Materials Required:
(1) 3/4” x 2 1/2” x 48” Hardwood board
(1) Rail rubber (14” min)

Tools Required:
Wood Glue
Contact Cement (3M77)
90 degree miter box and saw or Compound Miter Saw
Bandsaw or Table Saw or Compound Miter Saw (best/easiest way)

In order to determine the cut angle of my subrail, I needed to know the thickness of my table rails and the profile of my cushions. Olhausen’s AccuFast cushions are K66 profile, and I measured the rails on my table to be 1 1/2” thick.

To make a 1-1/2” rail, I bought a 48” long piece of 3/4” x 2 1/2” red oak from the hardwood section of my local Lowes. The board cost me $3. I’ve used red oak before, and while it is a pain in the neck to cut, it holds up well to abuse. I cut the 48” board in half, and wood glued the 24” boards together to make 1 24” x 1 1/2 ” thick plank. I clamped the entire length of the board, and used 2 nails on each end (about 1/2” from the ends) to make sure I got a solid joint. It doesn’t matter if any of the edges line up perfectly or not, the various cuts will take care of any bad edges.

I gave the glue a week to dry, then cut the board into 5” lengths. This step is not necessary if your rail rubber is in one piece. The rubber I was working with was donated for the project, and was in 3” and 4” pieces.

Using the information I found on the internet, I determined that to give the correct cushion nose height, I needed a 27 degree cut on the subrail.

To make the 27 degree cut on the board, the easiest way would be to use a table saw. I did not have a table saw available, so I made a paper template, marked the ends of the boards, and cut them on a band saw. I then used a piece of rail rubber to mark the second angle cut, which is only necessary to remove excess wood.

With the angles cut, it is time to glue the rubber to the rail. I taped off all surfaces that I didn’t want to glue, then I used 3M-77 contact cement on both glue surfaces. Make sure to stick the rubber to the wood while the glue is tacky. I wrapped the rubber/wood blocks with thick rubber bands while the glue dried. I left them sit for a week, then I removed the rubber bands and tape.

While the rails were drying, I created a template for my pocket cut angles. The quickest way to do so is to take a manila folder, open it up, lay it on top of the rail, line the factory cut edge up with the nose of the cushion, then where the folder overhangs the pocket cut, fold the folder down into the pocket. Make sure you get a good crease. Then you can remove the folder, use a ruler to get a good line in the crease, and then you can cut the template to size. I used CAD software to develop my template, but this method works just as well, and doesn’t rely on measurements to be accurate.

Once the rails were dry, and the template was ready, I marked the rails for the last set of cuts. I simply laid the template over the new rails, marked a good starting line, then began to measure 5/16” from that line and mark a new line using the template. I used 5/16” because I wanted ¼” shims, and allowed 1/16” for the width of the band saw blade. I ended up with 5 cut lines for each side of the corner pocket reducers and 3 cut lines for each side of the side pockets. One the rails were marked, I went back to the band saw to make the cuts.

Note: There is an easier and more accurate way to make these cuts, if you have a compound miter saw available. The band saw I used did not have an adjustable table, so I could not build in the 12 degree vertical cut for the pocket sides. Using a miter saw, it would be easy to set the 12 degree vertical cut angle, then adjust the horizontal cut angle until it matches the template. Be aware that the blade on a miter saw is thicker than on a band saw, therefore more material may be required.

Once I had the reducers cut, I took them to my pool table, and sat them in the pockets. I marked a line on the top of the reducer indicating how deep the wooden portion of the reducer could go before hitting my leather pocket liner. Then, using a hand saw, I cut the reducers off at this line.

This completes the actual reducers. All that remains is to cover them with cloth, and attach them either temporarily or permanently to the table.

Views of a corner pocket with and without the reducers. 4.75” before, 4.00” after

Also, I was curious as to how good my original glue joint would hold up to being hit with billiard balls repeatedly. I set a piece of scrap that had a glue joint up on parallels, then hit it with a hatchet. The result? The glue joint held fine, the wood failed before the joint did.