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Any one here moved a Brunswich pool table?

300 H and H

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
Well,

I need to...A 1920's vintage 10' 6 leg monster. From a basement, then 15 miles to the second story of a building. Just asking for any pointers on how to go about taking it apart. I know it will have to be refelted in the new location. It is in remarkably good shape for it's age, and worth the effort. I read some where they may have come with a so called "key" to take them apart with. though I have played on this table many times, it's been a while since I last saw it, and of course I wasn't thinking about moving it at that time.:unsure:

It even has the Brunswick que rack with it...

But it must weigh in at least 1,000 lbs I am guessing...:ermm:

Any ideas appreciated...

Regards, Kirk
 

pirate_girl

legendary ⚓
GOLD Site Supporter
Kirk,
When I was still married to the ex, we had one of those in the basement of our home in the game room.
He moved it all in one piece to our son Jeff's house in Akron years later, but don't ask me how he did it, because I don't know.
He also moved an old upright piano.

Good luck.
 

EastTexFrank

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
Kirk, on a table that old the top is almost certainly made of slate and not one of the man made plastics. No way around it, it's going to be a load no matter what you do. About the only thing that you can do is strip it down as far as you can go but that slate top is still going to be a monster .... and fragile, don't drop it, bend it or stress it.

I think that they still make those things. A friend of mine in Dallas has one that she bought less than 10 years ago. Try giving them a call and ask for "real" advice and not the stuff I'm giving you. :yum:
 
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Doc

Bottoms Up
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
I have an old Brunswick 8 ft table. You start by taking the rails off. Mine are held on by bolts that go in from the side into the slate. The bolts do have a funny head on them, two hole indentations for a special tool (I did not need the tool ....they came out easy by hand). Once the rails are off the slate will come apart into 3 pieces. Mine were all numbered and all the numbers match. Even the frame under the table has those same numbers. Surprisingly easy to take apart. Carrying / moving to a new location is another story. Bring a few strong friends. :biggrin: The slate is the only heavy part, the frame is not bad at all. On mine the big sturdy looking legs are hollow and weigh next to nothing. Good luck.
 

Big Dog

Large Member
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
I have an old Brunswick 8 ft table. You start by taking the rails off. Mine are held on by bolts that go in from the side into the slate. The bolts do have a funny head on them, two hole indentations for a special tool (I did not need the tool ....they came out easy by hand). Once the rails are off the slate will come apart into 3 pieces. Mine were all numbered and all the numbers match. Even the frame under the table has those same numbers. Surprisingly easy to take apart. Carrying / moving to a new location is another story. Bring a few strong friends. :biggrin: Good luck.

All I'll add is the slate may be one solid piece. I had a 8' Valley that was a single piece. 6 men and SOLID stairs are required!
 

the old trucker

New member
Call up a local moving company. I'm sure someone there has had to deal with one of them.... You can also Google Brunswick pool tables.
 

Doc

Bottoms Up
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
All I'll add is the slate may be one solid piece. I had a 8' Valley that was a single piece. 6 men and SOLID stairs are required!
Wow, that would be heavy!!!!!
I can't imagine a 10' piece of slate. I was wondering if a 10' table would be in 4 pieces of slate instead of the standard 3 pieces.

I tried to find out what year mine was made using the number that is stamped into each piece but I was told Brunswick had a fire in the early to mid 50's and lost all records of what table was made when. If anyone knows different I would love to find a source to find out the year of my table. I suspect it is a late1940's model, but that is just a guess.
 

Cowboy

Wait for it.
GOLD Site Supporter
We have a 9ft vintage Brunswick table that the slate is in 3 pieces, and the heaviest and most awkward 3 pieces i have ever had to deal with moving. :doh:

After dealing with moving ours twice, i would suggest hiring a proffesional "game table" mover to disassemble, move and reasemble so not to cause damage to any of the slate while taking apart or putting it back together. The older slate is very brittle and most times will have to be patched with an epoxy puddy type stuff at the joints to make sure it is perfectly level and smooth before leveleling and recovering. :wink:

I cant remember exactly the steps involved in taking it apart, (its been 15 years or so) but i can look at it closer and it might come back to me, but if i remember right it is different then the one Doc is talking about. :unsure:

Around here almost all clubs, taverns or places that have game tables, pinballs and other gaming equipment are owned by the same person and have their own proffesionals that deal with these daily and on the side they offer a very reasonable moving and setup service for privatly owned tables. It wouldn't hurt to make a few phone calls to see just how much they would charge to do it. I wished i would have at the time. :wink:
 

300 H and H

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
Thanks Doc, and every one else...

