How to Take Apart a Pool Table
A pool table comes apart in one order: pockets, rails, cloth, slate, then the frame and legs. It goes back together in reverse. The work is simple bolts and screws; what makes it hard is the slate, three slabs of stone weighing roughly 125 to 210 pounds each on most home tables, and the fact that every shortcut during teardown turns into a puzzle at reassembly.
Here is the full sequence with the tools, the bolt counts, the parts people forget (miters, ball-return tracks, the wax over the slate screws) and a labeling system that makes the rebuild go smoothly.
Before you start: tools, crew and photos
| Tool | What it's for |
|---|---|
| Socket set, ratchet and extensions | Rail bolts sit deep under the slate; Billiards Direct names a 1/2 in socket for rails and 9/16 in for legs |
| Drill with Phillips bits | Slate screws, pocket screws, miters |
| Staple puller or flat screwdriver | Cloth and pocket staples |
| Putty knife | Breaking the wax or putty in the slate seams and over screw heads |
| Zip-top bags, painter's tape, marker | Hardware and part labels |
| Moving blankets and lifting straps | Slate and rails |
| Safety glasses and gloves | Staples and wax chips fall when you work underneath |
Line up three adults for a slate table, four if there are stairs. That's Billiards Direct's minimum, and it's right: two to lift, one to guide, one to bag hardware and take photos.
Take photos of the whole table, under every rail, inside every pocket and under the frame before anything comes loose. Those pictures answer most reassembly questions.
Step 1: remove the pockets (and the ball return)
Drop pockets are held to the rails by screws, brackets or, on older tables, staples. Lie under the table with a flashlight, remove the fasteners and bag them as one set. Some tables also have corner miters or apron pieces screwed on at the corners; take those off now and mark where each came from.
On a ball return table, each pocket feeds a rubber gully boot and a sloped track under the slate. Remove the boots and track sections before the slate comes out, and photograph how they sit. A track knocked out of line during a move is a common reason balls stop returning afterward; our ball return guide shows the layout.
Step 2: unbolt and lift off the rails
The rail bolts come up from underneath, through the slate and into the rails. Most home tables have three between each pocket, about 18 in all.
- Back every bolt out a few turns before removing any. Billiards Direct gives this tip because it keeps one rail from hanging on its last bolt and twisting the frame.
- Have a helper hold the rail, then remove the bolts on that side.
- Lift the rail straight up. Some tables have one rail per side, some a single top-rail assembly, and some two horseshoe-shaped sections per side.
- Put tape on the underside of each rail: head, foot, left, right. Bag its bolts with the same label.
- Lay rails cushion-side up on blankets. Don't stack anything on the rubber.
A stuck bolt usually means rust or a damaged thread in the rail's T-nut. Penetrating oil and patience beat a breaker bar; a stripped rail insert is a repair job, not a moving job.
Step 3: take off the cloth
Most home cloth is stapled to the wood backing under the slate edge. Pull the staples one at a time with a staple puller rather than tearing the cloth past them. Glued cloth (common on older and some commercial tables) peels back slowly with even tension, and it usually can't be reused.
Reuse is only worth trying on young, undamaged cloth. Billiards Direct's rule is under two years old with no tears, burns or pilling, rolled on a tube, never folded. Everything else gets replaced, and a move is the cheapest time to do it. See refelting cost for prices.
With the cloth off, take more photos: the seams, the slate screw locations and any shims an installer left between the slate and the frame. Put shims back where they came from at reassembly and the level comes back much faster.
Step 4: remove the slate safely
The slate is where people get hurt and tables get ruined. Each piece of a three-piece bed weighs roughly 125 to 130 pounds on a 7-foot table, 160 to 170 on an 8-foot and 200 to 210 on a 9-foot (1-inch slate, before the wood backing). Our pool table weight guide has the full chart.
- Find the slate screws. They're usually Phillips, at the corners and along the edges, often covered by wax. Scrape the wax off the heads with the putty knife.
- Remove the screws and bag them.
- Break the seams. Run the putty knife along the joints to crack the beeswax or putty. Don't pry the slabs apart against each other.
- Number each slab 1, 2, 3 and draw an arrow pointing to the head of the table.
- Lift with two people minimum per slab, three for a 9-footer or stairs, from the long edges, never the corners.
Flat or on edge? Installers don't agree. Billiards Direct's moving guide says to transport slate flat and strapped down, and warns that slate stood on edge without support is likely to crack. Other installers carry and truck slabs on edge like plate glass. Whichever way you go, the rules that keep slate whole are the same:
- Support the slab along its full length. Never let it bridge a gap, like the space between a truck bed and a tailgate.
- Never set it down on a corner.
- Never stack slabs on each other.
- Wrap each slab in blankets and strap it so it cannot slide or tip on a turn.
If you aren't sure, lay the slate flat on a fully padded truck bed and strap it down. Our guide to moving a pool table covers hauling in more detail.
A one-piece slate, common on older 7-foot bar tables, cannot be split, and Billiards Direct puts it at 400 to 600 pounds. That is genuinely a professional job with a stair-climbing dolly, not a favor to ask three friends.
Step 5: break down the frame and legs
With the slate off, what's left is heavy furniture. On many tables the easiest way to reach the leg bolts is to turn the frame upside down on blankets. Remove the legs one at a time and bag each leg's hardware separately (Leg 1, Leg 2 and so on). Check the manual or your photos before removing any center beam or cross member; some cabinets are glued and screwed and aren't meant to come apart.
Wrap legs and frame parts in blankets. Finished wood scuffs easily, and a gouged apron is permanent.
