Buying A Shuffleboard Table For Dummies
When it comes to buying a shuffleboard table, it’s important to research what type of product you should purchase. Unworthy shuffleboards will leave you craving gameplay that can only be matched by a few basic elements that not every shuffleboard features. These integral pieces make up the basis of our Buying a Shuffleboard Table For Dummies guide. Read, investigate and explore the differences between your average shuffleboard table and the ones that are crafted by hand at our Grand Rapids facility.
You can’t just cram a shuffleboard table in any old room in your house. Find the perfect place for your new buy, be it man cave or living room, and start taking measurements. At McClure Tables, we handcraft many different sizes of shuffleboard tables to ensure that they can fit into nearly any room in your home. From 9-foot to 22-foot, this wide assortment of sizes and outer cases will give you plenty of options when it comes to placing your new table.
The Board Play Surface: Width Effect During Game Play
When considering buying a shuffleboard table, avoid purchasing one that has a board surface width less than 18 inches wide as this is not a sufficient width for full game play enjoyment even if you plan on using 2 1/4″ pucks (smaller than standard). A shuffleboard table is a long term investment so you want to ensure that gameplay is going to be satisfactory. Too small of a playing surface is comparable to a traffic jam on a highway… too many cars and not enough room to fit them. Shuffleboard is a game of strategy and having sufficient space to maneuver the pucks around your opponents is a key component to enjoying a fun and competitive game of shuffleboard. The width of a shuffleboard is where consumers generally cut costs by purchasing a 20″ wide and 3″ thick board as most of our competitors offer inferior narrow playing surfaces for the lower priced entry level models.
Shuffleboard Playing Field Thickness: Polymer vs. Traditional Finishes
When considering the thickness of the play field, keep in mind if it is being advertised as 3” thick with a lifetime polymer finish. This is misleading and slightly deceptive. When these statements are made, they are not talking about the entirety of the wooden board’s thickness. They are including the polymer in the thickness of the board. We do use a polymer finish when we make boards with a logo, but this serves to make our boards thicker in general. When we say a board is 2” thick, that means it is 2” thick hard maple wood. A finished board at 3” is 3” thick hard maple wood. Look for a manufacturer who actually makes butcher block tops, as most do not. At McClure Tables, we’ve even been asked to quote raw butcher block boards for other manufacturers who offer the polymer finish. These boards will be 2 5/8” to 2 ¾” thick in wood, but will be advertised as 3” with the added finish. For more information about board thickness and width see this guide here.
The Climatic Adjusters
When it comes to buying a shuffleboard table, it’s kind of like buying a car. You wouldn’t ever buy a car without looking under the hood first, right? Start by checking out the bottom of the prospective shuffleboard table or looking at the specs on the web site. What you should notice is several climatic adjusters, metal bars that run the width of the table and are used to keep the table from warping. All shuffleboards have a concave effect to the board, but without these adjusters the board can become uneven or damaged.
The Finish
Ever play on an older shuffleboard? Divots and cracks will send your pucks off the board or stop them dead in their tracks in no time. Thanks to advancements in board finishes, this is no longer the case. At McClure, we now offer a lifetime warranty with our traditional Piano finish, which allows shuffleboard pucks to slide much easier and make your shots more accurate. These tables are still made of the same maple material that has been a time-honored tradition, but with upgraded facelift that is perfect for gameplay. Plus as an added feature you are not playing on the plastic epoxy top but the actual butcher block surface. We are so confident on our finish we are the only shuffleboard manufacture who offers a 5 year warranty on our playboard finish used in commercial applications. See our warranty here and compare with other so called Lifetime warranties that are void in commercial locations.
The Cabinet
While the outer cabinet doesn’t serve any gameplay purpose, it’s important when buying a shuffleboard to consider the aesthetic and look. Made from maple, walnut, pine and a plethora of finishes, the cabinet can be what ties your shuffleboard table together with the rest of your room. Looking for a rustic tinged shuffleboard? Try our Montana shuffleboard table. What about antique Art Deco? Then you’ll want to take a look at the Rock-Ola shuffleboard table.
Finding and buying a shuffleboard table can feel like the ultimate reward. Remember the lessons you’ve learned, be sure to check out all of the tables specs and ensure that this is the table for your home. Quality isn’t pressed out by machines, it’s made by laborers who handcraft each and every aspect of your shuffleboard table. Trust us, you can feel the difference.
WILL THE SHUFFLE BOARD WILL WORK IN A COVERED SUNROOM (IS PROTECTED BUT STILL OPEN) WE LIVE IN SOUTH CAROLINA AND THERE IS HUMIDITY AROUND DURING SUMMER TIME.
PLEASE ADVICE.
REGARDS
You can put a shuffleboard in a covered sunroom you may see a little shift in the board shape or convex and concave with the change of seasons but nothing a small adjustment in the climate adjusters will not fix. The main purpose of climate adjusters is to set the board to the way you want it to play. For most people inside a climate controlled home with AC or heat once your board is set it should remain pretty constant if you get wider swings in a sun porch you may have to in the more humid summers take some tension off the adjusters in the winter dry climate you may need to increase the tension.
I have a old shuffleboard table in great condition.
The table has the original glass. When the table is plugged in it lights up.
The original legs still intact.
It’s dated 1953 unit 16.
I also have an original scoring pad and a original canister of sawdust.
Would love to have it restored or possible sale.
