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Norman Clare LECTURE NOTES from 1979

(Note: Additional information that has been added to Norman’s 1979 lecture are shown in italics. All photographs have been added but most are taken from the items Norman took with him or photographs he used during his lectures. Norman mainly gave his lecture on behalf of the Billiards & Snooker Control Council at the training weekend for Billiard & Snooker coaches at the Sports Councils Centre at Lilleshall. He was also frequently asked to be the ‘speaker’ at many other functions.)

© E.A. Clare & Son Ltd.2009 - All items displayed are from the N. Clare collection. Reproduction of article allowed only with permission from E.A. Clare & Son Ltd.

THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF BILLIARD TABLES AND THEIR ACCESSORIES

INTRODUCTION

I am sure we will all agree that we should not just consider the existing design and construction of Billiard Tables and their accessories, but that first of all we should look back into history so far as we reasonably can, so that we can understand something of the way in which the Billiard Tables and their Accessories have developed.

Many people probably think Billiard Tables have never really altered in design or construction since the game was first invented. However, like many other very old games, the Billiard Table and its equipment has slowly evolved in construction and design over a very long period of time.

Various different games, all enjoying the name of “Billiards" are played throughout the world. At some time in the past they probably had a common origin, but in different countries they have each developed in a different direction, with the result that games of Billiards as played in countries as near to us as France and Germany' are totally different from the game as played in the United Kingdom and there are very great differences in the design and construction of the Billiard Tables and Accessories.

In the United Kingdom and the British Commonwealth, there is now something of a tendency for players to call the tables "Snooker Tables" and to purchase 'Snooker Cues", and to even ask for "Snooker Chalk".

The game of Snooker is of comparatively recent origin (see Article on 'Origins of Snooker'), and we will have something more to say about it later on in the series of lectures. Let me at this point say that when ever we refer to a Billiard Table or any Billiard Accessories you can generally take it that we are also at the same time referring to Snooker Tables and Accessories., and also including the many other different games which are played upon Billiard Tables.

The United Kingdom plays the game of "English Billiards", and naturally this is the game that has been taken by English emigrants literally to the four corners of the earth, so that throughout what we now know as the British Commonwealth, you will find that it is the game of English Billiards which has become established.

However, the game which we generally refer to as "Continental Billiards", which I think the correct name is "Carambolage", which is played in most other European countries, has been taken by emigrants from those countries to areas of French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish influence., with the result that in those parts of the world, which at one time or another came under their control its the “Carambolage” game which has become established. The principal difference which one can see at a glance is that the Continental style tables do not have any pockets, and thus the game is entirely made up of a series of canons, whilst the English table has pockets at each corner and at the centre position of each of the long sides of the tables.

In the United States of America, where the population is of very mixed European origin, games of Billiards in general follow the Continental style and are played upon tables without any pockets, but at the same time a large number of different games, all of which we generally refer to as "American Pool" are played on tables which have pockets, very similar to English tables. Just to make the game a little more involved, in some parts of the world Billiards is played with four balls instead of the usual three.

As a direct result of these many differences in the form of game throughout the world, you will realise that it is not really possible to organise true International Championships, as it is for such games as Golf, Football, Table Tennis etc.

It would I think be a very good thing if we could try and work towards International Standardisation of Billiard Tables Accessories, and of course the rules of play. This however is obviously a tremendous task, but perhaps we should start by thinking about the problems involved.

ORIGIN OF THE GAME OF BILLIARDS

I am afraid nobody really knows how the game of Billiards really started, so it is that as with many other things in life there are a number of theories, or should I say "fairy tales'’ in existence which endeavour to explain the origin of the game, and you must choose whichever story you think best. One thing however is quite definite, and that is that it is an extremely old game, which has gradually developed so that the present day game is completely unrecognisable from the original.

I believe that the French people give credit to the English for originally inventing the game, but on the other hand the English think that the game originated in France.

In the Encyclopaedia Britannica it is suggested that the name almost certainly originated in France, as the French word "Bille" meaning Ball   Seems to provide the first syllable of the word Billiards.

A booklet published by the Billiard Congress of America, states quite clearly that the evidence suggests that England was the first place of Billiards, but it goes on to say that it was the Spaniards who brought the game to St. Augustine, Florida, in 1565 thus you will not only note that this is over four centuries ago, but that it was the Continental game that was originally introduced into the United States, and the game was apparently very popular even before the American Civil War.

