Slate:
The Black Champion table comes with 3/4" 3 piece Bella slate.
3-piece slate is the best type of slate because it allows for more precise leveling. With three different sections of slate, each can be leveled individually to achieve a perfect level.
Rail Construction:
K-66 full gum rubber style cushions are used on the Black Champion rails. This construction is approved by the BCA for tournament play. They are time tested for correct speed and accuracy.
The cushions are the most critical aspect of the rail system. In order for a pool table to be tournament approved, the Billiard Congress of America requires that "Rubber cushions should be triangular in shape and molded with conventional K-66 profile with a base height of 1 3/16" and a nose height of 1".
Sub Rail:
The rail liner or "sub rail" is the part of the rail that you cannot see once your table is assembled. It is what the rubber is actually attached to and it is the part of the rail that comes in contact with the slate and allows the rails to be fastened to the slate.
The Black Champion uses a layered plywood sub rail: this will allow for the most accurate rebound available.
The Black Champion rails are attached to the slate with "T-Nut Attachment" this most secure method of fastening the rails to the slate. T-nuts are permanently embedded into the rails, giving perfect alignment, and cannot come loose from over tightening. This features allow for maximum torque on the connecting bolts making the rails from sitting flat on the slate and therefore will change the angle and raise the height of the cushion. This will cause the rebound of the table to seem very slow or "dead".
The cloth that covers the cushions is stapled to the bottom of the sub rail. The rail on the Black Champion has a recessed area for those staples to be attached. This area is called a tack strip. Without a tack strip, the staples will prevent the rails from sitting flat on the slate and therefore will change the angle and raise the height of the cushion. This will cause the rebound of the table to seem very slow or "dead". |