Moving a Pool Table
Pool tables are one of those big and bulky items that are never easy to move. Unless you bring it in on a flatbed and have it in a garage with a door wide enough to haul it in without taking it apart, that is. However, unlike moving something like a piano, pool tables can be taken apart and put back together.
Your average pool table weighs around 1,000 pounds. To make this whole process easier, try to get some of your friends to help you out, around three or four should do the trick. Once you have the right amount of guys and gals, the first thing you need to do to move the pool table is to disassemble the pool table.
First things first: Make sure you have the proper tools, such as staple puller, flat head screw driver and goggles to protect your eyes. Use the staple puller to remove the staples from out of the pocket straps. Make sure you find the correct pocket size to take out the bolts from underneath the rails. An average table will have around three for each rail. The rails should be ready to pop out so just pull them off and slide them out individually.
Now the table needs to be flipped over. Use caution, however, as the side pockets could collapse from the impact of the weight. Once it’s over, the pockets can be easily removed.
Next, remove the felt. Chances are it’s either glued or stapled to the table, or possibly even both. If it’s stapled, you’re going to go around the table and remove each staple. If the felt is glued to the table, be gentle, because it’s possible to rip the felt near the pocket areas. Once the felt is off, you’re headed towards the home stretch.
Next, you have to remove the slate from the frame. The best tool to remove the screws from the slate is a drill with replaceable screwdriver heads. Some tables have those hard-to-find screws; they could be covered up with either plaster or beeswax. Beeswax can be dug out with any screwdriver, but if its plaster, you’re going to need a carbide drill to get the plaster out. Go slowly with the drill, you could ruin the screw head. The slate should have a screw on each corner. Once the screws are removed, remove the legs and it is ready for shipment.
Then, once you’ve moved, you’ll have to put the pool table together again, but that’s a different story.