Topic: Distance between playing surface and Foosmen

[FoosNoob]

Hello and thank you for reading this!

I'm new to the foosworld and I am looking around for a used table.  Now, from reading these forums, I know that you are going to recommend a Tornado table.  However, these are not in my budget.  Even used the cheapest I can find is 400$. 

My question is this:  Why is it, if the standard distance between the playing surface and the foot of the foosman is 1/4 inch (42 cent rule), do none of the mid/low range tables meet this standard?

I'm no pro, nor do I see myself becoming one, but I would like to have a table with a similar feel (I know if won't be exact) to the coin tables at my local pub.

I almost bought a older used Harvard Galaxy, but when I spoke to the guy on the phone about the clearance, he said it was more like 1 1/8 inch.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

My apologies if I've duplicated a thread. I promise I browsed the forums for about an hour before I posted.

Thanks!
-FoosNoob-

[foozkillah]

FoosNoob,

Because the dominant table in Alaska, Hawaii, and the lower 48 US States is Tornado,

If you play on a table with the older higher clearance from the table,  it will almost certainly ruin your game, if you're ever planning to either play competitively on Tornado's or the competing Warrior.  The difference is play, for almost any shot, and timing is just so large, that you would have major problems adjusting.  Probably comparable to the difference that ATP tour players have to deal with when switching between the Clay Court tour in Europe and either the grass tour in England or the Hardcourt tour in the US.  The players have to go ahead of time and acclimatize their game for days, even weeks, to adjust.  The No. 1 player in the world, Rico, does something similar when he arrives to play in major US events.

The most common table you'll also see in pubs and taverns will be Tornado.  You may see quite a few French-style Bonzini's and older Rene-Pierre's (RP's) on the Southeast US coastal areas, especially the Carolinas, but they actually are very conscious of the differences in style and play. 

If you just like to play at home, and don't plan to play competitively, then any Harvard or other home model should do.  Otherwise, either get a used Tornado home model, (used Home Models should easily beat that $400 pricepoint you noted) or a table like the Dynamo, that you can put Tornado men onto.

[FoosNoob]

Thank you FoozKillah for the reply!

I would really like the play on my home table to be as similar to the tables at the bar. So, I guess I pretty much need to wait to find that used Toronado table at the right price.  Or put some more money back... Yea, that's gonna happen .

Where exactly should I look for the used Tornado home models or Dynamos to convert?  This is the cheapest listing in my neck of the woods I could find: http://knoxville.craigslist.org/tag/931290483.html .

This didn't seem like a great deal, considering I've seen other new Tornado home models for about 399$ before shipping.

Thanks again in advance for any advice!

-FoosNoob-

[foozkillah]

Thank you FoozKillah for the reply!
Where exactly should I look for the used Tornado home models or Dynamos to convert?  This is the cheapest listing in my neck of the woods I could find: http://knoxville.craigslist.org/tag/931290483.html .
This didn't seem like a great deal, considering I've seen other new Tornado home models for about 399$ before shipping.
...-FoosNoob-

You just have to wait for a decently priced table to show up.  The results on Craigslist change every minute, you know.  That's a good place, and checking eBay or Yahoo! Auctions won't hurt, either.  You might try an aggregator portal, too, like buy.com or pricegrabber.com.   Tornado's been selling very similar tables for over 20 years, and there are a lot of home models out there.

[kanaan]

hi folks,

I am at the final stages of building my foosball table.  I had a hard time finding what should be the correct distance from the foosmen to table floor.  I saw the title in this thread but there is no direct answer. 

I know different tables have different characteristics, I am shooting for what the tornados do.  Can someone give me the number.  The person who sold me the rods and stuff said 11mm ( ~ 7/12 inch).  I would like to confirm that with people who know the tornados well. 

I still have some adjustments to do to the table floor and increase or decrease this distance.

thanks very much,

Antonio

[grandmaster]

One thing to note is also the clearance from the back walls when the goalie rod rotates. A rule of thumb is the same distance as the floor clearance. This measurement is easy to make. Take two quarters and put them under a rod and try to touch the coins with the man. If they touch, the man is too low. Take three quarters under the man and it is too high. Two quarters and a dime should fit snug, but not tight, just right. If you can touch the dime on the two quarters it is close enough to play very well. All this is contingent upon how well you drilled the sidewalls and the placement of the playfield. Have you drilled the sidewalls? GM

[kanaan]

hi Grandmaster,

thanks for your reply.  I found some american coins in my coin bags, 2 quarters and 1 penny (5mm) is half the distance between my foosmen and the table surface (10mm).  5 mm seems really close!  I cut a piece of wood with 10mm width and moved it around the field.  The distance between players and table surface is surprisingly uniform - I am no carpenter :-)

Also I checked the distance between the goalie and the back, it is about the same 10mm.

The table is finished and I am playing.  But I can do adjusments with some ease. 

My table is all hardwood, the feet are 4x4 inches.  The sides of the field are 2x8 and the back walls are 4x8.  I cut grooves 10mm deep on the sides and on the back to insert the field.  To raise the playing surface I just need to widen the groove with the router and put some shims under the playing surface. 

I will play a little more with the 10mm distance and then will take it all apart and raise the field to see if it feels better to play at such closer distance.

cheers,

Antonio

[grandmaster]

It sounds like you are well on your way. Yes 5mm is a good measure for a Tornado style foos man. Since this is the table of choice and the standard in the US it is what I use when I build a table. Although any clearance dimension is necessary to spin the man around entirely, Tornado uses a relatively low man height. Have fun and post a comment on playability.GM

[ferrous sulfate]

the advice are very useful.