Referring once again to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, it states that in an American Text Book entitled "Modern Billiards" it is stated that a King of Ireland (Catkire More) sometime during the Second Century AD left behind him 55 Billiard Balls of Brass with the Pools and Cues of the same materials. Also in the Text Book "Modern Billiards” it refers to the travels of a gentleman named Anacharsis through Greece some 400 years BC, during which he saw a game very similar to Billiards.

So it is we can only apparently agree that it is a very very old game in its original form. We just do not know where it actually started.

Once again referring to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, it seems that an artist by the name of "Henrique Devigne" who lived in France during the reign of Charles IX was the first to give some form and rules to the game. However a French Universal Dictionary, and `the Academy of Games, credits the invention to the English, suggesting that the game itself appears to be originally derived from the game of Bowls (which also of course is a very ancient game) and that it was brought into France by Louis XIV. It is further suggested that originally it was the ancient game of 'Pael Mael' (Pall Mall) , which was played on the ground, but for the greater convenience of the players it was brought above ground level and played upon a table instead.

Whatever its actual origin may be, we certainly know that Shakespeare was acquainted with the game, for in Act 2, Scene 5, of "Anthony and Cleopatra" the Queen invites her attendant Chairman to join her in a game by saying "Let us to Billiards, Come Chairman."

Now to conclude these few words concerning the origin of the game, let me tell you a short amusing story which I heard some many years ago (before 1939/45 War) but I cannot now remember the actual source. However, the story goes something like this:-

That the game was originally played with small balls on the ground   small holes being made in the surface of the pitch   the balls being played by hand, rather like the old English Game of "Bogies"   a game which we used to see quite frequently played by unemployed men before the Second World War, but which I have not seen since.

The story goes on to relate how this game was played by a group of men in a yard behind the house of a man called Bill and so when they went to play the game they went to Bill’s yard   which, when spoken quickly became "Billiards." (Perhaps needs to be said with a Liverpool accent! Another version has it that Bill was a Pawn Broker and when he closed his shop he took down the three balls and that is what was used in his yard!)

THE CONSTRUCTION OF' A BILLIARD TABLE

A THURSTON ‘International’ model table

Most full sized Billiard tables stand on 8 legs. I think however we should perhaps immediately recognise that the legs and under framing of a Billiard Table are really only the physical means of supporting the playing surface at a convenient height above floor level.

Picture of an old wooden bed THURSTON Billiard Table

In the past some full sized Billiard Tables were made with only 6 legs whilst others were made with 12 and more legs. By and large it seems that the most convenient arrangement which enabled the table to stand firmly, and to be levelled up accurately, was a table standing on 8 legs.

The timbers most commonly used for the manufacture of Billiard Tables are probably Mahogany, Oak and Walnut but other timbers have been used with complete satisfaction.

In the early part of the 19th century, the bed of the table itself was also made of wood. The beds were usually made in three sections, and I have with me for your inspection a complete wooden bed of a full sized table in three sections. As you will see, it is in really very good condition for its age.

Each section of the bed comprises a frame made in Oak, into which tongued and grooved hardwood blocks have been fitted in panels rather like a modern wood block floor.

Note however that the grain of the timber in the neighbouring panels runs in the opposite direction to each other. This being done to minimise so far as possible the effect of warping. Even so, it was frequently necessary to send skilled Billiard Table Makers to the customer’s premises to plane over, and level the bed of the table using hand tools.

I understand from my father, that this was generally referred to as "flogging the bed".

Written records are still available in sales ledgers belonging to Thurston & Company Limited, of which the following examples can be quoted:­

"12th February 1825   The Travellers Club. Taking off the cushions and the cloth –planing over   and levelling the bed."

"2nd. November 1826. Letting in several pieces into the bed   planing the bed and finishing complete".

Clearly therefore wooden beds did present a considerable problem, although I do not suppose that any of them were even reasonably level.

However, so far as I have been able to ascertain, the actual under framing and legs of the Billiard Tables which were fitted with wooden beds, were not all that different from the under framing on Billiard Tables of traditional design, which are still being manufactured at this present time, and so before we look at the introduction of other types of bed, including the new universal slate beds, let us quickly look at the construction of a Billiard Table under frame by referring to the model which I have brought with me for this purpose (shown below).

The replica of the Leicester Square Match billiard table that Norman used is only 3ft long

First of all we have the 8 legs to which I have already previously referred. We generally call 4 of the legs "corner legs" and the other 4 "middle legs".

Then there are 2 long side rails which are bolted to the corner legs at one end of the table, passed through the leg squares of the middle legs on each side of the table., terminating and bolting to the corner legs at the other end of the table.

