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Rex Billiard Table

Project by Michael Brailsford posted 46 days ago 1167 views 1 time favorited 36 comments Add to Favorites
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Michael Brailsford

160 posts in 46 days


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Rex Billiard Table Rex Billiard Table No-picture-s Click the pictures to enlarge them

I call this table the “Rex” because all of the wood for the project came from recycled handrails from Rex hospital. It makes me sick to think of the thousands of boardfeet of maple that went to the landfill before I was able to claim the rest. This was my first billiard table and it was an exciting project. A Little more on the wood, the hand rails were installed in the hospital in 1980. I started working at the hospital in 97 and they started changing the rails out to plastic ones in 99. They are easier to keep clean.
So when I got each rail they had many coats of poly on them, as well as lots of gum and god know what else. They were milled to 8/4 and had a one inch wide groove routed in the back about 1” from the top (that was where the majority of the gum was). Each one was able to be milled in several ways. I could resaw off two 3/8’s strips off the back, one 1” and another about 3” wide. That left me with a piece of 3/4 x 5”. I could also rip it at the groove and get a piece 1 3/4” x 3”. I used it in both ways on the table. The base was laminated up pieces of the 1 3/4×3”, while the legs were laminated pieces of the 3/4” x 5”.

-- Michael A. Brailsford


36 comments so far

View GarageWoodworks's profile

GarageWoodworks

59 posts in 75 days


posted 46 days ago

Wow! That is awesome. I’ve always wanted to build one of those. Did you follow plans? How long did it take to complete?
Any in-progress pics?

Details man! Need details.

-- -Brian of High Point, NC (http://www.garagewoodworks.com)

View Mark Shymanski's profile

Mark Shymanski

429 posts in 165 days


posted 46 days ago

Echoing Brian’s comments, that is a tremendous table. This is the kind of project to do once the kids have grown and aren’t using the basement as a play area…I could use it as a play area LOL. Thanks for the great post.

-- ....next big purchase is wood for the next project, Mark

View NY_Rocking_Chairs's profile

NY_Rocking_Chairs

183 posts in 49 days


posted 46 days ago

Awesome, really makes me wish I had room for one. Out of curiosity, where did you go for the slate?

-- Rich, WNY, www.nyrockingchairs.com

View glennl's profile

glennl

18 posts in 80 days


posted 46 days ago

Awesome table!

-- GlennL, New Jersey

View trifern's profile

trifern

3435 posts in 219 days


posted 46 days ago

Great looking billiards table. Thank you for sharing.

-- Depend on the rabbit's foot if you will, but remember it didn't work for the rabbit.

View Michael Brailsford's profile

Michael Brailsford

160 posts in 46 days


posted 46 days ago

I did not follow any plans. The story behind it is as follows: I had been building furniture for many years but building a billiard table never entered my mind. My wife and I were out shopping for a table and were pretty much blown away by the prices for a quality table. A Brunswick Mission style table (btw the Brunswick salesman told me that Brunswick has to pay for use of the Mission name…..How Pathetic) is $5500. After looking my wife said “why don’t you build one”. As silly as it now seems in retrospect I was thinking “because billiard tables are made at factories”. After doing a little research on line I found there was nothing on a billiard table I could not do. I learned the needed dimensions of different parts, drew up some prints and went for it. I bought all of the parts needed on line, retail. I then was able to find a place to by wholesale for the next two tables, but have now been shut off because I do not buy enough from them (????). If you build one expect to pay around $1000 for materials. The first table took me 160 hours. The bed frame I built with 8/4 poplar it was cheaper and easier to work with and the parts of it that are visible I covered in maple. Be very careful on how you have you slate shipped my first set came broken and it took alot of time and energy arguing with the trucking company to get them to cover the loss. The hardest part to fabricate were the rails. The tolerances are VERY tight. It is what controls how your ball rebound.
I hope this information helps

-- Michael A. Brailsford

View scottb's profile

scottb

2886 posts in 779 days


posted 46 days ago

great table. and a great salvage. I would love to have one of these in my living room, who needs a couch!?

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

View John Gray's profile

John Gray

602 posts in 338 days


posted 46 days ago

BEAUTIFUL!!!!! Thanks for posting.

-- Only the Shadow knows....................

View GarageWoodworks's profile

GarageWoodworks

59 posts in 75 days


posted 46 days ago

No plans! Even more impressive! You hit it out of the park!

-- -Brian of High Point, NC (http://www.garagewoodworks.com)

View jeanmarc's profile

jeanmarc

1693 posts in 168 days


posted 45 days ago

Great looking billiards table.

-- jeanmarc manosque france

View Dick Cain's profile

Dick Cain

4839 posts in 752 days


posted 44 days ago

One of the nicest looking pool tables I’ve seen.

Great craftsmanship!

It’s a shame about all the good material that ends up in the landfills.

-- Dick Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

View Karson's profile

Karson

12742 posts in 853 days


posted 44 days ago

Great Table. We had one as a kid and I remember my father wanting to move it from one room in the basement to another. He was going to have a company move it. I suggested that we try and if we fail then get the company involved.

