# Pool tables are very expensive. Can I build my own? Tips requested... **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 10, 2004, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pool-tables-are-very-expensive-can-i-build-my-own-tips-requested/263888 "2004-09-10T06:43:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2004, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pool-tables-are-very-expensive-can-i-build-my-own-tips-requested/263888/1 "2004-09-10T06:43:04Z")
I’m interested in making a pool table. Not right this minute, but maybe in a year or so… Ideally I’d like one that would be able to last outside (out of direct rain, but on a screened porch type thing… Has anyone done this and can offer words of wisdom? Anyone know of plans online somewhere that I could download? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2004, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pool-tables-are-very-expensive-can-i-build-my-own-tips-requested/263888/2 "2004-09-10T08:30:16Z")
Atmospheric moisture is likely to be your biggest problem out of doors - even under shelter - if you build it with a slate bed (incredibly heavy and somewhat expensive, but still the best option), this is less of a worry, but if you use MDF or some other wood-based product for the bed, you are likely to experience distortion of the playing surface over time. If I was doing this, I would be looking out for a second hand table (in any condition, as long as the slate isn’t broken) as a starting point; I’d possibly discard all but the bed and ball return mechanism. ---
**Author:** ![t-keela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a3d4f5/32.png) [@t-keela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/t-keela)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2004, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pool-tables-are-very-expensive-can-i-build-my-own-tips-requested/263888/3 "2004-09-10T08:31:44Z")
I don’t have any cites handy but my brother has been thinking about doing this. I’ve done quite a bit of research for himw and I think we came up with a figure of about a thousand bucks to make a table. The slate will run you at least $600 and that’s as cheap as I found one. The low end on a decent quality table is about $1200. YMMV of course. We had discussed purchasing an old table and rebuilding it. That was the MOST favorable deal we’d come up with. Old tables often go for as little as $100 bucks. New felt and banks will cost you a couple of hundred dollars. Just make sure the slate is good. The wood can be refinished or replaced fairly inexpensively. I saw a few on E-bay that were priced quite reasonably but he wasn’t ready yet. good luck t/k ---
**Author:** ![t-keela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a3d4f5/32.png) [@t-keela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/t-keela)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2004, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pool-tables-are-very-expensive-can-i-build-my-own-tips-requested/263888/4 "2004-09-10T08:38:44Z")
BTW we had also discussed the possibility of making it out of metal (this is for a shop) the shop is really big and he’s got a lot of welding stuff. We thought maybe welding theframe and using some plate as a bed. Then laying some solid 1" hardwood solid core plywood down as the top. Of course banks and felt etc would all be purchased and attached but the pockets could just be basket weave or something similar. No need to mess with a ball return. He could then make a solid top to protect the felt and still use the table for whatever. he’s always BBQing or fish frying etc. it’d come in handy and afterwards…pop the top and play. 😃 pop the top… mm-hmm a bunch of 'em ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2004, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pool-tables-are-very-expensive-can-i-build-my-own-tips-requested/263888/5 "2004-09-10T08:44:33Z")
Actually, I suppose if you wanted to be unconventional, you could make a non-standard table - bare metal surface, unfelted hard rubber cushions and engraved stainless steel balls - it could still be every bit as playable as a conventional table - although obviously _different_. ---
**Author:** ![t-keela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a3d4f5/32.png) [@t-keela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/t-keela)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2004, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pool-tables-are-very-expensive-can-i-build-my-own-tips-requested/263888/6 "2004-09-10T08:49:23Z")
Actually **Mangetout** a lot of the tables today have a steel frame and the wood that you see is only bolted to the metal substructure. This ensures that the table is strong and won’t warp when exposed to drastic weather changes. But I get your joke…stainless steel balls 😃 not brass? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2004, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pool-tables-are-very-expensive-can-i-build-my-own-tips-requested/263888/7 "2004-09-10T09:22:24Z")
No joke intended; it would be kind of cool to build a sort of cyber-grunge pool table using only conspicuously ‘tech’ materials - no green baize or polished rosewood, just metal and plastics. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2004, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pool-tables-are-very-expensive-can-i-build-my-own-tips-requested/263888/8 "2004-09-10T09:24:47Z")
If you want cheap, there are cheap tables out there. Walmart for example has a 7 foot table for about $300 and an 8 foot for about $600. These are not slate, but I have an 8’ honeycomb table at home and I like it (I should probably point out that I’m no pro either, but hey, I have fun). A friend of mine has a decent slate table that he got for about $100 used. There are really good used tables out there, but you have to look kinda hard to find them. It’s not too hard to find a good slate table in the $400 to $800 range. On the plus side, you don’t seem to be in much of a hurry, so you can probably find a good deal. It’s going to be awfully hard to build a table for the same price range, but it would be a fun project. From here: [http://www.faqs.org/faqs/sports/billiards/faq/](http://www.faqs.org/faqs/sports/billiards/faq/) > [@](#): > > 1. \*\* Can I build my own table and cue? > > John Kirchel has documented his table project on-line complete > with pictures and drawings at [http://pooltable.kirchelconsulting.com](http://pooltable.kirchelconsulting.com) > His email address is there in case you have questions. > > Bob Stantley’s long article on how he built a table is at > > ``` > http://apeli.tky.hut.fi/~sbo/pub/English_documents/ > Miscellaneous/Build_a_table.txt > > ``` > > You can request a free reprint of the article he used > for plans and materials from Fine Woodworking (March/April 1989) at: > > ``` > 1-800-477-8727 > > ``` > > or from the land-mail address given in Bob Stantley’s article. Or see: > [http://www.bestbilliard.com/resources/buildtable.cfm](http://www.bestbilliard.com/resources/buildtable.cfm) > > Complete plans and instructions in a 70-page booklet for building a > 9-foot table are available from the site [http://www.pooltableplans.com/](http://www.pooltableplans.com/) > for $70. > > In the July/August 1986 issue, Fine Woodworking covered how to make a > cue stick. (But this article was described by a cue maker in RSB as > “immensely inaccurate and misleading.”) Also, many of the pool > magazines carry ads for videos on how to make sticks, in case you want > to get into the business. See also [http://www.cuemaker.com/](http://www.cuemaker.com/) for a > book (some of it on-line) about making cues. ---