Similarly we have 2 end rails, which are bolted into the corner legs at each end of the table.

Next there are 2 middle rails which transverse the table from side to side, being bolted into the middle legs.

Then the commonest form of construction includes a number of bearers or muntins which are fitted by mortise and tenon, or by dowel joint, between the middle rails and between each middle rail and the end rails. Some tables of old design will have as many as 9 bearers/muntins. Generally the majority of tables have 6. The most recently constructed have only 3. One particular design of table however, made by Burroughes and Watts does not have any bearers/muntins, instead there are two additional middle rails on adjustable supports to assist in levelling the table. (Similar adjustable supports are now used for the bearers on most modern tables rather than using mortise and tenon or dowels)

It will be realised that when Billiard Tables were fitted with wooden beds the larger the number of bearers/muntins the better it would be for holding down the wooden bed and keeping it as true as possible. Clearly, the upper edges of the side rails, end rails, middle rails, and bearers, all had to be perfectly level with each other for this purpose. This was also necessary when the original slate beds were introduced, as they were rather thin by modern standards, and as a thin slate can easily “sag” and become hollow, or if one bearer was standing proud, the slate would become “rounded”. It was always part of the skill indeed considerable skill, of the Billiard Table Maker to ensure that the under-framing itself was perfectly true.

However, before we consider the introduction of other types of bed, I should also mention that the under-frames themselves sometimes were made of other materials. If you care to visit Penrhyn Castle, Bangor in North Wales, there you will find a Billiard Table of which the entire under frame is made of slate. This is not perhaps surprising, as most of the original slate beds came from Penrhyn Quarries, so no doubt Lord Penrhyn himself decided that the entire billiard table would be made of slate.

Lord Penrhyn

Slate Billiard table in Penrhyn Castle, Bangor, North Wales

To my own knowledge two other full sized Billiard Tables, with under frames made entirely from slate, existed in Capel Currig in North Wales. As a young man when serving my time to Billiard Table Making, I was taken by one of our travelling billiard fitters to the club where these tables were installed. He himself had had the job of moving them some years earlier, and he took me to see them because of their particular construction. Years later, following the second world war, I again came across these two Billiard Tables in store – they had been dismantled when the Institute was closed, placed in store in Capel Currig – we received a message inviting us to inspect and make an offer for these two full sized Billiard Tables. I expected to find two tables of normal construction with wooden frames, indeed I had really forgotten all about the tables with the slate under frames. When I came to inspect them, here once again were the two Billiard Tables with the under frames and legs entirely made of slate, and so of course I flatly refused to purchase them.

Billiard Tables were also made in Liverpool during the second half of the 19th century by a firm called Marsden and Saffley, in which the under-frames were entirely made of Cast Iron. These tables stood on 6 legs only, and I have with me an actual photograph of one of these under-frames, and you will note the Liver Bird borrowed from the Liverpool Coat of Arms has been cast into the end rail. One of these tables existed in the Tate and Lyle Staff Recreation Club in Liverpool until a few years ago, when on our advice it was scrapped. (Norman later regretted that he had not obtained the table for his collection. In 1998 Norman’s son Peter was delighted to accept a donation of a cast iron table frame to the collection. However it wasn’t a Marsden & Saffely but from a London firm called Harris & Sons – see Article 'Cast Iron Billiard Tables')

Picture shows the cast iron under-frame of a Marsden & Saffley Billiard table

Note Liver Bird motif cast into end rail

I also have with me for your inspection a Sales Leaflet published by Marsden and Saffley, containing testimonials as to the quality of their Billiard Tables, and so it is that you will note their tables were also fitted with patent composition beds. In these days we would in fact call them “Concrete” beds. You will note that they claim that wooden frames and slate beds are now entirely superseded, only the wooden cushion rails being retained. (We have a concrete bed from this period in the collection, which we believe came from a Marsden & Saffley table. It was found in the old Ashcroft & Co. premises in Victoria Street, Liverpool .The bed has another unusual feature in that the sections have tongue and grove joints and bolts that go through from the end slates to the middle slate to ‘bolt’ the bed together)

We must now go back in time to the actual introduction of the slate beds, but before doing so I will just mention that some Billiard Tables were also fitted with beds made of Iron – such tables existed in Ireland where my father erected a number of them at the beginning of the 20th Century – he came across them during the years he worked in Ireland from 1902 until 1912. I understand that considerable difficulty was experienced when installed in a damp room atmosphere – the bed of the table would of course develop rust, and the rust would stain the cloth. Great difficulty was also experienced in releasing rusted nuts and bolts used for the assembly of the Billiard Table.

