Introduction:

We had a good thing going with weekly pool/poker parties at a friends house - until he moved away.  So, I decided to remodel the living room and put in a pool table.  I'm doing the living room with hints of Greene and Greene style - the wood beams and some wood paneling will be rich, dark sapele and I want a pool table to match.  I enjoy woodworking when I have time, so it would be fun to make a pool table.

I've already done some work toward building my table and a plan has formed - it seems like it's going to be a lot of fun.  Along the way I've had to search the internet over and over for information - it's surprising how much there is to learn.  There are some pool table forums out there and some really good advice on them.  In my other hobby, I build high power rockets like these guys: http://www.tripoli.org/ .  There are some great rocketry web sites where builders post 'build threads' chronicling their progress, sometimes teaching others and sometimes seeking help from the collective wisdom of the internet.  This blog is my build thread for a pool table - in particular, I'd love to hear from experienced pool table mechanics and players - maybe you can help me make the table better.  And, since I get the mechanics of carpentry, but often fail at the art, perhaps a woodworker will happen along with advice on the Greene and Greene style as well.

I was watching Craigslist for used tables because I needed good slate and a good used table is a way to get slate at a low price.  I quickly bought a table for only $200 - before I had a clue what I really needed.  When I went to pick it up (with more buddies than necessary, slate isn't that heavy), I was immediately worried that this table had been disassembled by fools and maybe even the slate would be worthless.  But, as I've learned, it's a lot more complicated than that.  I need to go out to the shop and take some pictures. In the next post, photos and details of what that $200 investment bought.