Since billiards tables include six pockets for pool games, the slate must be carved around those areas. The pockets’ design differs from table to table. Some tables contain individual drop pockets with mesh netting, hard plastic, or wooden cups as cradles designed for holding balls until they are ready to be retrieved, while others have chutes or guides within the cabinet that are angled downward, with retrieval nooks built into the side of the cabinet as a return for collecting balls in one or two positions on either or both sides of the table.
Continuing with the construction of the table, rails that surround the edge of the table and may be solid or made of multiple pieces. They typically measure between 2.5 and 3.5 inches. The surface area is crafted to match the cabinet, but for less expensive tables, the majority of construction may be of a less costly material, like fiberboard. That said, solid wood rails form a better surface for the strongest construction and the best gameplay.
The faces of the rails often have sights etched into or placed onto them. Sights are markers used as reference points for gameplay. While the sights’ composition and shape may vary, again, depending on the price of table, they could be made of anything from ivory to rare stones. Rails may also be embellished in other ways to increase the aesthetical appeal of a billiards table.
As with the slate, the rail may include a piece of wood glued to its edge to act as an attachment for the cloth that covers the slate to be glued, tacked, or stapled to when it is stretched over the cushion.
The cushion is a full-profile, hard, wedge-shaped piece of gum rubber that covers the full extent of each side of the rails and fences in the table’s playing surface. It is designed to protect the rails and provide the balls with a proper kinetic response, allowing a proper response during play.
As already noted, the cushion is covered by the same cloth covering the slate surface, in order to make the table appear more attractive and give it a more streamlined appearance. Most tables should use K-66 cushions, which refers to the cushion’s shape and angle. K-66 style cushions are actually required by the Billiard Congress of America(BCA) for tournament play.
Returning to the rails, on the outside, extending down the side of the cabinet to the legs is the apron, also called the blind. It is technically part of the cabinet, and it covers the area between the rail and the legs to provide a finished look. It must be ensured that the apron is attached to the top outer edge of the rail because it is designed to hide the edges as well as the internals of the table.
Since this is the external surface of the table, the material that is used matters. Some woods are susceptible to humidity and warping, others may not match with the rest of the room’s furniture. Oak is a popular wood choice used in tables because it is mitigates many risks and hazards to your investment. Like the rails, the apron may be adorned to make a table more appealing.
The apron completes a billiards table. From the skeleton of the cabinet and slate surface to the dressing of the cloth and apron, a billiards table’s construction probably sounds like a lot simpler of a design than it really is. If that were the case, however, the high cost of a well-built table wouldn’t cost upwards of $3,000 and they wouldn’t be so sought after as a luxury furnishing befitting nearly any lifestyle.