I have also heard about Billiard Tables being fitted with beds made Float Glass, but this is only hear-say, although it is quite true that very recently Pilkingtons of St. Helens did approach various members of the Billiards Trade in order to try and ascertain whether their new “Float Glass” could be used for Billiard Table Beds (in fact they did produce UK pool table beds in glass, which Rex Williams Leisure used in their tables for a short period but it wasn’t successful. An example of such a bed, from a later trial is in the collection).

It would seem that the first slate beds were introduced by John Thurston somewhere about 1826, when the first reference can be found to an “Imperial Petrosian Billiard Table” and it seems that thereafter nearly all the tables manufactured were fitted with slate beds.

As I mentioned earlier, the original slate slabs were rather thin, generally being about 1” thickness, and thus as slate is in fact quite flexible, it was necessary to have at least 9 bearers in the supporting frame work, and it was essential that the bearers, end rails, and middle rails, and side rails, should all be perfectly level with each other. If a table was badly erected by an unskilled person, so that the bearers were not level with the side rails, then the slate bed would go out of shape – in practice this generally meant that the slate bed became “hollow” from side to side across the table. Thus, as time went on the practice of using thicker and thicker slate beds was followed, and for the past 60/70 years it has been generally accepted that a slate bed should be somewhere about 1 ¾” – 2” in thickness if it is going to be satisfactory. The thicker the slab the heavier it becomes, with all the attendant difficulties of moving a Billiard Table, especially if it has to be carried up or down stairs. So I am sure you will understand that as each slate slab weighs somewhere between 3 ½ - 4 cwt. it requires four men to handle it safely. Thus four men are required whenever a Billiard Table has to be erected, dismantled removed etc., and so it is now a very expensive operation.

There is still nothing better in sight than a slate bed for the surface of a Billiard Table. Slate has the advantage that it is reasonably easy to cut, and to drill and to plane the surface true. Unfortunately, even in the course of careful handling of the slate slabs, some small pieces may be chipped off edges, however it is reasonable easy to repair the damage using modern filler materials, whilst minor damage can be easily filled in using a fine quality plaster of paris. Clearly, it would be much more difficult to cut/drill or otherwise work concrete beds, glass beds, or iron/metal beds, therefore it would seem that we will have slate bedded Billiard Tables for a long time yet. (In the mid 1980’s during a brief boom in the manufacture of snooker [billiard!] tables slate was in short supply. Various companies tried ‘modern’ resin materials but none proved to be as good or as economic as slate)

BILLIARD TABLE CUSHIONS

Compared to the ancient origin of the game, which we have already heard about, rubber billiard cushions are quite a recent introduction.

During the early part of the 19th Century and before, all Billiard Table cushions were made of “List” – in other words the cushions were stuffed with layer upon layer of felt, and similar materials, which provided something of a soft cushion from which the balls would rebound a short distance. Clearly however, by modern standards, “List” cushions had nothing at all to recommend them. We would certainly describe them as being “extremely slow”.

Picture show a section of a ’List’ Billiard table cushion

In the year 1835 John Thurston, who had in the previous year introduced the slate beds, now introduced “India Rubber Cushions”. The original rubber cushioning was made from pure natural rubber. This was not perhaps the complete improvement that you will imagine. Pure natural rubber cushions were reasonably satisfactory in warm weather conditions, when indeed they were a great improvement on the “List” cushions, but in the cold winter weather, the rubber became extremely hard – so hard in fact that you might just as well have fitted wooden cushion nosing instead of rubber.

Picture of page from January 1936 The Billiard Player magazine

However, when the cushions were warmed the natural rubber regained its resilience, and so it was that long metal pans, shaped to match the nose of the rubber cushion were placed all round the Billiard Table and filled with hot water and placed around the Billiard Table two or three hours before play commenced.. I have an example of one of these hot water pans with me for your inspection.

"Hot Water Bottle" for early rubber Billiard Cushions

Even during my own earlier years in the Billiard Trade, we frequently brought cushion rails into works for “remodelling with new rubber” and when the cushions were stripped we found that they were still fitted with Pure Natural Rubber which was literally as hard as wood, and I have here a few small sample pieces for examination.

In these days, to which I have just referred, we used to save the natural rubber and dissolve it in naphtha in order to produce our own rubber cementing solution which was then used to fit the new rubber into the wooden supporting blocks.

