Overview of Construction
- High-Grade 100% Maple Construction Cabinet/Legs/Rails/Support Beams.
- Hand Rubbed Stain
- 4 Stage Automated Kiln Drying process
- Wide-Profile Rails.
- Recessed Maple Sub Rails.
- Durable and Perfectly Jointed Blinds.
- Genuine Abalone in Mother-Of-Pearl, Pre-Finished, Double-Diamond Sites.
- High Torque, Fixed Nut-Plate Rail Design.
- Breathable, K-66 Full Profile, Gum Rubber Cushions With Vulcanized Control Fabric.
- 1” Oversized, Matched & Registered, Slate.
- NO WOOD SCREWS USED TO ASSEMBLE THE CABINET!!!!!
- Pre-Leveled Cabinets
- Double-Interlocking, Mortis Cut Solid Maple Support Beams.
- Barrier Lock (Maple Cross Beams, Interior Cabinet and Leg Supports are stained and sealed.)
- Pockets – All Leather Pockets (Different Accented Fronts) with Cast Iron Cores.
- Lag Bolt Insert Leg Design.
- Beautiful Poly Urethane Finish with Rich Satin Look.
- BCA approved for Tournament Play.
- Cross-Laminated Handcrafted Legs.
Cabinet Design
All of the critical components involved in supporting the slate are constructed of high-quality materials and the cabinet is precision assembled at the factory Imagine That Pool Tables understands that quality craftsmanship requires time and manufacturing shortcuts often sacrifice quality.
- Beautiful and Functional Cabinet: No veneer and no MDF board, just beautiful, 100% solid-maple, hardwood is used in the construction of the Solid Maple cabinet. Although, our exquisitely crafted cabinets are stunning, these 1.5-inch thick panels provide a Cabinets structurally rigid support system for the slate.
- Steel Corner Brackets: The corner brackets are made of strong, precision-cut steel. The brackets provide a perfect fit and outstanding stability for the table’s corners. The robust brackets are not attached to the cabinet by employing wood screws. We use machine screws threaded into metal-inserts that have been embedded into the hardwood cabinet. This machine-screw/barrel-insert design does require additional manufacturing time but it ensures that the brackets are properly secured to the cabinet.
- Double-Interlocking Support Beams: Using 4 x 1.5 inch thick solid maple wood, further stabilizes the cabinet using “center-beam(s)” / “double cross-beam” design. The Cross Beam construction adds strength to the already resilient and rigid unified body design. Robust trusses are employed to bolt the double-interlocking beam system to the cabinet. The robust trusses are attached to the cabinet by employing both wood screws & machine screws threaded into metal- inserts that have been embedded into the hardwood cabinet. This machine-screw/barrel-insert design does require additional manufacturing time but it ensures that the trusses are properly secured to the cabinet.
- Leg Supports: Depending on the style of table, the corner leg supports are done in 2 different construction models. This is done in order to provide the best leg support for each table. Our triple-anchor leg support design offers exceptional weight bearing capability. This solid-maple, “block” approach is a time consuming manufacturing process, but it provides exceptional leg stability. We use Galvanized steel leg plates that provide rock solid support to anchor the legs to the cabinet. This steel shoe is fastened using 8 lag bolts per shoe, this provides exceptional support and durability.
- Barrier Lock: To protect the pool table, a stain sealant is applied to the backside of the cabinet and each side of the support beams. This sealant creates a barrier lock. Most manufacturers skip this step and leave the underside exposed to moisture that can enter the wood components and cause them to split and crack.
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, hard rock made up of clay, mica, quartz and other minerals. Because it is durable stone with a low moisture-absorption rate and a stable surface, slate is extremely well suited for use in billiards. Consequently, slate is the only surface approved by the Billiard Congress of America for tournament play. For tournament play, the BCA requires that the playing surface should be constructed of “a three- piece set of slate with a minimum thickness of 3/4 inch and a wooden frame of at least 3/4 inch attached to the slate.”