I will have adiquate help....I know the slate is three pieces, and at least 1" thick. Going up to take a look at how it might be taken apart soon.

I will look for the nubers you mentioned too Doc, as I am sure these were there to help the installer get the table together right.

BY the late 40's and early 50's most of the Brunswich tables were art deco style, with a pedestal on each end, not individule legs. If yours is like ours with 6 legs or 4 that are hollow, then it may date to an earlier period than the 40's and 50's. Good info out here on the net about these too....

Regards, Kirk
 

300 H and H

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
Thanks Cowboy...

We posted at the same time:biggrin:

I may do that, as there is a guy liike that in a near bye town.....

It would be much easier to have a pro do it, and recover it as well.

Regards, Kirk
 

joec

New member
GOLD Site Supporter
We have a 9ft vintage Brunswick table that the slate is in 3 pieces, and the heaviest and most awkward 3 pieces i have ever had to deal with moving. :doh:

After dealing with moving ours twice, i would suggest hiring a proffesional "game table" mover to disassemble, move and reasemble so not to cause damage to any of the slate while taking apart or putting it back together. The older slate is very brittle and most times will have to be patched with an epoxy puddy type stuff at the joints to make sure it is perfectly level and smooth before leveleling and recovering. :wink:

I cant remember exactly the steps involved in taking it apart, (its been 15 years or so) but i can look at it closer and it might come back to me, but if i remember right it is different then the one Doc is talking about. :unsure:

Around here almost all clubs, taverns or places that have game tables, pinballs and other gaming equipment are owned by the same person and have their own proffesionals that deal with these daily and on the side they offer a very reasonable moving and setup service for privatly owned tables. It wouldn't hurt to make a few phone calls to see just how much they would charge to do it. I wished i would have at the time. :wink:

I agree with this completely. As a teen I worked for a while in a pool room in Miami. We moved up the block to a larger place and had to move 25 pool tables, 4 snooker tables and one billiard table. The owner hired professionals to move and reset the tables they are a beast to move. The only one I've ever help move was the small bar table for a buddy of mine. It took 4 of use to move the top and you have to be very careful with them.
 

SShepherd

New member
just make sure you hire a pro to put it back togather. They'll level the slate, fill the joints with beeswax (or something similar) and they'll have to refelt it.
 

muleman

Gone But Not Forgotten
GOLD Site Supporter
Moving one of them ranks right up there with hot tubs. Moving it to a second floor tells me you really want to pay somebody to do it. I helped rearrange them at the local pool hall over 40 years ago and those suckers are heavy.
 

300 H and H

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
Well today was THE day I decided to move the beast....

Got started at finishing tearing it down about 3 O'clock, and had it loaded in two veihicals by a little after 5...

Unloaded at the lodge by 6:30 or so. Man I am beat....

I took an hour ro a little more and $10 of materials and made a frame of 2x4's to hold the slate (3 pieces) and like a travel bag with wheels, I put a large solid steel roller with a ball bearing at the tail end of the 90 deg angle frame, so you pick up on the front and it rolls. I screwed in an eyelet in the front end for a pull rope. We pulled this rig with each piece of slate up a 2X10 plank on the top of the stair cleats. Hell of an idea if I do say so myself.:whistling: Took no more than 15 to 20 seconds for each piece of slate to exit the basement it was entombed in. And we only had three guys. We think they weigh a bit more than 200 lbs each. The "sled" as the guys called it was used to move the slate to the freight elevator in the lodge an to the final resting place. The roller is 1 1/2" wide and 3" in diameter, and it made my day!:biggrin:

I am afraid will have to wait till another day for reassembly, as I have had enough for today....:ermm:

Regards, Kirk
 

FrancSevin

Proudly Deplorable
GOLD Site Supporter
Well today was THE day I decided to move the beast....

Got started at finishing tearing it down about 3 O'clock, and had it loaded in two veihicals by a little after 5...