My father (Norman's) used to tell me how, in his own younger days in the Billiard Trade, he and other travelling Billiard Fitters were frequently sent to the larger private residences, when the owners intended having their friends in to play a game of Billiards, in order to take off the cushion rails and warm them in front of the fire in order to soften up the natural rubber cushions.

Later, when the proceed known as “vulcanising rubber” was discovered or invented, this had the effect of preventing the rubber from becoming extremely hard at low temperatures. So it was that once again John Thurston introduced the first Vulcanised Rubber Cushions which were generally described as being “Frost Proof”. They were in fact built up by hand with great skill using layers of vulcanised rubber approximately 1/8” in thickness.

Picture of early rubber cushion made up from strips of rubber

Throughout this time the shape of the cushion nose was very much rounded – a shape which we describe as being “Bull nose”. The cushion was so high that when the ball came to rest against the cushion it was almost impossible to strike the ball, as only a small fraction of its surface was above the top of the cushion.

Thus the shape of the face of the cushion nose has gone through many modifications, lowering the height of the cushions so that it was much easier to strike the ball. Thus for many years the lower style of cushion, using vulcanised rubber, was described as being “a low frost proof cushion”.

I have also available for your inspection one or two sections showing you hand built up rubber cushions, and it was always considered that “built up rubbers” were superior right up to the start of the second world war in 1939, although moulded rubbers had also been on the market for some years. Since the war, moulded cushion rubbers have entirely superseded the built-up type, partly I think because the very skilled personnel who used to build up the rubbers and left the trade during the years of rubber scarcity, and once again the trade was faced with the economic facts of life that the time and cost involved in building up rubbers by hand at post-war rates of pay would have made the price of Billiard Cushion Rubbers quite prohibitive.

So far I have really spoken only about the actual cushion nosing. The cushion rails themselves were generally made of the same timber as the Billiard Table under-framing, that is from Mahogany, or Oak, or Walnut.

It was however recognised that to some extent the heavier the cushion rail the better the foundation provided upon which to mount the cushion nosing – a good foundation resulted in a faster and quieter cushion, thus the different Billiard Table markers introduced various modifications in order to try and achieve the best possible results.

The most notable and successful undoubtedly was the “Steel Block” cushion introduced by Burroughes and Watts. This firm now being part of Riley Burwat Limited. Thousands of Billiard Tables are fitted with Burroughes and Watts Steel Block Cushions, which consists of steel plate about ¼” thickness running the full length of the cushion, and the full depth of the cushion body, onto which the wood cushion blocks and billiard cushion rubber are mounted. This plate is securely bolted to the edge of the slate bed, and then covered with a wooden rail so that the appearance of the table is no different to any other table with plain wooden cushion rails. (In fact it was W. Buttery that patented the steel block cushion in1836 . Riley Burwat Ltd reverted back to the Riley name and ceased to trade in 2002/3)

Steel Block Billiard Cushion patent 1886

Another attempt at producing a heavier and firmer foundation was made by Thurston’s who actually fitted a slate slab into the face of the cushion rails, the full length and the full depth of the cushions and some are still in existence. (Thurston called their cushion the “Adamant” cushion a set of which are fitted to the cast iron framed table in the collection)

Section of a Thurston ‘Adament’ Cushion showing slate insert

I think however it is perfectly fair to say that a good sound cushion rail made from a heavy quality Mahogany Oak or Walnut is in fact just as good and has many advantages when the table is being serviced, as they are more quickly and easily handled – an important feature in these days of high working costs.

BILLIARD CUES

We do not know who first invented a Billiard Cue. Like the Billiard Table itself, and other accessories, it has probably slowly evolved, reaching the present generally accepted shape and style round about the beginning of the 19th Century.

It is accepted that cues came to England from the Continent around about 1800. Prior to this period of time the implement used for driving a Billiard Ball on a Billiard Table was a “Mace” . Generally the Mace was made from Ash, and took the form of a tapering shaft about 4ft. long, which broadened out into what I think can best be described as a spoon shaped head, terminating with a flat face measuring approximately 2” x 1” which was used to push or propel the ball in the required direction.

We have here available for your inspection a very good example of a Mace made entirely from a piece of timber. In more recent times the head of the Mace was made from a separate piece of timber into which the shaft was fitted.

By the early part of the 19th Century Billiard Cues as we now know them had become firmly established, and they completely ousted the Mace, except for the fact that the Mace did continue to be used by lady players, and so it was sometimes called a ladies cue. The Mace was used with one hand only, it was not necessary to form a bridge or rest with the other hand. There is a story which suggests that at some time in the past a player found it advantageous to turn the mace round, and play the shot using the end of the shaft. To do so, it was then necessary to form a bridge with the other hand.

