Antique shuffleboard tables were made in the late 1940’s with the two primary brands Rock Ola and American Shuffleboards. Today almost every manufacture makes a style similar to these designs. They are a real niche Art-deco style that would have been poplar in America in the late 40’s.
McClure Tables makes reproductions of the original Rock-Ola shuffleboard tables just like they were made in 1948 and 1949. We also buy, sale and restore antique Rock-Ola shuffleboard tables. To find good working score units is very rare. We have often traded boards, new tables and bought other antique tables we did not even want just to get the Rock-Ola score unit. We manufacture an exact replica of the original antique score units just they work on solid state LED panels not old electro mechanical circuits.
We put together this short video on an old Antique Rock-Ola shuffleboard score unit. We have more video’s coming and more articles to show the complete restoration process from start to finish.
If you have an old antique Rock-Ola shuffleboard table and are looking to get it restored we offer complete restoration services. We have several fully restored antique Rock-Ola tables in stock for sale. Call us at 800-565-0977 if you want to find out more information about antique Rock-Ola shuffleboard Tables.
In almost every home there is an unused or underutilized space that presents the perfect opportunity for a game room. Perhaps nowhere is this more true than in the attic.
While most people put their game rooms in the basement, these dark, windowless spaces have a tendency to feel constricting. Because of the wiring and other details below the first floor that usually needs to remain somewhat exposed, unimaginative dropped ceilings are generally used in basements, robbing the space of any height.
In homes with an attic, you can take advantage of the peaked ceiling and exposed beams to create a space that is aesthetically pleasing and more inviting than a finished basement would be. Rather than having your game room feel like a subterranean lair, the space will instead have the essence of a penthouse play-space.
Embrace the structural look and go with a bare-bones approach to the design of the room. Don’t cover up the beams with ceiling tiles but instead enjoy the cathedral look.
Hang antique ceiling lamps from the rafters, or at least old-fashioned looking fixtures, to highlight the rustic nature of the space. If you have any old-school paraphernalia like street signs or aged movie posters, this is the perfect spot to hang these pieces.
Since the attic runs the length of the household, you should have plenty of space to store an extra long shuffleboard. At 22-feet, the Rock-Ola shuffleboard table from McClure Tables is not only the perfect length, but it has a classic, old school look to it that would fit in nicely with almost any design scheme. One thing to keep in mind is you are probable going to need a lift or crane to get the shuffleboard playing surface in the attic. We once installed an antique Rock-Ola shuffleboard on the 3rd floor of an old home where the attic was converted to a game room.
Since you’ll be playing above the rest of the house, make sure you put thick carpeting down throughout the space so that sound won’t travel down through the rafters. This way, you can have a unique and inconspicuous hideaway with ample space to unwind and enjoy a game of shuffleboard.
We create all our shuffleboard tables here in Michigan. We took these pictures today of a custom 16 foot shuffleboard table made for a client with solid walnut legs, horse collar, and sub frame.
Rock-Ola 16 foot shuffleboard table made with solid walnut wood.
We even try to source as many component parts as we can made in the USA. Every detail on this score unit is as the original antique shuffleboards. The glass on the score unit is not plexiglass but real tempered glass that is printed in Michigan. The score unit poles are fabricated and powder coated in the original green made also in Michigan. We also offer a optional metal lamp shade and pole kit also made in the USA. If you have an original antique Rock-Ola we offer original replacement glass as well as other Rock-Ola shuffleboard replacement parts you can buy here.
Rock-Ola solid walnut wood score unit
With attention to detail even the decal on the score unit is reproduced as the originals were even the mis-spelled word wates. On the original Rock-Ola play surfaces we have restored many and have found all types of spellings for this, pucks, weights, and wates on the board play surface but all the score units we have seen they used the word wates.
Solid walnut horse collar and legs
Many times I hear people who talk about how the original antique Rock-Ola shuffleboards used a horse collar (the round curved end of the cabinet) that was made out of solid mahogany. We have seen dozens and restored several but have never seen one with mahogany horse collar. The only thing mahogany was the color stain or finish used. Today with our originals if you want mahogany wood we will make one for you custom out of any wood. We usually offer black American Walnut and Michigan hard maple wood, as we try to have a low environmental impact sourcing our hardwoods from local Michigan timber
We make a replica of the coin box and it has a glass face with LED lamps inside to illuminate the box. It doubles as a storage box for shuffleboard supplies. We have some other pictures here of the box open with our Adroit shuffleboard wax that we hand mix in here in Michigan. Shuffleboard wax is often called powder, sand, cheese, or salt but is made with a special material that helps the pucks slide down the board.
Here is a picture of the box open and it is large enough to store a set of pucks and two cans of silicone spray or wax. We do also offer in a fully functional coin operated unit for commercial use then the box would store money instead of shuffleboard supplies.
We also have a storage compartment in the bottom of our score unit that can store pucks or shuffleboard weights. see the image below of our score unit with the cabinet open
We are always updating our web site and every image of all the shuffleboard tables you see on our web site were not made just to photograph. They are all custom made for our customers and now are proudly in some customers home for family fun.
You can have your own custom shuffleboard table like this one handcrafted by McClure Tables at our Grand Rapids facility. Visit our site for more details or give Todd a call at 800-565-0977.
What is the value of an old antique shuffleboard table? We often get asked this question, but the value really depends usually on the original condition and what the buyer is willing to pay. We have seen old American, National, and other brands, but the only model that seems to garner some attention and demand a higher price is the Rock-Ola. The antique Rock-Ola tables were only made for two years back in 1947 and 1948. Considering this fact, along with the Rock-Ola name is the main reason why these tables are the most sought after models. However, the value is often based on what the buyer will pay and what condition is the table in. We have all seen Antique Road Show enough to know that the more changes and replaced parts on an antique the less valuable it becomes. With many of the restorations of the antique Rock-Ola tables we have seen they are often so far changed from the original we cannot see any real antique value to the piece. Maybe a little nostalgia but the antiquity value has been drastically reduced.
When we restore a table we take great pains to keep it as original if possible. This means keeping the glass inlay and not replace with walnut wood or some other simulated inlay. Because we make authentic reproductions we have all the original replacement parts, but the idea of a restoration is to keep some of the old. So we would on an original keep the chrome even though it may have some dings or dents, we would keep all the original glass if we need to replace one or two pieces we would do it on the side hopefully that would be next to the wall. The stainless steel covers would be kept original and basically you would wash the table down and refinish the parts with wear. However, you would not run the side cabinet boards through a sander and make them look like brand new. Here are some pictures to a fully restored original this was kept in tack for antiquity value:
Many of the tables that have been restored look like brand new and many of the original components have been replaced or exchanged. The sides and end is often sanded down and refinished to new condition. This is nice but you really no longer have an antique but an old restored Rock-Ola shuffleboard. In this case, why not just buy a new Rock-Ola shuffleboard table from McClure Tables.
