moving a pool table?????

Question

we are staying in an apt until our house is built and will have no room for our pool table. its extremely heavy and will need to be proffesionally broke down and i guess stored until we move. Has anyone had this same situation and if so what did you do???
thanks

Answer 1

I had a pool table that I moved 3 times (due to divorce) on my own. It's not as hard as you think. Finding the hardware to remove the rails is the tricky part. You have to look underneath the table and sometimes, in the pockets. Once you have the rails off, the rest is easy. Use a nail set to drive the nails or staples through the felt. I found this easier than trying to remove them, then remove the felt. The rails hold the slate in place (and they have already been removed), so at this point, you should be able to lift the sections of slate off the base. Handle the slate with care, it chips easily. Now, you're looking at just the base. With the rails, felt and slate removed, the base is easy to dis-assemble. If it makes it easier to remember, take pictures of the different stages of dis-assembly, it will help when you are putting it back together.

The only tips I have for re-assembling the table is, make sure the base is where the table will be permanently, and leveled in both directions, before laying on the slate. You may have to shim the sections of slate slightly to make them flush with each other. You can use slate putty or paraffin to fill in the joints and screw holes of the slate (make sure the surface is COMPLETELY smooth). Then reattach the felt, making sure to pull it tightly, with small nails or staples.
Here is a link that shows some of the items needed for re-assembly, such as paraffin and slate shims:
http://www.billiardsstore.com/display/scat/price/249.cfm

Answer 2

We took ours apart and then had a professional put it back together and re-felt the table. If the felt is over five years old you probably need it replaced anyway. Taking it apart is pretty easy. You just need to take your time and put all the hardware in bags maked with their locations.