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Many people buy a snooker table with the express intention of using it for snooker match-ups. This is to be expected. But keep an open mind. A book case can be used for storing books, but if you do some informal research you will notice that many bookcases are being used to store a wide variety of non-book material. After looking at the usual uses of snooker tables, let us explore some possible alternative uses.

Formalized as a separate game in eighteen seventy five, snooker was first conceived by British soldiers. Colonel Chamberlain is credited with creating the first rules, while serving in India. The word snooker was transferred from its original use for describing greenhorn recruits. It was a derogatory way of describing the unskilled player. Then it became the name of the new game. Today’s tables are usually six feet by twelve feet.

The original billiard table design was modified to accommodate the new game of Snooker. Originally, games using balls and sticks were played outdoors. Along with the desire to bring such games indoors came the need for huge modifications to the ball and stick game concept. First, as a method of limiting the field of play for indoor use, the concept of using a big table gained acceptance. For safety and convenience, the cushion was developed. This prevented the constant chasing of stray balls.

Early snooker table cushions were not the steady, easy maintenance table features that we see today. The first tables had cushions made up of strips of wood, glued together. They had to be replaced or re-glued from time to time. Hollow tubes were also employed, but anchoring them proved tricky. An English craftsman named John Thurston brought snooker tables into the modern age with his newly designed cushion. He saw the value of the latest innovations in the processing of rubber for snooker table cushion construction.

What surfaces are usually used for the surface of a the table used by snooker experts? Generally a green cloth made from wool is the material of choice. The green color harks back to snooker’s historical roots as an outdoor game. For non commercial use a thinner weave is used. Public tables have a slightly tougher cloth. On snooker tables a nap which lies in a specific direction is often used. This causes a different reaction in the ball, depending on whether it is rolling with or against the direction of the nap. When the snooker table is made of slate, this is not a factor.

I think that old, disused tables have a possible second career in the nursery. With multiple births on the rise, why not give the new Octo-mom an old billiard table as a changing station for many babies at a time? All diaper changing supplies could be stored in the centre. Then the squirming child would be safely contained there while the mom ran round the other seven babies. Also, when the little ones start to grow into busy toddlers, an old table with sheets hung from its sides would be the ideal castle, cave, tent or command center for the little tykes in their imaginative play. It could be their own little world. Finally, as more parents delay childbearing until later in life, an old table could give them a break. You won’t have to chase your offspring along outdoors, bent in two to support him as he masters the two wheeler. Do it on your sturdy snooker table! Give him a shove and send him off. Save your back! If you love your child, have another adult present at the other end of the table.

Get a sturdy snooker table so that it will survive many years of family use. The investment you make will pay off over the years. This will be especially true if your great grandchildren take their first unaided bike rides upon its surface.

Matthew Kerridge is an expert in cue sports. If you would like more information about types of snooker table or are looking for a trusted snooker table retailer please visit http://www.topofthecue.com