ewasser
Forum Beginner
New table owner in California
Posts: 4
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Post by ewasser on May 22, 2020 20:53:52 GMT
Hello and it's nice to meet everyone here online. I hope those near you are staying safe and healthy considering our current state. This group has been wonderful to read through threads, as there isn't much information stateside here in the San Francisco Bay Area about BB. I recently acquired a table from an estate in Menlo Park, CA. It's a Riley that was in pretty poor shape, though the slate is just fine. I'm giving it a full overhaul. The laminate on one side was too far gone to recover, so it will most certainly look different than the condition I got it in. I don't know if I am already committing a foul by putting on it a standard US 21 oz Champion worsted felt versus something with a nap. I just received my new Aramith set by Royal Mail yesterday which look awesome. I am nearly done with the project, now having to machine down goal liners that were intended for a US bumper pool table. Does anyone have information on the type of table that I have? Being that it's laminate, I doubt it was the highest quality to begin with. From the 70's? With Thanks, Elie Attachments:
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Post by Chris_Sav on May 23, 2020 8:40:42 GMT
Hi again Elie.
When you say 'laminate' are you referring to the playing surface?
Unfortunately Rileys are the tables we have least experience with on the mainland. Alan Mee has refurbished one recently so I expect he'll reply. We normally encounter Jelks or Sams in mainland England or Burroughs and Watts in the Channel Islands.
Rileys are the next most common but rarely seen in league play. They were made to the same standard as the other three just appear a bit more lightly built, it would have had a slate so a laminate playing surface is a damage replacement. It's probably from the fifties / early sixties.
Not a great fan of speed cloth on a laminate playing surface as imperfections will be more obvious in the slower travel of the balls, but would rather that than the more common mistake of cheap coarse napped cloth where you have to clout the balls and there is no finesse to the game.
We are having proper rings for the holes 3D printed but cannot get at the CAD files until lockdown ends.
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alanturner
Full Forum Member
Saxophone is the only thing that gets blown , these days !
Posts: 240 
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Post by alanturner on May 23, 2020 9:16:24 GMT
Hi again Elie. When you say 'laminate' are you referring to the playing surface? Unfortunately Rileys are the tables we have least experience with on the mainland. Alan Mee has refurbished one recently so I expect he'll reply. We normally encounter Jelks or Sams in mainland England or Burroughs and Watts in the Channel Islands. Rileys are the next most common but rarely seen in league play. They were made to the same standard as the other three just appear a bit more lightly built, it would have had a slate so a laminate playing surface is a damage replacement. It's probably from the fifties / early sixties. Not a great fan of speed cloth on a laminate playing surface as imperfections will be more obvious in the slower travel of the balls, but would rather that than the more common mistake of cheap coarse napped cloth where you have to clout the balls and there is no finesse to the game. We are having proper rings for the holes 3D printed but cannot get at the CAD files until lockdown ends.
The laminate he is talking about is the table lower body build material , its conti-board (faced chipwood) When i get Rileys I remake the lower body in solid wood oak or Mahogany . The earlier Rileys were solid , its seems to be when they changed to Riley Burwat that they started using 'laminate'
Hope your keeping OK and i get to have a beer with you sometime...........anytime....whenever !!!
Alan |
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Post by Chris_Sav on May 23, 2020 9:35:57 GMT
Cheers Alan, The only Rileys I have seen down this way have been solid wood, news to me!
Re beer, if Adnams don't get some mini casks back in stock for delivery soon I'm going to be up your way banging on their door, social distancing or not!
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ewasser
Forum Beginner
New table owner in California
Posts: 4
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Post by ewasser on May 23, 2020 15:54:54 GMT
The legs and rails are solid, but like Alan described, the 4 sides of the box had a thin wood veneer over compressed wood. CAD files for printing would be great Sav, I have some printers at work. I'm almost done with sanding down the rings I have on hand and will follow up with Alan to pick his brain. Here's a link to what I'm hoping the final product will look like: www.mastersofgames.com/images/billiards/bar-billiards-restored-4-lg.jpg |
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Post by Deleted on May 23, 2020 19:01:50 GMT
Hi Elie, welcome to the Forum. Good to see you're making good progress with your refurbishment.
Two comments though about the target finished product picture from the James Masters site... 1. Hope you're not planning to paint it white, that would be a travesty ! 2. The picture is of a SAMS table: nice job but unless you have a magic wand you won't be able to make your Riley Burwat resemble it !
An idea what what you should aspire to can be found in this AlanTurner thread where he has recently spruced up a Riley:
Regards, tommo
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dipper
Distinguished Member
Posts: 828
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Post by dipper on May 24, 2020 16:04:09 GMT
Perhaps we should be looking to brighten up the tables to attract more attention Clive as something needs to be done to get new players in. I like the white table with a mauve cloth, maybe change the colour of the balls as well !!! I remember their being a few different shades of cloth in Guernsey which took a lot interest.
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Post by Deleted on May 24, 2020 18:01:29 GMT
It's a fair comment, Roger, I've nothing against different colour cloths.
As for painting the wood white, detracts from the authenticity and probably devalues the item as well.
My family had an obsession with painting everything white, and I suppose this has led me to hold this view. My uncle ruined his perfectly good violin by painting it white.
After a good rub-down a simple coat of varnish does the job ...
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ewasser
Forum Beginner
New table owner in California
Posts: 4
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Post by ewasser on May 25, 2020 6:58:17 GMT
It's a fair comment, Roger, I've nothing against different colour cloths.
As for painting the wood white, detracts from the authenticity and probably devalues the item as well.
My family had an obsession with painting everything white, and I suppose this has led me to hold this view. My uncle ruined his perfectly good violin by painting it white.
After a good rub-down a simple coat of varnish does the job ...
I have to stay true to my roots, and you know us Californians... can't leave well enough alone. We have to make everything look like it's ready for Hollywood. In bright light, it does look white. With just the overheads and night though it comes off as a nice grey. It's actually Valspar "Gravity Grey." Thank you Alan for the email with great tips on ring installation. I hear what you are saying Tommo about not having a magic wand. The return on the Riley is so orthogonal compared to the nice cascade wood channels of the Sams I linked. I would have kept with the original wood laminate, but the table was really beat up on one side and I have little woodworking skill. Plus to get authorization from my better half, I had to match the color scheme of the room per her instructions. I plan to link a play-by-play of my project and would love to hear any comments, as I am sure I made a few unholy transgressions along the way. In the end, I have a great table I can play on with my kids.  |
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Post by Deleted on May 25, 2020 9:41:20 GMT
Yeah Elie, Now that you've done it the finished product does look fantastic. I like blue cloth as an alternative to the traditional green, and the off-white still leaves a suggestion of wood - ash maybe, rather than the traditional solid oak that 90% of tables are made from. I actually prefer light wood to mahogany.
Regarding the comparision with the James Masters, your table is still easily recognisable as a Riley....... the J.M. SAMS has a much heavier look about it, with chunkier legs.
Hope you now have hundreds of happy hours playing it !
tommo
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