Labeling system that makes reassembly easy
| Bag or label | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Pockets | Pockets, pocket screws or staples, miters |
| Rail: head, foot, left, right | Each rail's bolts and washers |
| Ball return | Gully boots, track screws, collection box hardware |
| Slate | Slate screws, plus a note on where the shims were |
| Leg 1 to 4 (or 6) | Each leg's bolts, levelers and brackets |
| Frame | Beam and cross member hardware |
Tape each bag to the part it belongs to, or put every bag in one labeled box that rides in the cab, not the truck bed. Lost rail bolts are the classic way a two-hour rebuild becomes a two-day one.
Brunswick, Valley and other specific tables
The order above works for almost every home table. A few notes by type:
- Brunswick. Brunswick doesn't publish owner disassembly instructions and says moves should be handled by experienced professionals. Its warranty excludes tables moved by anyone other than Brunswick or an authorized dealer or agent, so check that before you pick up a wrench. Gold Crown tables are built as ball return tables (a wire track carries the balls), so plan for the track step.
- Valley and other coin-op bar tables. These usually have one-piece slate, a ball return and a coin box. Valley's current spec sheet describes a five-bolt rail system. Because the slab is 400 to 600 pounds, the slate is the part to hand off to a pro crew.
- Fischer, Olhausen and other brands. Same sequence. Find every bolt before you lift anything, and photograph more than you think you need. Olhausen's warranty also requires an authorized dealer or agent for moves.
- MDF tables. Usually just legs off; the bed and rails stay together. Two or three people can carry the body.
How long it takes, and the reassembly reality
A first-timer with the right tools should plan on two to four hours for the teardown. HomeAdvisor says a professional move, teardown to rebuild, usually takes four to six hours, and six to eight with a ball return or a hard route.
Reassembly runs in reverse (frame, slate, shims, seams, cloth, rails, pockets), but it's slower because the slate has to be leveled with a machinist level and the seams filled flush before the cloth goes on. That part, plus stretching new cloth, is where most owners hand off to a pro. Doing the teardown and haul yourself and paying an installer for the setup is a sensible split. The rebuild is covered in how to set up a pool table, leveling in how to level a pool table, and pricing in pool table moving cost.
Mistakes that break tables
- Pulling every bolt on one rail at once and letting it drop.
- Prying slate pieces apart at the seam instead of cracking the wax first.
- Lifting slate by the corners, or setting it down on one.
- Skipping the ball-return tracks and lifting the slate onto them.
- Tearing cloth past the staples, then finding out it was nearly new.
- Throwing all the hardware in one coffee can.
- Tipping the assembled table on its side to "save time."
Sources
- Billiards Direct, pool table moving guide (crew size, socket sizes, rail bolt technique, cloth reuse, slate handling, one-piece weight)
- Brunswick Billiards, table care
- Brunswick Billiards, warranty terms
- Olhausen Billiards, warranty
- HomeAdvisor, time and cost to move a pool table
Our picks
Links open the current selection and price on Amazon so you can compare real reviews before buying.
ELEAD 50-Piece 3/8 in. Drive Socket Set
Rail and frame boltsShallow and deep sockets in SAE and metric, including the 1/2 and 9/16 inch sizes rail and leg bolts commonly use, with extensions to reach bolts recessed under the slate. The right extension is the difference between a ten-minute rail and a forty-minute one.
Amazon price: $39.99 as of 4:45 PM EDT. Price and availability can change; Amazon’s price at purchase applies.
Check price on Amazon
Heavy-Duty Moving Blankets, 12 Pack
Wrapping slate and railsTwo blankets per slab, plus rails, legs and the cabinet, uses a dozen fast. These 72 by 80 inch pads also go on the floor under the upside-down frame while you pull the legs.
Amazon price: $89.99 as of 4:45 PM EDT. Price and availability can change; Amazon’s price at purchase applies.
Check price on Amazon
KEEPER Two-Person Lifting and Moving Straps
Lifting slateRated to 800 pounds with adjustable length. Slate has no handholds and edges that bite fingers, and straps let two people lift with their legs and keep their hands clear when the slab goes down.
Amazon price: $19.99 as of 4:45 PM EDT. Price and availability can change; Amazon’s price at purchase applies.
Check price on Amazon
12-Inch Master Precision Machinist Level
Releveling at reassemblyInstallers true each slate piece and every seam with a machinist level because a carpenter's level can't see the small errors that make a slow ball drift.
Check price on AmazonFrequently asked questions
How do you take apart a pool table?
In this order: pockets, rails, cloth, slate, then legs and frame. Back off all the rail bolts before removing any, pull the cloth staples one at a time, crack the seam wax before lifting the slate, and label every part and bag of hardware.
How long does it take to disassemble a pool table?
Plan on two to four hours the first time. HomeAdvisor says a full professional move takes four to six hours including reassembly, longer with a ball return.
How many bolts hold the rails on a pool table?
Usually three between each pocket, about 18 in all on a six-pocket table, coming up from under the slate. Some coin-op tables use a different count; Valley describes a five-bolt rail system.
How heavy is the slate when you take it out?
Each piece of 1-inch three-piece slate weighs about 125 to 130 pounds on a 7-foot table, 160 to 170 on an 8-foot and 200 to 210 on a 9-foot, plus the wood backing. A one-piece bar slate is 400 to 600 pounds.
How do you disassemble a pool table with a ball return?
Same order, with one added step: after the pockets come off, remove the gully boots and track sections under the slate and photograph their positions. Then remove the slate as usual.
Can you move a pool table without taking it apart?
Not a slate table, beyond a careful lift of a few feet in the same room. Tipping or dragging it racks the frame and cracks the seams. An MDF table only needs the legs off.
Do I have to replace the felt after taking the table apart?
Usually. Stapled cloth rarely goes back drum-tight, and glued cloth almost never survives removal. Cloth under two years old with no damage, rolled rather than folded, can sometimes be reused.
Related guides
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