We do restore shuffleboard table cabinets and play boards the electronic score units we have someone who does them for us we are mostly experts on the wood working. It runs generally around $4000 to $5000 to restore a table cabinet and play board the play surface alone we can usually repair and restore for $900 to $1300 depending on what shape it is in.
How do I get prices
Hi Rob,
Thanks for your interest in McClure! You can view pricing for all of our shuffleboard tables here: https://www.mccluretables.com//c-3-mcclure-shuffleboard-tables.aspx
Please feel free to reach out to us at 800-565-0977 if you have any additional questions.
Thanks,
McClure Tables
Thinking about buying an American made board….should I wait until black Friday to get a better price?
Too Late now hope you got an American Made board
Can I buy just the table top and make my own platform. I have 300bf of one inch butternut I would like to use.
You can buy the tops here https://www.mccluretables.com/c-15-shuffleboard-play-boards.aspx
Yes we sell tops here https://www.mccluretables.com/c-15-shuffleboard-play-boards.aspx
HI Todd,
We live in GR and wonder if we can stop in and look at your boards what hours are you open?
Yes we do have a showroom normal hours are Mon-Thursday but can open by appointment call local 616-662-5974
Would you recommend a longer single ended table or a shorter dual end. 12 foot single ended.
I would go with a 12 foot table and stand on both ends to play a normal game of shuffleboard. If I had to choose a 9 foot then possible your solution is not a bad idea.
What’s the Difference between a three point and a four point shuffleboard table ?
They do not use the 4 point system much but it was for a patent handicap shuffleboard game where you would rate a player by skill. If I were a higher skilled player I may have to use the 1,2,3 point system, you on the other hand could be less skilled shuffleboard player and you basically get one point added to your handicap to try to even out the various skill levels of players. You can play this handicap on any shuffleboard just the use of putting both sets of numbers 1,2,3 and 1,2,3,4 on one board is a patent handicap scoring system by Championship Shuffleboard. We could mark a board for you with 1,2,3, and 4 but not both sets of numbers. Standard rules and all tournaments are played with the 3 point marking they do have classes and leagues by skill but do not use handicap score system in any league or tournament play that I am aware of.
Hi Todd,
Im worried about getting the shuffle board down our basement steps. The path down the stairs has a landing an then another set of steps. Do the tables come in two pieces when they are shipped? Or if they are one piece, do you think it can make a standard turn. The home was built in 1999? Let me know when you can.
Here is a link to an article about how Shuffleboard tables are shipped But you may check out this youtube video on how a shuffleboard table is set up You will see how we manuver a playboard around up and down some stairs in that video and even through a window. however we also can make a two piece board for difficult situations.
Can I buy a shuffleboard and place it on my back porch? outside?
We don’t currently make any outdoor style shuffleboard tables
For full game play what width should the board be?
20″ is standard on tournaments but you can enjoy a game on an 18″ wide board equally
What size table to you recommend for a 13′ x 16′ room?
You could fit a 12′ Table with 2′ to stand behind each end
if it was an 18′ room, would you then go up to 14′ table? or keep 12′ to leave more room.
How much does a 14′ Prestige weigh? I didn’t see it listed in the specs.
Also, does the warranty cover chips in the surface? Was the warranty in place for a purchase from November 2009? We have a corner that is very chipped.
The table fully assembled is about 650 pounds. No the warranty on polymer does not cover chipping we now make all our tables in Grand Rapids and do not use that type of finish any more the new finish can dent but will not chip. The chipping can happen when pucks drop on polymer or bounce back from the ends of the horse collar.
I am in Maryland, near Washington DC, where can I purchase your tables? Also I only have room for a 9ft table due to a pool table already in the room. Do you find that 9ft is far too short to enjoy a game? A longer table would have to go outside on the covered deck. Suggestions please
Hi I recently purchased a 22 ft vintage table and would like to restore it or have it done for me. There are no tags on it but a stamped engravement on the side of the main board that states rock ola 2636 but it does not look like a rock ola table the scoreboard is very old and also dont look like a rock ola it states s&s mfg co. Franklin ave flint 6 mich. It shows a lady on the glass playing the game along with the scoring plus the coin box. Can u help me identify this and supply parts. Thanks
We have a few parts but not much for score units, most the wood parts can be remade.
Hi guys. We are interested in getting a McClure for our cottage. We can fit a 20’ table. It would sit in a covered, enclosed barn/carriage house. Dry, but not heated in winter. Can McClure tables stay stored over winter in a cold climate? (Wont be used in winter, just stored)
Hi Mark
We would not see any problems with cold weather in storage you can search by Shuffleboard Table 20 foot models here
We rec ntly played on one off your tables at a local brewery. The scoring was on both ends. Is that designed for players to play opposite each other rather than fro the same end?
Yes
I am looking to buy a shuffle board table. I lost mine in valley fire. I did not see any of your prices. My number is +17073214001 thanks
You have reached our blog all our table prices are on line at our main web site here you can browse Shuffleboard Table by price
I want to put the shuffleboard in my metal shop building at our cabin. It is of course out of the weather, but not climate controlled. Arkansas weather… Extreme heat and humidity in summer and freezing temperatures in winter. The building has a high ceiling, so inside temp stays well below 100 but may get down to 0 in winter. Will my investment stay secure and continue to play well over many years?
You would not have any issues with our tables and the way we finish our playboard but some of the ones with the poured epoxy depending on how they finish the bottom of the board can give some problems with the climate changes.