Howard Hatch’s Place in the World of Fine Billiard Tables

Howard Hatch at work creating an artisanal billiard table.

During his college years at The School for American Craftsmen at the Rochester Institute of Technology, Howard Hatch was a dedicated student of furniture design… and playing pool. Howard had been building fine furniture for years but was held back from his desire to build billiard tables due to the lack of availability of slate. In 1996 he was commissioned by a client to build a billiard table and realized that due to the increasing size of homes at that time more clients wanted billiard tables and slate was becoming more available. Thus began a new branch of Howard’s furniture business called Hatch Billiards.

View Pool Table by Hatch Billiards. The base and apron are made of cherry and the rail is of cocobolo. Find out more at CustomMade.com.

Howard’s billiard tables were recently included in a feature in the Robb Report Collection — the 30-year old publication which serves as an authority on connoisseurship for affluent consumers.

Arch Pool Table by Hatch Billiards. Designed to look structurally like a covered bridge with an updated contemporary look. It is made of cherry and cocobolo. Find out more at CustomMade.com.

The article, entitled “A Game for the Ages,” takes the reader through the range of possibilities available when seeking a fine billiard table. It starts with a discussion of specialists who restore richly detailed antique billiard tables and ends with a company that makes ultra-modern tables with proportions and materials you’d never expect in a billiard table.

Howard’s tables are showcased in this spectrum as examples of billiard tables that are as much about art and craftsmanship as anything else. And because Howard has such a solid knowledge of the game, he is keenly aware of how the table should play and feel.

Deca Pool Table by Hatch Billiards. This table incorporated Art Deco styling and is made of mahogany and cocobolo. Find out more at CustomMade.com.

Howard’s studio is in Brunswick, ME. He has sold pool tables to clients across the continental U.S. and recently to a customer in Hawaii who found him through CustomMade. You can see more of his work (billiard tables and furniture) and contact him here on CustomMade:
http://www.custommade.com/by/hatchstudio