Setting up the table was simple. we found that shoting the balls on just the slate, it was easier to determine if it was flat that to use a level and find that you were off a part of a bubble and never know it..

Very nice design and construction.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

View ND2ELK's profile

ND2ELK

2271 posts in 226 days


posted 44 days ago

Beautiful table! You did a great job on it. I only had a chance to work on one of these tables in a restoration job. A guy had a 1889 Brunswick table that was his grandfathers. It had been stored up in a barn loft for years. It was quite elaberate and really had fun redoing it. Always regret that I never took a before and after picture of it. I was surprised I could find all the parts for the restoration at the time. Thanks for posting.

God Bless
tom

-- Mc Bridge Cabinets, Iowa

View Grumpy's profile

Grumpy

4924 posts in 303 days


posted 34 days ago

Very nice job Michael. I know the work that goes into making one of these tables. Good luck in the contest.

-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python

View Michael Brailsford's profile

Michael Brailsford

160 posts in 46 days


posted 34 days ago

Thank you Grumpy. It was a bunch of work but well worth every bit. Billiard tables are alot of fun to build

-- Michael A. Brailsford

View RobS's profile

RobS

1087 posts in 759 days


posted 33 days ago

From the hospital hall to games of nine ball, nice save and best of luck.

-- Rob (A) Waxahachie,TX

View SteveKorz's profile

SteveKorz

1196 posts in 166 days


posted 33 days ago

Wow, this is really nice! You’ve done a great job on it…

-- As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)

View Karson's profile

Karson

12742 posts in 853 days


posted 31 days ago

Congratulations on your first prize in the recycled catagory.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

View YorkshireStewart's profile

YorkshireStewart

625 posts in 353 days


posted 31 days ago

Congratulations Michael. Well deserved!

-- Res severa verum gaudium - True pleasure is a serious business.

View dennis mitchell's profile

dennis mitchell

2914 posts in 767 days


posted 31 days ago

View Michael Brailsford's profile

Michael Brailsford

160 posts in 46 days


posted 31 days ago

Thank you very much Karson, Stewart, & Dennis.

-- Michael A. Brailsford

View rikkor's profile

rikkor

7202 posts in 327 days


posted 30 days ago

Congrats on winning the challenge, and congrats on a very fine table.

-- Maplewood, MN

View Michael Brailsford's profile

Michael Brailsford

160 posts in 46 days


posted 30 days ago

Thank you Rikkor.

-- Michael A. Brailsford

View john's profile

john

757 posts in 834 days


posted 30 days ago

Congrats to you Michael for a well deserved win .

-- John in Cranbrook http://www.extremebirdhouse.com ....http://community.webshots.com/user/cranbrook2

View Michael Brailsford's profile

Michael Brailsford

160 posts in 46 days


posted 30 days ago

Thank you John. It is very kind of you to say. Your birdhouses astounded me. I like the designs and workmanship.

-- Michael A. Brailsford

View jinxedjohn's profile

jinxedjohn

3 posts in 83 days


posted 30 days ago

Amazing work and Congratulations on your 1st place win! I am sure you are very proud of your table. It is simply beautiful.

-- John

View Michael Brailsford's profile

Michael Brailsford

160 posts in 46 days


posted 30 days ago

Thank you John.

-- Michael A. Brailsford

View jeanmarc's profile

jeanmarc

1693 posts in 168 days


posted 30 days ago

Congrats to you Michaelon your 1st place win splendid work very beautiful billiards

-- jeanmarc manosque france

View Michael Brailsford's profile

Michael Brailsford

160 posts in 46 days


posted 30 days ago

Thank you Jeanmarc.

-- Michael A. Brailsford

View wdh's profile

wdh

4 posts in 92 days


posted 29 days ago

Awesome pool table!! I love to shoot pool and always wated to make one but thought it would be hard to get the slate(and time to build it).It must give you a great sense of pride to play on it.Congrats on your win.

-- Wayne,Saint John,NB

View thetimberkid's profile

thetimberkid

1515 posts in 155 days


posted 29 days ago

Great job!

Thanks fror the post

Callum

-- Look great, get your TTK merchandise now! http://www.printfection.com/thetimberkid/ Check out my site http://thetimberkid.blogspot.com/

View Michael Brailsford's profile

Michael Brailsford

160 posts in 46 days


posted 29 days ago

Wayne, the slate and other parts needed are not that hard to find. It is a challenging job but well worth it.

Thank you Callum.

-- Michael A. Brailsford

View Douglas Bordner's profile

Douglas Bordner

2468 posts in 516 days


posted 29 days ago

Congrats in the win. Fine job!

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

View socal's profile

socal

6 posts in 273 days


posted 29 days ago

Michael – Congrats on winning the contest. I’m glad that the judging obviously factored mechanical excellency and difficulty of build into the equation, not just aesthetics.

Great, impressive job. – JB

-- -JB

View Michael Brailsford's profile

Michael Brailsford

160 posts in 46 days


posted 28 days ago

Thank you Douglas and JB.

-- Michael A. Brailsford

View jrlwoodworks's profile

jrlwoodworks

14 posts in 445 days


posted 16 days ago

that is a amazing job!! i would love to get my hands on a table like that.

-- jrlwoodworks

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