Briarwood Billiards' Pool Table Construction

    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. Briarwood Billiards understands that quality craftsmanship requires time and manufacturing shortcuts often sacrifice quality. That is why we GUARANTEE all our tables are ISO Certified.
 

Billiard Cabinet

Beautiful and Functional Cabinet:
     No veneer and no MDF board, just beautiful, 100% solid-maple, hardwood is used in the construction of the Briarwood Billiards’ cabinet. Although, our exquisitely crafted cabinets are stunning, these 1.5-inch thick panels provide a structurally rigid support system for the slate and overall stability of the pool table.

Steel Corner Brackets:
    The Briarwood Billiards’ corner brackets are made of strong, precision-cut steel. The brackets provide a perfect fit and outstanding stability for the pool table’s corners. The robust brackets are not attached to the cabinet by employing wood screws. Briarwood Billiards uses 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 6 × 2 inch thick solid maple wood, Briarwood Billiards further stabilizes the cabinet using a “center-beam” / “double cross-beam” design. Robust trusses are employed to bolt the double-interlocking beam system to the cabinet. The robust trusses are not attached to the cabinet by employing wood screws. Briarwood Billiards uses 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.   

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 Support Frame:
     In addition to the wood framing bonded to the backside of the slate (slate frame), Briarwood Billiards also provides an oversized slate support frame. This framing is anchored to the cabinet and then stained to match the color of the pool table. This additional framing aids in leveling the slate, provides exceptional table rigidity, is used to secure the slate to the billiard table, and prevents the slate from experiencing excessive torque when someone leans on the rail.

Slate

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. Briarwood Billiards is proud to provide BCA approved, precision-machined, and oversized slate on all our tables. Our slate is quarried in Brazil.
 

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 Briarwood Billiards’ 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. 

Briarwood Billiards uses the high-torque design of the specially designed T-nuts to secure the rails to the slate.

    There are several ways in which billiard 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 pool 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.

Lag Bolts are course threaded bolts that are not designed for disassembly. After multiple assemblies the holes will begin to strip out and the bolt’s holding power will diminish. 

Expansion Bolts are screwed into inserts positioned in the sub rail. As the bolt is tightened the insert expands. Wood will bend and mold to the insert. As a consequence, the expansion bolt can come loose and allow for unnecessary vibration and hollow, sluggish hits.

Tie Plates:
    Tie Plates are plates that are screwed to the sub rail with a threaded hole in the center. A bolt screws into the center of the plate to fasten the rail down. Tie plates can last a long time but still allow unnecessary vibration and hollow sluggish hits. 

T-Nuts:
    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 billiard rail. This design provides a virtually vibration free rail when struck with a ball. With the use of T-nuts, the play of the table is greatly improved allowing the cushions to react with quiet, consistently accurate play. They are also easier to replace then the other methods if damage (i.e. stripping of the nut). Briarwood Billiards uses this method for securing our pool table rails.

Floating Nut Plates:
    Floating Nut Plates offer the best method 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.
The plate is then able to float in the slot and allows for infinite adjustment when aligning the rails to the pool table. The rail cushion covers the slot to hold the plate in place. The thickness and width of the plate allows the rail to be mounted with very high torque.

Rails:
    Briarwood Billiards’ 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.”

 Billiard 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.” The Briarwood Billiards’ cushions meet all standards set forth by the BCA. 

The Right Shape:
    Briarwood Billiards uses 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. Briarwood Billiards 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 Briarwood Billiards’ 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:
     Briarwood Billiards provides live air space on the back of the cushion where it is glued to 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 space, the cushion would harden due to its inability to breath.

Billiard Legs

Cross-Laminated:
    The Briarwood Billiards’ legs are made of several layers of cross-laminated maple. This stacked hardwood design creates a solid support piece for maximum strength and stability. 

Beautiful Craftsmanship:
    Utilizing a combination of wood-crafting machines and handcrafting techniques, Briarwood Billiards’ legs are remarkably exquisite in form and appearance. The elegant contour of the Queen Anne Scroll leg is unquestionably beautiful! The bold, masculine, but fluid look of the Rams Head leg is absolutely magnificent!. And the turn-of-the-century, time-honored “panel” leg look evokes images of the smoke rooms of long ago. 

Threaded Insert:
    For ease of assembly, problem-free fastening, and superior tightening features, Briarwood Billiards uses a threaded insert design to attach the leg to the table. The grade “A” insert is screwed 1 1/2 inches into the leg, a hurricane strength bolt then securely attaches the leg to the the leg bracket.

Billiard Pockets

Pockets are a very important aesthetic and structural part of any pool table. The look and fit, as well as their durability, are important concerns.

Genuine Leather:
    Briarwood Billiards provides genuine, hand-tooled, leather pockets wrapped around a die-cast iron core for beauty and durability. 

Cast Iron Design:
    The Briarwood Billiards’ pockets are made of a cast iron core not inferior aluminum or zinc. Cast iron pockets are the strongest type of pocket. The pockets are extremely heavy and are the least likely to be broken from someone sitting on a pocket. Pockets made of aluminum are light in weight and can be easily broken. 

Dyed Pockets:
    The leather used in the Briarwood Billiards’ pockets is dyed not painted. If a pocket is constructed of painted leather, the material will scuff very easily when a cue stick is drug across the top of the pocket. This will result in a table looking worn in a short period of time. Dyed leather helps to eliminate this problem because the dying process penetrates the surface of the leather.