Unloaded at the lodge by 6:30 or so. Man I am beat....

I took an hour ro a little more and $10 of materials and made a frame of 2x4's to hold the slate (3 pieces) and like a travel bag with wheels, I put a large solid steel roller with a ball bearing at the tail end of the 90 deg angle frame, so you pick up on the front and it rolls. I screwed in an eyelet in the front end for a pull rope. We pulled this rig with each piece of slate up a 2X10 plank on the top of the stair cleats. Hell of an idea if I do say so myself.:whistling: Took no more than 15 to 20 seconds for each piece of slate to exit the basement it was entombed in. And we only had three guys. We think they weigh a bit more than 200 lbs each. The "sled" as the guys called it was used to move the slate to the freight elevator in the lodge an to the final resting place. The roller is 1 1/2" wide and 3" in diameter, and it made my day!:biggrin:

I am afraid will have to wait till another day for reassembly, as I have had enough for today....:ermm:

Regards, Kirk

I just saw this thread today. You have done the heavy lifting but I thought I'd throw some advice about re-aasembly.
use Bee's wax to re cement the slate together.

first, level the frame with shims under the legs. Get it exactly level and square.

As old as that table is, I'm willing to bet the slate is also bedded in Bee's wax. Just pour it lightly onthe frame supports.

Heat it up and pour it on the slate seams after assembly and leveling. Use a wide, stiff spatula like a drywall paste knife, to smooth it out at the seams. Scape at about a 90 degree angle, going in the direction of the seam. scrape off any excess. You can fill any dings just like you would with drywall paste. And then cover it with the felt.

There is no way to match perfect and get a smooth joint with any other material of which I know.
 

300 H and H

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
Franc,

It turned out this table isn't that old...Maybe in the late thirties or early forties would be my guess. There are frames of wood screwed to the underside of the slate. Wood shims were then used under these, but atop of the main frame. This was how the final leveling was done. Cracks between the slate and holes with screws below the surface were filled with what I would guess is hard rock putty. I found and Iowa State University property tag on one leg. Colledge students and lots of them have a history with this old table. It show heavy useage on the rails. We'll refinish these as we assemble it.

I just hope I get the chance to put it together while it's still fresh in my mind as to how it came apart. Other wise it could become a rather large puzzle...

Regards, Kirk
 

FrancSevin

Proudly Deplorable
GOLD Site Supporter
Franc,

It turned out this table isn't that old...Maybe in the late thirties or early forties would be my guess. There are frames of wood screwed to the underside of the slate. Wood shims were then used under these, but atop of the main frame. This was how the final leveling was done. Cracks between the slate and holes with screws below the surface were filled with what I would guess is hard rock putty. I found and Iowa State University property tag on one leg. Colledge students and lots of them have a history with this old table. It show heavy useage on the rails. We'll refinish these as we assemble it.

I just hope I get the chance to put it together while it's still fresh in my mind as to how it came apart. Other wise it could become a rather large puzzle...

Regards, Kirk

Sounds like one hell of a project.

Yes,shim the slate plates to the frame with thin hardwood shims.
Bee's wax is still the best way to go to level the top.

It wouldn't hurt to get a pro in regarding that "hard rock putty" crap. I never saw a good table with anything but bee's wax.

regards
 

Dargo

Like a bad penny...
GOLD Site Supporter
Franc,

It turned out this table isn't that old...Maybe in the late thirties or early forties would be my guess. There are frames of wood screwed to the underside of the slate. Wood shims were then used under these, but atop of the main frame. This was how the final leveling was done. Cracks between the slate and holes with screws below the surface were filled with what I would guess is hard rock putty. I found and Iowa State University property tag on one leg. Colledge students and lots of them have a history with this old table. It show heavy useage on the rails. We'll refinish these as we assemble it.

I just hope I get the chance to put it together while it's still fresh in my mind as to how it came apart. Other wise it could become a rather large puzzle...

Regards, Kirk

Sounds like a really cool table. I'm just now beginning to sniff around for a table like what you have. Since my house and guest house both now lack the proper space needed, I'm going to put my 'adult play room' (NO, not that kind) upstairs in a 20X30 room in my larger pole barn. It will have a large bay window overlooking my lake, beach, zipline, shooting range and soccer field. I don't know if it really matters, but I'll have a 9' ceiling in that room to try to prevent the chalk marks on the ceiling. However, is a 20' wide room wide enough to turn the table sideways at one end? I will have a drinking fountain at that end of the room as well; over the full bath in the 'storage' room under the 2nd floor play room.

