Blatt billiards8/28/2023 Narrator: Giving new life to these tables is a tradition that dates back to Blatt's founding. They have a history to themselves, and if the tables could speak, the stories would be endless. Roeder: These tables, a lot of them haven't moved in a hundred years, so sometimes you find old cigarette packs in them. Three thousand antique tables are stored at the factory in New Jersey. But the 50 artisans and woodworkers at Blatt don't just build custom tables, they also restore old ones. The company's most expensive masterpiece on hand: A $100,000 table covered in hand carvings that took about a year to make. Blatt is able to hand build about 300 custom tables a year. And Paul Sorvino.Įach table takes anywhere from six months to a year to build depending on the intricacies of the design. Narrator: Blatt's list of high-profile clients is seemingly endless. They're going to kings and queens in London. Roeder: So these tables are going to celebrities, sports stars. Blatt has road teams across the US certified to set up tables at customers' houses. That's because it's packed and shipped in pieces. Narrator: Once the table is all assembled, they take it all apart again. It's, each table is an individual piece and a true artistic piece. Each table is individual, so all the pockets, the finishings, it's all matched to this specific table. Roeder: Once that's going on, we have our pockets. Felt is stapled onto the rubber bumper rails, and pockets are sewn and branded by hand. Here, wood pieces are treated with a hand-rubbed finish. The last stop is the finishing room where all the details come together. Buyers can choose from around 30 different felts in a rainbow of colors. Narrator: Over on the other side of the factory, felt is cut to the perfect measurements of the table. You know, there's a lot of things we can do. You know, sometimes we do it for customer request. Remember, a billiards table has to be totally flat, so if the floor doesn't settle properly, the balls could lean left, could lean right. Roeder: Some clients actually add reinforcing steel to their floors to prevent sagging in the floors from the weight of the table. Some Blatt tables can weigh up to 2,000 pounds. The slate is that flat surface that will be covered with felt and become the playing field. Narrator: Once the subway's in place, they can put the cross-pieces in and slate on top. The cue ball is attracted to the magnet, wraps around the surface of the magnet, and drops into a different subway track versus the rest of the balls. There's a magnet there in the subway track. So when the ball goes in the subway system, the cue ball goes in. Roeder: There's a magnet inside the pool table and a lead ball inside the cue ball. Ever wonder how the system separates the cue ball from the others? That's the tracks inside the table that carry the balls to a catch box on one end. Once the table is assembled, woodworkers can build in the subway system. Next, it's finally time to put the pieces together. On the other side of the shop, legs, joints, and connecting pieces are carved, then the pieces are sanded and painted. He etches elaborate patterns and pieces together thin layers of wood to make the inlays. Pedro does all the carvings and inlays by hand and one at a time for Blatt. Narrator: If the client wants an intricate design on their table, the sketch comes to Pedro. So as you can see, you have the same grains here running, so when the pieces come together, I can flip them, and then you get a book-matched veneer. It's a log that's sliced at a 1/32, and this is gonna be the finished layer of wood on the table. Roeder: A veneer is a thin sheet of wood. Panels for the frame of the table are cut, and then a veneer is laid on top. Blatt sources its lumber primarily from North America but with exotic woods coming in from around the world. Each of the custom tables is built in Wood-Ridge, New Jersey, in a 50,000-square-foot workshop.įirst up, the wood. The team will then take the client's vision and figure out how to bring it to life. You can customize just about anything you want. Clients will come to the New York City showroom and sit down with a Blatt employee to choose all the details of their table from inlays and carvings to leg shape and felt color. Narrator: Here's how Blatt builds its iconic pool tables from the bottom up. We have, "Let's come to work, and let's learn how to build pool tables and how to manufacturer." Jeff Rieder: In our family, we don't have summers and winter breaks. These high-end, custom-made tables are a favorite among celebrities like Justin Bieber and Tommy Hilfiger. It was founded in New York City in 1923 and has since built a reputation for its hand-carved and constructed bespoke tables, which can cost between $20,000 and $100,000 per table. This family-run company has been building and restoring pool tables for nearly a hundred years. Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders.
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