MOVING A POOL TABLE: STEP BY STEP

Written By:  Jason Bacues, Bacues Billiards

Moving a pool table can be difficult, follow these steps if you plan on doing it yourself, and not hiring a pool table mover.

1. Unfasten the pockets.  This varies per model table (i.e. leather pockets, vinyl drop pockets, or a ball return).  On a vinyl pocket table, from here you will slide the pocket out from under the pocket opening.
2. Remove the rail bolts.  These are usually directly under the sights on the top side of your bumpers.
3. Remove the rail-pocket assembly.  Again this varies per table.  If you have a vinyl pocket table in most cases there are just a few screws or bolts to remove and this assembly comes completely apart.
4. If you have a ball return table you can now remove the ball return system from under or aside the table, depending on your configuration.  From here you have just a few remaining bolts or screws to remove and the rail assembly comes apart.  If you have a leather pocket table, just remove the few remaining bolts holding the pockets to the rails and slide the pockets out of the rail.
5. Carefully remove the felt from the slate.  Usually there is an adhesive or staples fastening this to the table.  Pliers and patience will be handy here.Rushing anything is a bad idea when moving a pool table.
6. At this time you should now see screws exposed around the top perimeter of the slate.  Remove these screws.  If your tables’ screws are covered by plaster or wax, very carefully remove this material and clear the heads of the screws and remove them.
7. At this time the slate bed is ready to be removed from the cabinet of the pool table.  In most cases your slate bed is in three sections, however in some rare occasions it may be in one piece.  Whatever the case may be this requires two people at a minimum to do so.  Keep in mind that even though the slate is extremely heavy and porous it is very fragile.  It is suggested that your slate be crated for transportation.  If you opt not to crate your slate make sure it is transported laying flat, one piece on top of the other, with some form of padding in between them for cushion.
8. At this time unfasten and remove the table legs.
9. If it is necessary, at this time you can dismantle the pool table cabinet.  It is suggested that if not required to do so, leave the cabinet together for transport.  This will reduce the chances of critical small pieces or brackets from being misplaced or lost.
10. If you have any questions or would prefer not taking on this daunting task of moving a pool table, it is suggested that you contact a qualified pool table service company. It is also suggested that once the table has reached its final destination that it be reassembled by a pool table service technician.  It is not as simple as just following the above directions in reverse order.  There is specialized tuning, leveling, restretching of the billiard fabric, and aligning that only a professional pool table technician will know how to do properly.   Believe me when I say it will be money well spent to have this service done correctly.