How to Make Pool Table Rails

The game of pool provides a wonderful avenue for players all across the world. It is an internationally recognized sport that can be accessed by different people at their homes, casinos and favorite restaurants and bars. Building a pool table may seem intimidating at first but with the right information, skills and tools, it can become a walkover. The rails are a very complex piece of the pool table. It is one of the most important parts of the pool table because it provides the player with a straight edge to bank his shots. The bumpers hang onto a sub rail, whose cuts and angles are complex and must be exact for the table to play well.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Hardwood
• Sub rail
• Nuts
• Bolts
• Steps
• Blinds
• Nails
• Screws
• Glue
• Clamps

1. A fundamental element of building pool table rails is the Hardwood. This is the visible wood that can be found on the rail. The hardwood should be of about 3/4 inch in thickness and between 3 to 3 1/2 inches in width. It should not be too wide so that it doesn’t get dislodged from the sub rail. This may be caused by placing considerable pressure or leaning on it.

2. Before attaching the hardwood to the sub rail, the groove needs to be slit into the bottom. The grooves are meant to hold the top of the blinds which should be set back by at least 1 inch.

3. Every rail is placed on the slate with 3/8-inch by 2-inch bolts. The bolts are nailed to the rail mount plates which can be easily purchased from a variety of stores. To find the exact placement of rail mount plates, the rails and pockets need to be arranged on top of the slate. The slate should hold a permanent position where it overhangs the cabinet on all sides. Clamps can be used to hold the rails in place. Measurement of the playing area can be done at this point. A typical size is the 44-inches by 88-inches (8 foot table) playing area.

4. You will need a 1 1/2 inch bit to drill each hole to 1 to 1 1/4 depth. This depth will sufficiently hold the rail mount plate and the end of the bolt.

5. At this stage, the hardwood should be attached to the rail with glue or any strong adhesive substance. Nails can also be used to clamp the rails both from the top and the side.

6. After all the rails are dry, the edges should be routed and trimmed to match your preference.

Tips & Warnings

• Buying the sub rail saves you the time and stress of cutting it by yourself. It is a complex part of the pool table because the angles and cuts need to suit an exact measurement.
• Care should be taken while using the nuts, bolts and screws to avoid accidents. You should also be careful while drilling the holes.