At this early stage, the Billiard Cue Tips had not been invented, and so the ball had to be struck dead centre, otherwise the cue would slip off the surface of the ball.

The actual invention of the leather cue tip is attributed to a Frenchman named Mingaud. He is said to have been a retired Infantry Officer who tried sticking a piece of saddle leather to the end of his cue. One record of this event suggests that Mingaud invented the leather cue tip in the year 1807, whilst serving a prison sentence for airing his Political views. Evidently he was allowed to play Billiards whilst serving his prison sentence, and he realised that many bad shots were the direct result of the cue slipping of the ball, and so it was that he tried a leather tip as a means of preventing miss-cueing. On leaving prison he developed his invention/discovery and so for many years Billiard Cue Tips were almost entirely of French manufacture. (As a point of interest because of the ‘French’ connection the size of tips has always been in metric sizes. The only UK manufacturer of tips was E.L. Fletcher & Son Ltd of Baldock, now part of Peradon’s the famous UK cue makers)

Bringing our thought back again to the Billiard Cue itself – many cues are still made from Ash, although, now the most popular timber for cue shafts is Canadian Maple, but, a very large variety of other types of timber including Hickory and Hornbeam have been used with complete success. In quite recent times Ramin has been used by some Italian Cue Manufacturers. (Note; When Norman wrote up his lecture the comments with regard to Ash and Maple were true but after the greater interest in Snooker as a result of T.V. coverage Ash cues became the norm. Due in no small part to the fact that the ‘new’ professionals , who had picked up old cues , that were made of Ash, when starting out set the ‘fashion’ for their fans etc. to follow. Ramin cues in the UK were generally those imported from the Far East. Ramin is now on the list of endangered trees threatened by over felling.)

Until comparatively recent times nothing was stipulated in the rules concerning the dimensions of a Billiard Cue, but generally the length has been somewhere between 4ft. 8ins. and 5ft. The present day accepted standard length in the United Kingdom being 4ft.10ins., and we seem to have settled for a tip size slightly less than ½” (11mm) and the present day cue has a butt measuring approximately 1 ¼” diameter, although not many years ago they were much broader and approximately 1½” diameter. (Tip size on Snooker / Billiard cues now tend to be 10mm and on UK pool cues 8.5mm. With regard to cue length in the modern day 57 inches [145cms] to 58 inches [147 cms]).

In very recent times a rule was introduced by the Billiard Association and Control Council, stipulating that a Billiard Cue should not be less than 3ft. in length. This was brought about due to the fact that a professional player – I think it was Mr Alec Brown – used a very short piece of timber, only about 6” long with a tip on one end to play a stroke. I understand that the referee gave a “foul” and this resulted in very considerable argument, as Mr Brown pointed out that this small implement was in fact one of his Billiard cues, and that with accordance with the rules he had played the stroke with the tip of the cue. Thereafter he adopted the title of “The Fountain Pen Cue Man”.

When during the middle years of the 19th Century, a demand for heavier cues developed, the additional weight was obtained by splicing/gluing on heavier pieces of timber such as Ebony to the butt end of the cue. The art of machine splicing butts developed in France, whilst the English method was simply to plane the sides of the butt flat, and then to glue on the additional pieces of heavier timber. For a time this was known as the “English Splice”, although in more recent years we have simply referred to it as being “Hand Spliced”, whilst the other method was known as the “French Splice” and in more recent years simply as “Machine Spliced”.

In very recent times, due to the high present day cost of labour, the work of making hand spliced cues has ceased, only machine sliced cues are now being manufactured. (This is no longer true, checking with Peradon’s, who were established in 1885, there is a strong demand for UK made hand spliced cues and the majority of the bespoke cues made via their www.cuewizard.co.uk site are hand spliced)

It is also interesting to note that during the 19th century, many cues were manufactured with elaborately decorated inlaid butts. Not many have survived, but we do have a few available for your inspection, and it should be noted that even in these days jointed cues were in fact quite popular, although many players think that they are a very recent idea.

Billiard Cue with decorated inlaid butts

Another Buttery patent concerning two piece cues from 1885 which shows that they were not invented in the 1970's!

Perhaps I should take this opportunity of telling you that very few Billiard Cues are in fact perfectly straight. One often sees players rolling a cue on the surface of the Billiard Table in order to test it for straightness. Most cues have slight variations somewhere along the length of the shaft – they are not perfectly elongated tapered shafts, and so, even, a very good cue will sometimes “lift” slightly when rolled on a table.

