Billiards tables boost the appeal of a room.
The game of billiards as we know it today evolved from the 17th century. With green felt designed to mimic grass and cue sticks used to tap billiard balls, this pastime branched off as an indoor game similar to croquet. An average 8-foot pool table includes a playing area 88 inches long by 44 inches wide. Building your own billiards table requires at least three days of labor at a cost of $1,000 to $2,000. Draw out your plans before beginning to know the dimensions of the table you wish to create.
Instructions
1. Construct the cabinet using oak and hickory, which are made of intricately woven grains and can handle heavy weight loads. Measure and cut 0.75-inch oak plywood and hickory panels to fit your length and width dimensions. A cabinet for an 8-foot table requires two 2-by-6-by-88-inch side pieces and two 2-by-6-by-44-inch end pieces. Fasten the hickory panels to the inside of the oak panels with a thick layer of permanent epoxy. Clamp the panels together for one hour until completely dry. Screw the double-thick panels together to form the cabinet frame. The center of the cabinet must angle downward at a 15-degree slope to each top and bottom edge.
2. Build the leg mounts using two 2-by-8-inch oak or Douglas fir wood panels. Bolt the panels at a horizontal angle inside each far end of the cabinet.
3. Measure and cut four 12-by-14-by-29.5-inch oak or Douglas fir panels. Screw and glue the panels together to form a long rectangular cube. This 29.5-inch-long device will act as one leg. Place the leg into an upright position in one of the corners of the leg mount. Bolt the leg into place with a socket wrench. Repeat this step three more times to complete all the legs.
4. Measure and cut four 2-by-8-inch oak or Douglas fir crossbeams. The beams should measure the width of the cabinet. Coat two boards with a thick layer of epoxy. Press and clamp the other boards on top of the epoxy-covered boards for dual strength. Keep clamps in place for one hour. Remove clamps, and fit the crossbeams into place one-third of the way in toward the center from each end. Nail the crossbeams into place.
5. Cut 3-by-1.5-inch slate support beams to fit atop the top rim of the cabinet. Screw the support beams into place.
6. Measure and trim a 1-inch-thick piece of slate to set atop the cabinet. Screw the slate into place. The slate should overhang the cabinet by 7 inches on all sides.
7. Cut 35-degree angles with a handsaw at each table corner and at the center on both sides to make room for pocket installation.
8. Build the rails with 0.75-inch-thick and 3-inch-wide wood. Glue the rails to the inside of the support beams. Measurements must consider pocket holes. Rail pocket hole angles are best cut at 55-degree angles on the corners and 15-degree angles on side pockets.
9. Cut a single layer of felt, and affix it atop the slate with glue.
10. Insert 3/8-inch bolts to secure leather pockets into the rails.
11. Cut 1- to 2-inch-long strips of felt to glue alongside the inner edges of the rails for an easy ball bounce.
