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Vincent Van Gogh

Thanks Scott. I stopped by your site the other day and enjoyed looking around. Nice job on the slate topped table!

Thanks for watching the video and commenting.

-- John Nixon - Buffalo, NY - www.EagleLakeWoodworking.com