The first thing you must is obtain of all the needed materials. The list that we came up with is as follows:
|
The Materials and Cost
|
|
| 4 Packs of contact cement | $ 5.16 |
| Rubber pool table railing | $ 50.00 |
| Cue stick | $ 15.00 |
| Table felt (2 yards) | $ 40.00 |
| Cue ball | Donated by McDermott |
| Finishing nails | $ 0.77 |
| 4’x 8’ press board (3/4”) | Donated by Mr. Beeler |
| Tri-Cel board | Donated |
| Elmer's glue | Donated by KML |
Once you have all the supplies you can start working.
| 1. |
First thing that you must do is position two screws
on your piece of press board. These two screws will serve as your
foci. Foci that are 4 feet apart will produce an ellipse that is 3' by 5'
(following the property of ellipses). |
| 2. |
Next take a piece of braided fishing line and tie
the fishing line to each one of the screws. Be sure that the string
does not go over any of the edges of the press board. Take a pencil
and put a notch in the pencil so the notch is the same height as the string
coming off the screws. Carefully draw the ellipse keeping the sting
tight but not stretching it. |
| 3. |
Next take your Tri-Cel board and cut enough length
to cover the circumference of the ellipse. The width of the strips should
equal the sum of the thickness of the pool table plus the height needed
for the rubber bumper to attach flush to the "top" of the
Tri-Cel while allowing the bumper to hit the ball in its center. After you have the strips
cut, carefully cut along one side of the Tri-Cel strips a distance from the
edge that is equal to the thickness of the table. Scrape off
all the paper and laminate in this part. |
| 4. |
Now it is time to redraw the ellipse. You have
to add on to the outside of the ellipse the width of the Tri-Cel and the width
of the rubber rail. The best way to do this is to take a compass and
measure the width, set the compass to that width. While the compass
is at that width take it and make your ellipse that much bigger. |
| 5. |
Now the bigger of the two ellipses can be cut out.
The easiest way to do this is with a jig saw. When cutting be sure to
cut perfectly on the line otherwise it will not turn out. Sand down to the
line as needed. |
| 6. |
At one of the foci cut a hole big enough (4"
diameter) that the
ball will fit through easily. |
| 7. |
Glue the felt down with Elmer's glue. Be
sure to use a lot of glue and be sure that the felt is flat on the press
board. To do this, spread the glue evenly with a paintbrush, and smooth
the felt down as you go with a rolling pin. Start gluing down the
felt in the center of the table and work outward. A big hint: be sure not to lose the
mark where the second foci is. If you do, the table will not
work 100% of the time. After the glue has dried, cut the felt cover to fit the
ellipse by cutting along the edge of the ellipse with a utility
knife. (You can also cut out the hole at this time.) |
| 8. |
Now it is time to form the walls of the pool bumper.
Take the strips of Tri-Cel board you cut and score one side so the Tri-Cel
becomes flexible. The scores should be about one centimeter apart. |
| 9. |
Next, affix the Tri-Cel strips to the edge of the ellipse.
For the best fit, glue and nail the strips on. After this is complete
it is time to put the bumper on the Tri-Cel board. Glue the rubber to the wood with a contact cement that
holds wood to rubber. Let the glue sit over night. If you want you can cover the rubber with the felt. |
| 10. |
Finally, place the cue ball on the foci, hit it against
the rail and watch yourself make a perfect shot. |