Unfortunately, I think for the Billiard Trade, most traders have encouraged players to think that Billiard Cues should be perfectly straight, and so we have made a “rod for our own backs”.

If you want to examine a Billiard Cue for straightness, you should do so by closing one eye and then sighting down the length of the sue – rather like sighting a rifle, and then turn the cue slowly in your hand. You will then be able to see any unevenness in the length of the cue. Note, however, that many very good players in fact use cues which are quite badly warped.

One other small point which may be of interest concerning the design of Billiard Cues is the small flat area which still exists on the butt of most cues. This is said to be handed down from the days of the Mace, when it was permissible to play with either end of the cue according to the wishes of the player and the stroke required. Nowadays of course this flat surface is simply used for the maker to fix this nameplate.

Since the original invention of the Billiard Cue Tip by Mr. Mingaud, cue tips have also developed considerably. Double Tips, otherwise two piece Tips, were developed during the first half of the 19th Century – the base layer being harder than the crown, and indeed sometimes made of fibre, whilst in quite recent times Three Piece Tips have become very popular. The best quality tips now being made from Chrome tanned leather, and sold under the brand names of “Blue Diamond” and “Elk Master” which are of American manufacture.

I should perhaps also briefly refer to the Billiard Chalk. It seems that chalk was used on the ends of cues even before the leather tips were used, in order to try and prevent or reduce miscuing. It is perhaps interesting to note that even today we use ordinary white chalk on the wooden chuck in a lathe in order to grip a Bowling Green Bowl firmly during the turning process. Originally the chalk used was white, but this made such a mess of the playing surface that the green and blue Chalks were introduced, which were not so noticeable on the green playing surface of the Billiard Cloth.

The earliest reference I have found concerning the use of chalk in order to give the cue a better “bite” or “grip” seems to indicate that during the 1820’s John Bartley of Bath (see Article Past Master No 1 Kenfield & Carr) first used chalk in order to apply “screw” or “side” to Billiard Balls, having discovered the advantages of using chalk for this purpose he astonished the spectators by the shots he was then able to play.

John Carr, who acted as marker, came to know the secret, and apparently made a small fortune by selling “twisting chalk” to other players, with the promise that they would be able to perform similar shots, and as many players will admit chalk on the tip of a cue certainly makes a tremendous difference to the players ability in controlling the cue ball.

Billiard Snooker Chalk is a manufactured commodity, and can vary in texture and quality tremendously. Present day chalks contain a considerable quantity of abrasive matter, and I have been told that in recent years before the war, one well known American Chalk of the brand name “Spinks” actually contained finely ground glass.

BILLIARDS / SNOOKER BALLS ( see Article on 'Balls')

Apart from the fact that we heard earlier that a certain Irish King seemed to use Billiard Balls of brass, throughout most of the time that the game of Billiards has existed the balls were made of Ivory. Composition Balls are of comparatively recent introduction.

Until the year 1830 the size of Billiard Balls used on a full sized billiard table was 1 15/16 inches from 1830 onwards balls measuring 2 inches diameter were generally used, although at this time pocket openings were considerably smaller than they are today, being generally 3 ¼ inches across the fall of the pocket.

I do not know when the present day size of ball was first introduced, but as we all know the rules stipulate that the balls shall be of equal size and weight, and must measure 2 1/16 inches diameter.

The use of Ivory for making Billiard Balls during the 19th Century created a very considerable business in the importation of Ivory, principally through the London and Liverpool Docks, and quoting from the Encyclopaedia Britannica the following quantities are given as typical importations:-

In the year 1827 through the port of London – 3,000 cwt.(150 tonne)

In the year 1850 – 8,000 cwt(400 tonne), and finally in the year 1890 – nearly 15,000 cwt. (750 tonne)

From this date forwards the quantities decline rapidly, which seems to indicate that Composition Balls were probably introduced towards the end of the 19th Century. At any rate by 1895 the quantity imported had declined to 11,000 cwt. (550 tonne) In 1900 less than 10,000 cwt (500 tonne), and by 1927 – 5,000 cwt. (250 tonne)

It is now known that Composition Balls were invented in 1868 by Mr. Hyatt in the U.S.A.

Mr. Hyatt

He set up the Albany Billiard Ball Co.