**Author:** ![t-keela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a3d4f5/32.png) [@t-keela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/t-keela)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2004, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pool-tables-are-very-expensive-can-i-build-my-own-tips-requested/263888/9 "2004-09-10T09:25:34Z")
and the cue “stick” would be what? This sounds vaguely familiar. Wasn’t there a billiards type game once upon a time (very small scale) that used steel balls and a spring loaded cue. Maybe I’m thinking about pinball 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2004, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pool-tables-are-very-expensive-can-i-build-my-own-tips-requested/263888/10 "2004-09-10T09:27:59Z")
> [@t-keela](#): > > and the cue “stick” would be what? Clear acryclic? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2004, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pool-tables-are-very-expensive-can-i-build-my-own-tips-requested/263888/11 "2004-09-10T09:29:02Z")
Oooh, oooh, no; clear acrylic _with blue LED illumination_, it would have to be. ---
**Author:** ![t-keela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a3d4f5/32.png) [@t-keela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/t-keela)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2004, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pool-tables-are-very-expensive-can-i-build-my-own-tips-requested/263888/12 "2004-09-10T09:29:43Z")
That’s good info. **engineer\_comp\_geek** I’d concur with your analysis. I’ve had a table like you describe. It’s okay for most purposes. Mine didn’t stay true for very many years though. I later got an old coin operated table at a surplus games warehouse for a couple of hundred bucks and used it for a few years. I got double my money back on after I refelted it. It was a good deal all the way around. ---
**Author:** ![t-keela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a3d4f5/32.png) [@t-keela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/t-keela)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2004, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pool-tables-are-very-expensive-can-i-build-my-own-tips-requested/263888/13 "2004-09-10T09:30:59Z")
You don’t think the acrylic shaft would shatter on a hard break? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2004, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pool-tables-are-very-expensive-can-i-build-my-own-tips-requested/263888/14 "2004-09-10T09:54:00Z")
Naah; acrylic is quite strong in compression; you’d still need some sort of resilient tip though. ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2004, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pool-tables-are-very-expensive-can-i-build-my-own-tips-requested/263888/15 "2004-09-10T11:07:48Z")
Are you thinking about a regulation size table or one of the smaller “bar” sized tables? If it were up to me, I would look for auctions and estates sales to buy a used one. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2004, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pool-tables-are-very-expensive-can-i-build-my-own-tips-requested/263888/16 "2004-09-10T11:46:49Z")
My main concern is that it be able to be used outdoors. I’ve found tables online that are listed as outoor tables so I know they’re made… but the ones I’ve seen are all in the $3000-$5000 range. I don’t know how easy it would be to find a used outdoor table… I really have nowhere _NOWHERE_ indoors to put it, so an indoor table would be exactly useless to me. I obviously don’t need anything like a ball return or anything… ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2004, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pool-tables-are-very-expensive-can-i-build-my-own-tips-requested/263888/17 "2004-09-10T13:56:12Z")
> [@t-keela](#): > > Old tables often go for as little as $100 bucks. New felt and banks will cost you a couple of hundred dollars. Just make sure the slate is good. The wood can be refinished or replaced fairly inexpensively. Where in Texas have you seen a used table for $100? I started looking for tables a few months ago and the only used table I have found, granted it has been a while since I looked, was one from the 1880’s that was selling for $6000 +/-. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2004, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pool-tables-are-very-expensive-can-i-build-my-own-tips-requested/263888/18 "2004-09-10T14:20:34Z")
**t-keela** wrote: "Wasn’t there a billiards type game once upon a time (very small scale) that used steel balls and a spring loaded cue. Maybe I’m thinking about pinball " My brother had a board called “Carom” or something, which had pockets and spring-loaded cues striking little pucks. The whole thing was maybe a yard square. The “history” section of the Virtual Pool PC game claims that pool was originally played on the ground with long sticks looking a bit like modern large-scale shuffleboard sticks. If you get away from today’s traction factors (clean felt, leather cue-tips, and chalk,) then the play will be vastly different. One guy I know had his table re-felted, and he cleaned the pool balls and polished them with car wax. They looked real purty, but shots would go forever and “english” had no effect on the ball path. After a few weeks, the balls got a little scuffed, and everything was back to normal. ---
**Author:** ![Donovan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ea666f/32.png) [@Donovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donovan)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2004, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pool-tables-are-very-expensive-can-i-build-my-own-tips-requested/263888/19 "2004-09-10T14:20:39Z")
> [@adam yax](#): > > Where in Texas have you seen a used table for $100? I started looking for tables a few months ago and the only used table I have found, granted it has been a while since I looked, was one from the 1880’s that was selling for $6000 +/-. heh, maybe you should move to wisconsin… I have had three people try to either give (for free) or sell for apprx $100 in the last two years - just don’t have a place to put it… :smack: ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2004, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pool-tables-are-very-expensive-can-i-build-my-own-tips-requested/263888/20 "2004-09-10T15:15:19Z")
Bumper pool is fun too: [http://www.dannyveghs.com/bumper.htm](http://www.dannyveghs.com/bumper.htm) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pool-tables-are-very-expensive-can-i-build-my-own-tips-requested/263888.md?page=2)