Smooth as a snooker ball again

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 5, Issue 2, 9 June 1987, Page 3

Smooth as a snooker ball again

Two people who are working especially hard these days are Robert and Dorothy Wilton from Hamilton, who recondition snooker and pool tables. They were at the Ohakune Club recently to work on the five club tables that were in need of attention. Since the World Snooker Championships the demand for their services has increased, with lots of people being made aware that their tables could do with some care. The snooker tables at the club were in need of new cloth and some work on the slate. Mr Wilton uses a belt sander to carefully level off the slate before spreading the new cloth. A full size snooker table is made up of five matching slabs of slate an inch and a half thick supported by a very solid "bed". Mr Wilton says a snooker table surface is only as good as the bed it sits on. Because slate can flex the bed must be stable and level. The slate used in the Ohakune Club tables is from Genoa. No better material has been found than slate for snooker tables - though the Americans are still looking, he says. "Slate has a very fine texture and can be split true as well as being hard but workable, you can grind slate true." said Mr Wilton. The job of spreading the cloth is similar to an upholsterer's, with tacks and a magnetic hammer used often. Care and attention to detail are extremely important with the Wiltons' job. A flaw can result from even the

tiniest piece of thread being left under the cloth. The Ohakune Club has chosen the best pure wool cloth available for the tables which costs about $5 per linear inch. This cloth is shrunk and reshrunk from twelve feet

down to six feet wide to get a perfect nap. The last part of the job is to re-cloth and, if necessary, replace the cushions. This is another essential part of the 300 year old craft of slate table restoration.

Mr Wilton says a table is also only as good as the cushions. The reconditioning of each of the club's tables cost just over $1000 and should last three to five years before they need looking at again.