In the year 1927 Ivory Tusks suitable for making Billiard Balls were selling at £66.00 per cwt (approx £1.32 kilo), whilst partially prepared Billiard Ball pieces were fetching £154.00 per cwt. (approx £3.08 kilo)

From the information I have gathered by perusing very old catalogues published Mr Messrs. Burroughes & Watts , and by Thurston & Co. – it seems that the best quality Ivory for making balls was obtained from Tusks weighing between 7 and 8lbs. Billiard Balls required the highest possible quality, and of the varieties available described as hard or soft etc, it seems that the soft quality was considered to be the best.

From each of these tusks not more than 5 balls could be obtained – three of which would be of top quality – one second quality – and one third quality. Thus from the Ivory provided by one Elephant only 2 good quality sets of Ivory Balls could be obtained, and it would take 4 elephants to provide enough Ivory for a set of Snooker Balls.

It is on record that some 12,000 Elephants were slaughtered each year in order to supply Britain with Billiard Balls.

It seems that if Composition Balls had never been invented, it would have been quite impossible to provide all the snooker balls which are currently used. Composition Balls are one of the earliest forms of plastic, largely based upon the material we all know as “Celluloid”.

I understand that the discovery of the process for making the modern Composition Balls was made simultaneously by two men working quite independently of each other – one in the United States of America, and the other in England. At one time it seems that the Bonzoline Composition Balls, which was of American manufacture, was the best known and most popular, however during my time in the Billiard Trade the British Market has been entirely taken over by the Crystalate Ball which was of English manufacture.

The Composition Billiard Ball Supply Company, whose factory is at Congleton, Cheshire, now make both the Bonzoline and the Crystalate Balls, and they are certainly a most reliable product. A set of Composition Billiards or Snooker Balls gives very many years satisfactory service – unlike Ivory Balls, they do not require re-colouring, they hardly ever require re-adjusting, they are always very much more accurate, and on top of all this, being very much cheaper than Ivory, it was inevitable that the Composition Ball would completely supersede the Ivory Ball. In fact the Composition Ball had completely taken over the market by the time I joined the Billiard Trade on leaving school in 1930. (The Composition Billiard Ball Supply Company was sold to the Saluc Company of Belgium the manufactures of Aramith Billiard & Snooker Balls and production was moved to Belgium)

I have somewhere seen the date when the Composition Balls were first used in the English Championships, but I have not been able to find this information – no doubt it can be provided by the Billiards Association and Control Council. (In Norman’s ‘Days of Old’ articles it is noted that the 1926 Amateur Championships used composition Billiard balls and the Professional Championships used them from 1928)

There are in fact two quite distinctly different types of Composition Ball. The Crystalate and Bonzoline are made by what I believe is called a “Compression Moulding” process, whilst the other type of ball is a Cast Resin Ball, and must first of all be roughly moulded in a glass mould – the ball being extracted from the mould by breaking the glass away rather like taking the shell off a boiled egg. After being cured by heating, both types of ball must then be turned to approximate size, after which they are finished on a centreless grinder, and finally polished.

The size of Billiard Ball used for the Continental Game is very much larger than the English Ball, being somewhere about 2 ½” diameter, whilst the balls used for the various games of American Pool are 2 ¼” diameter, thus here again the equipment used in different countries varies considerably.

SNOOKER

At the beginning of the notes I did say that I would later on refer to the Game of Snooker, which I think we must admit is now very much more popular amongst ordinary club players than the original game of Billiards.

It seems that Snooker was originally “thought up” by a young officer serving with the 11th Regiment (now the Devonshire's) in India at Jubbulpore in 1875. Apparently a popular game in the Officers Mess at the time was called Black Pool. This young subaltern suggested adding another coloured ball to the game. Gradually more coloured balls were added, and so the game of snooker was invented.

It was probably at this time relatively easy to add additional balls of other colours, as they would be made of Ivory, and Ivory is easily stained to almost any required colour.

This story was originally revealed by Sir Compton Mackenzie in an article which was published in “The Billiard Player” in 1939. (see Article on 'Origins of Snooker) Sir Compton said he had heard it from the inventor himself. He went on to say that the man who added the coloured ball to the game of Black Pool was Colonel Sir Neville Chamberlain who died as recently as 1944 at the age of 88.

The word or name “Snooker” was evidently a word used by army officers who referred to First Year Officer Cadets at the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich as being “Snookers”. Understandably this new game was spread by the army officers from India to England when they returned home – this taking place during the 1880’s, and of course this new game was also taken from one officers mess to another by Sir Neville Chamberlain and others whenever there were posted, to a new station.

Contacts :-

www.thurston.co.uk for snooker, pool, billiard tables – antique, bespoke, renovated as well as all accessories for the games.

www.cuewizard.co.uk for bespoke snooker, pool, billiard and English pool cues

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