My drawings and plumbed plans pretty well leave an open storage room on the bottom with a bathroom taking up part of the south end (being 20'X30', the 30' wall will run directly north and south), keeping the water supply and drains towards the middle of the barn rather than close to any outer wall. I have plenty of steel I beams to use in the construction, so there will be no posts in the way on either first or 2nd floor. I plan to have a large LCD TV on the west wall around the center of the 2nd floor room. With only a 20' span, the I beams I'm using will make the 2nd floor strong enough to hold a car if I ever changed plans and wanted to store one of my cars up there. I have forklifts and an excavator to lift anything heavy up to the 2nd floor and a full 22' clearance from the bottom of the trusses (rated to carry the weight of 5/8" drywall) to the concrete floor.

Anyway, since you have had a great pool table for a while, I really wanted to know how much space I really need to prevent obstructions when shooting from any angle on a larger size table. When I play at most people's house, I seem to always have a support post or a close wall keeping me from having a clear shot. I do NOT want that and I have no idea what distance from the table to a wall or drinking fountain is needed for clear play. Suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I'd offer suggestions on how to move your table, but not ever having one, it sounds like the guys who have them have already given you good ideas on that.
 

FrancSevin

Proudly Deplorable
GOLD Site Supporter
Sounds like a really cool table. I'm just now beginning to sniff around for a table like what you have. Since my house and guest house both now lack the proper space needed, I'm going to put my 'adult play room' (NO, not that kind) upstairs in a 20X30 room in my larger pole barn. It will have a large bay window overlooking my lake, beach, zipline, shooting range and soccer field. I don't know if it really matters, but I'll have a 9' ceiling in that room to try to prevent the chalk marks on the ceiling. However, is a 20' wide room wide enough to turn the table sideways at one end? I will have a drinking fountain at that end of the room as well; over the full bath in the 'storage' room under the 2nd floor play room.

My drawings and plumbed plans pretty well leave an open storage room on the bottom with a bathroom taking up part of the south end (being 20'X30', the 30' wall will run directly north and south), keeping the water supply and drains towards the middle of the barn rather than close to any outer wall. I have plenty of steel I beams to use in the construction, so there will be no posts in the way on either first or 2nd floor. I plan to have a large LCD TV on the west wall around the center of the 2nd floor room. With only a 20' span, the I beams I'm using will make the 2nd floor strong enough to hold a car if I ever changed plans and wanted to store one of my cars up there. I have forklifts and an excavator to lift anything heavy up to the 2nd floor and a full 22' clearance from the bottom of the trusses (rated to carry the weight of 5/8" drywall) to the concrete floor.

Anyway, since you have had a great pool table for a while, I really wanted to know how much space I really need to prevent obstructions when shooting from any angle on a larger size table. When I play at most people's house, I seem to always have a support post or a close wall keeping me from having a clear shot. I do NOT want that and I have no idea what distance from the table to a wall or drinking fountain is needed for clear play. Suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I'd offer suggestions on how to move your table, but not ever having one, it sounds like the guys who have them have already given you good ideas on that.

Standard size pool table,,,, 18' X 14' room absolute minimum. You really want 5' clear all around the table. 6' is better. So, a 20' X 16' works very well.
 

Dargo

Like a bad penny...
GOLD Site Supporter
Standard size pool table,,,, 18' X 14' room absolute minimum. You really want 5' clear all around the table. 6' is better. So, a 20' X 16' works very well.

Great! Thanks! That will pretty well give me half of the room for other things as I'd hoped.
 

300 H and H

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
Don,

Rememer your back is out thread? We have to work smarter as we age. The sled I made for the slate made this possible, and with minimal soreness today as proof. It took a couple of bucks and some time preparing, but in the end, well worth it. And today I am fine.

Regards, Kirk
 

Snowtrac Nome

member formerly known as dds
GOLD Site Supporter
your right Kirk just with mine all i have to do is move right and the thing is out a trip to civilization is comming soon to get aan mri done
 
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