Douglas E. Walters was CEO of two Billiard Retailers in the Rocky Mountain market from 1985 to 2005. Many of the tables his stores offered in those years were hand-made and others built by major manufacturers in the United States. Tables in his stores were both new and old as well as antique. In 1985, when he first became involved in the business, he had almost no one to turn to for quality, technique and technical answers, so that much of what he learned he discovered himself. As more and more answers revealed themselves, a need for more than those developed and while most solutions were not readily available, discovery and exploration was required. So little was written down about the correct building and assembling of pool, billiard and snooker tables that the necessary information required extensive and detailed research as well as hands-on development. The techniques used today by the best table manufacturers and retailers were first discovered by Mr. Walters and given to the industry by him. In 1992, Mr. Walters stores were the first in the nation to include a life-time guaranty with every table that was sold. Manufacturers didn't offer that in those days and only the best of them do today. His stores were able to do that because of the quality of the tables they offered. Mr. Walters had spent two decades of his life learning and developing better construction methods and assembly techniques and perfected them over the years. In this book, Pool Tables 101, he lays it all out. The information is priceless and extremely difficult to find, except here. It is critical to understanding what you need to know before you attempt to purchase a new or older table. Unlike the legendary pool hall technicians of yester-year who took their secrets to the grave, Mr. Walters wants to share this vital information with any and all future buyers or existing owners of tables for the Greatest Game ever. His wish is to help those who want to have a table in their home or business, select the right table for themselves, whether inexpensive or highly prized. He feels that there is almost no other consumer product in the market where consumers know so little. While reading another guide posted on the internet recently, Mr. Walters noted that the level of knowledge of the author must be based on about 10 minutes of experience in Billiards. The "guide" mentioned the term "felt" in referring to the cloth or fabric on the table and felt has NEVER been used on any real table. Continuing through the document he found many flawed pieces of information and many omissions. Other "guides" he has read fall into the same limited information category and really aren't much help to the consumer. Most are designed to make you buy a specific product. If you have questions, contact Doug Walters at:
dwalters13@cox.net