How to Align the Slate Top of a Billiards Table

Remove the rails and pockets on all sides. Most are bolted on underneath. Use the ratchet and sockets to loosen two or three bolts for each side rail. The pockets may be bolted to the rails and may need to be separated but may also come loose from the rails without bolts.

Remove the felt covering by using the flat head screwdriver and pliers to remove all of the staples around the edges of the felt. It should lift off easily after the staples are removed.

Remove the slate by removing the large screws located at the edges of each piece. The screw heads will be covered in beeswax. Dig out the wax and discard it. The joints where one piece of slate touches the next will also have wax in them. Clean off all of it with a razor blade scraper after the pieces are separated.

Use the level and wood shims under the legs to level the frame before replacing the slate.

Replace each piece of slate making sure it is level before placing the next piece. Use the level and wood shims underneath the slate to adjust each piece. After replacing the screws that hold down the slate, fill the holes and the cracks between each piece of slate with bees wax. Use the razor blade scraper to trim off the excess and even the wax with the slate's surface.

Replace the felt by pulling taut and stapling all around underneath the edges.

Replace the rails making sure you place them parallel with one another on the opposite sides of the table and at 90 degrees from each other at the corners.