- The Right Thickness: We provide three-piece, tournament approved, 1-inch slate that is perfectly matched and registered. Pool table slate is available in several different thicknesses including 3/4 inch, 7/8th inch, and 1 inch. Of these three thicknesses, 1-inch slate provides the truest and most accurate play; it is the only slate guaranteed by the slate manufactures not to warp.
- Precision-Leveled Surface: We use precision milled slate that offers true and accurate performance. In accordance to BCA tournament specifications, the slate is diamond honed, precision machined, and leveled to within 1/1000 of an inch (half the thickness of a human hair). Following the milling of the slate surface, the slate is processed by state of the art drilling, pocket cutting, and beveling machines.
- The Right Width: We offer only oversized slate. Oversized slate is wide enough to extend completely under the top rail allowing the rail to be securely fastened directly to the slate. This provides a seamless bond and virtually eliminates any opportunity for vibration or misalignment. To reduce cost, inferior tables use short slate where the rails are not mounted directly to the slate. Not only does the slate design provide superior rail support, but our slate’s width and thickness also adds significant weight to the table to help insure that the table won’t be bumped off level during play.
- Approved Slate Frame: In accordance with BCA tournament rules, a 3/4-inch wood frame is bonded directly to the slate. This bonded wood is called a slate frame. Billiard Quality Slate Brazil, China, Italy, Korea, Spain, The United States, and Wales all produce billiard quality slate. Although, slate may look different from one country to another, in terms of billiard performance, there is no distinct difference in the quality of slate quarried in any of these countries. The key characteristic by which slate quality is measured is the precision by which the slate surface has been machined. Slate is the most expensive and perhaps the most crucial component of a well-made pool table. Imagine That Pool Tables is proud to provide BCA approved, precision-machined, and oversized slate on all our tables.
Rail Design
The Imagine That Pool Tables rail construction is of exceptional quality, durability, and beauty.
- Top-Grade Hardwood Construction: Rail caps, sub rails (also referred to as a sub base or rail liner), and blinds are made of solid maple an extremely hard, fine-textured wood. Rather than using high-grade maple, or other quality hardwoods, some pool table manufacturers cut costs by using rubber wood. Buyers beware. Rubber wood tables are often described as being constructed of maple. This light hardwood looks like maple but is classed as a non-durable timber. Rubber wood has a propensity to dry and crack.
- Accurate Rebound: The rails are the second most critical part of a pool table and will usually determine how long the table will last. For long life, all of the components of the rails should be made of hardwood. Imagine That Pool Tables only uses hardwoods (maple) in the construction of the rails. Hardwood rails allow for the most accurate rebound.
- Wide Profile Design: Rails come in many different widths; the two most popular are 4 inch and 5 1/4 inch. A wider rail provides a meatier and more solid foundation for the cushion. The width of the Imagine That Pool Table rails is 5 1/4 to 6 inches. Not only does our wider rail design provide a solid foundation for the cushion, but it also provides a larger area to place your hand for bridging and it creates a more attractive piece of furniture for your home.
- Lively Play: Softwoods will give when a ball strikes the cushion, but solid hardwoods won’t. Hardwood rails give the table a livelier playing characteristic. The Imagine That Pool Tables hardwood rail construction provides lively play.
- Trouble-Free: Should the cushion ever need replaced, softwoods usually chip and become unsuitable for re-gluing when the old cushions are removed. The hardwood rail design facilitates trouble-free cushion replacement.
- Thoughtful Construction: A hardwood sub rail is ideal to hold the billiard cloth staples to the bottom of the rail. Softwoods can chip, split, and crack after multiple stapling but hardwoods do not. The hardwood rail construction allows the rail to be recovered many times over.
- Maintains Form: In order to hold the Pool Table cloth to the top of the rail, a channel is machined in the top surface of the rail. A rubber feather strip is then forced into the channel to fasten the billiard cloth to the top of the rail. The hardwood rail cap provides the strength to hold the feather strip in place. Softer woods tend to spread over time allowing the cloth to pull out and become loose. The solid maple rail will maintain its original form.
