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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".

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Comments

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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.
 

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

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Great looking billiards table. Thank you for sharing.
 

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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
 

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

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BEAUTIFUL!!!!! Thanks for posting.
 

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Great looking billiards table.
 

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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.
 

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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.
 

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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
 

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

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

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

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

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Congratulations on your first prize in the recycled catagory.
 

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Congratulations Michael. Well deserved!
 

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Thank you very much Karson, Stewart, & Dennis.
 

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