My Pool Table

In the UK we typically play on a 6ft table, although I have been in some pubs that have a 5ft table, one pub had a round table, due to playable restrictions, where by you spin the table around to make your shot. Our local pub has a 7ft table.

The UK Pool Object balls measure 2" or 50mm and our Cue Ball measures 1"7/8, so not as typical as tables across the world. In America the balls are a lot larger at 2"1/4, and their typical Table sizes from 7ft-9ft, what's most noticeable is that the American Pool Table pockets can fit 2 balls in the jaws side by side, and yet in the UK we can only fit 1 ball between the pocket jaws.

In the UK, we play Blackball Rules which can be found Here.

So I decided to purchase a pool table for at home after it became apparant that I needed to practice properly, as I am not consistant in making shots, even some simple shots, so working on my stroke and getting decent practice was something that one can not do down the pub. Others would want to play and even going to the local Pool Academy, would cost around £6.00 per hour.
Obviously working out the cost of say 100 hours practice would cost £600 at the Academy, and I bought a table a lot cheaper.

Years ago, when I was growing up I had a small 5ft table top snooker table, that was placed upon the dining table and was made of hardboard and you could never get it levelled properly, so buying a small cheap wood bed table was out of the question, and so I started hunting on E-Bay for a Slate bed table.

I came across this table, and the cost was fairly cheap for a decent looking second hand table, especially as I paid £380.
Collecting the table was fun, but as I own a Ford Transit Custom, and employ a young man, breaking down and transporting a 235kg table back from London was fun.

The table measures 1600mm long x 840mm wide between cushions. which is about typical for a 6ft table, however some 6ft tables have smaller or even larger playing areas, and I have no idea why.

One thing you really need to be aware of before buying a table is, where are you going to place it? I live in a small 2 bed rabbit hutch, well it might as well be, some websites have details on how much space you need with the area measurements based upon cue lengths.
I only have 1 room it could go, so I did a lot of research and planning before I went ahead an made the bid.
Typically I can get around the table with a full size cue, but in some places I have to use a 42" cue.