What Are the Tools Needed to Disassemble a Pool Table?

Pools tables are a significant, weighty piece of furniture and can be challenging to move or repair, but the recreation and joy of playing pool makes the occasional inconvenience worthwhile. Take care when disassembling your pool table for transport, repair or storage so as not to damage any of its parts. Pool table retailers, such as Dallas Pool Table in Carrollton, Texas, highly recommend that professionals be hired to disassemble and move a table. If you choose to do it yourself, there are three tools that you will need to take apart your pool table--a staple puller, a socket wrench and a drill.

Staple Puller

Staple pullers, like the one you use to back out a staple from a stack of papers, can be found at office supply stores. In disassembling a pool table, a staple puller is used to remove the staples that hold the pockets as well as the staples that secure the felt to the table. The pockets are the first things to detach. Detach the felt after the pool table rails have been removed. Sometimes felt is also glued. In this case, the felt can be carefully ripped away once the staples are removed.

Socket Wrench

Once the staples are removed from the pockets, the pool table rails need to be removed. The rails are attached with bolts. There are typically three bolts for each rail, located on the underside of the rails. Find the appropriate size socket for the bolts on your pool table. Unscrew the bolts to detach the rails. The table legs are bolted on and a socket wrench can also be used to remove those. The table legs are the last things to remove in the disassembly process.

Drill

Once the felt is removed, the slate tabletop will be revealed. The slate is secured to the table body with Phillips screws. Use a drill with a Phillips bit. Some tables will have the screw heads covered with a daub of beeswax or plaster. If so, beeswax can be extracted with a flat head screwdriver. Plaster can simply be drilled through.