4. Timbers
Snooker tables should be made from quality furniture timbers. Use of customwood or particleboard is not adequate. The table framework must be strong enough to carry the heavy weight of the slate bed. Over time materials such as customwood or particle board are unlikely to continue to take the strain.

5. The Slate
A quality Snooker table will have a bed of slate. Slate should provide more consistency in keeping the table level than other known substitutes. Such a level surface is essential if the balls are to run true. When considering a table look underneath it. The slate should be lying flat, totally resting on the under frame. If this is not so, over time the slate is likely to sink under its own weight until it does lie on the surface of the frame. That is, the table will move out of level. If you see a series of wooden wedges between the top of the frame and the underside of the slate, we suggest that you do not buy the table because, here, the table has been presented so that it is level temporarily. It is likely to remain so only in the short term. Such wedges have a tendency to become loose or they may drop out. Then the position of the slate will change and the table will be out of level. If a table is correctly constructed the leveling process in your home is carried out by means of adjustment from the base of the legs.

All new tables are made to look as attractive as possible, which makes your choice difficult. We suggest that if you are looking at a table which carries no brand name, pass it by.