- Recessed Sub Rail: The Pool Table cloth that covers the cushions is stapled to the bottom of the sub rail. It is critical that a recessed area is provided under the rail where the cloth is stapled. This specially machined space is called a tack strip or felt relief strip. Without this space, the felt and staples will prevent the rails from sitting flat on the slate. Consequently, the height and angle of the cushion will be altered resulting in the rebound of the table to seem very slow or “dead.” All Imagine That Pool Tables are constructed using rails machined with a felt relief strip.
- Solidly Mounted Blinds: The blind, also known as the skirt or apron, mounts vertically from the rail and covers the raw edge of the slate. The blind is mounted using a “dado-styled” channel cut into the length of the rail. This allows the blind to align perfectly and creates a durable, furniture style joint.
Rail Design / Vibration Free Rail
Imagine That Pool Tables uses the high-torque design of floating nut plates & T-Nuts to secure the rails to the slate. There are several ways in which rails can be fastened to the slate some are better than others. The quality of these fastening systems is extremely important to the play of your table. The rail should be mounted to the slate in such a way that a seamless bond is created. This allows for solid rebounds and vibration free play. The six most common ways of mounting rails are with the use of either lag bolts, threaded inserts, expansion bolts, tie plates, t- nuts, or floating nut plates.
- T-Nuts are a common way to attach rails to slate. Prior to the laminating of the rail cap and sub rail, a hole is drilled in the base and a t-nut is inserted. T-nuts allow for very high torque. Consequently, a strong bond is created between the slate and rail.
- Floating Nut Plates offer one of the best methods of securing the rail to the slate. After the rail is laminated a wide slot is cut into the front of the rail. A threaded plate is inserted into the center of the slot.
Pre Finished Diamond Sights
Imagine That Pool Tables feature pre-finished, hand inlaid, genuine mother-of-pearl/abalone shell, double diamonded-shaped rail sites. Mother-of-pearl is a cultivated pearl material with a beautiful iridescent appearance. Abalone is a marine snail with a beautiful multicolor shell often used in making custom jewelry.
Sites: The sites are the markers on top of the rails and are used as reference points for aiming. The sites do not structurally impact the table; however, they do affect the overall furniture appeal of the table. Double diamond sites create a more expensive furniture look.
Sites are either placed in the rails before the wood is sanded and stained (pre-finished site) or after the finishing process is complete (post-finished site). Pre-finished sites require a more difficult and a more time consuming manufacturing process, but this method produces a fine-furniture look and feel. By running your finger over the site, you can determine which manufacturing process was used. A pre-finished site will feel so smooth you may not be able to tell where it is with your eyes closed. A post-finished site will have a very defined edge.
Cushion Design
Imagine That Pool Tables only use tournament-approved cushions.
Tournament Approved Cushions: The cushions are the most critical part of the rail system. The composition and shape of the cushion will determine how lively the table will play and for how long. In order for a pool table to be tournament-approved, the Billiard Congress of America (BCA) requires that “rubber cushions should be triangular in shape and molded with a conventional K-66 profile with a base height of 1 3/16th inch and a nose height of 1 inch, with control fabric molded to the top and base area of the cushion.” Imagine That Pool Table cushions meet all standards set forth by the BCA.
The Right Shape: We use BCA tournament-approved, full-profile, K-66 cushions. (Some tables use a slimmer K-66 looking cushion that isn’t suitable for tournament play. These cushions won’t provide the action a full-profile, K-66 cushion will.)
The Right Material: Over time a cushions lively play may diminish due to crystallization, if the composition of the cushion is full of fillers instead of natural gum rubber. Imagine That Pool Tables uses natural gum rubber cushions for maximum, lively play and consistent rebounds.
Molded Control Fabric: Control fabric is molded into the top and back of the cushion. This vulcanized canvas on top of the cushion allows the ball to rebound with the same speed no matter where the ball strikes the cushion. The vulcanized canvas on the back of the cushion allows the rubber to bond tightly to the rail ensuring that it will not separate and come loose.
Breathable Cushion Design: We the sub rail. This space assists the cushion in controlling the speed and accuracy of the ball. This space also allows the cushion to breath, maintaining rubber consistency. Without this live air provide live air space on the back of the cushion where it is glued to space, the cushion would harden due to its inability to breath.