Construct the cabinet using oak and hickory, which are made of intricately woven grains and can handle heavy weight loads. Measure and cut 0.75-inch oak plywood and hickory panels to fit your length and width dimensions. A cabinet for an 8-foot table requires two 2-by-6-by-88-inch side pieces and two 2-by-6-by-44-inch end pieces. Fasten the hickory panels to the inside of the oak panels with a thick layer of permanent epoxy. Clamp the panels together for one hour until completely dry. Screw the double-thick panels together to form the cabinet frame. The center of the cabinet must angle downward at a 15-degree slope to each top and bottom edge.
Build the leg mounts using two 2-by-8-inch oak or Douglas fir wood panels. Bolt the panels at a horizontal angle inside each far end of the cabinet.
Measure and cut four 12-by-14-by-29.5-inch oak or Douglas fir panels. Screw and glue the panels together to form a long rectangular cube. This 29.5-inch-long device will act as one leg. Place the leg into an upright position in one of the corners of the leg mount. Bolt the leg into place with a socket wrench. Repeat this step three more times to complete all the legs.
Measure and cut four 2-by-8-inch oak or Douglas fir crossbeams. The beams should measure the width of the cabinet. Coat two boards with a thick layer of epoxy. Press and clamp the other boards on top of the epoxy-covered boards for dual strength. Keep clamps in place for one hour. Remove clamps, and fit the crossbeams into place one-third of the way in toward the center from each end. Nail the crossbeams into place.
Cut 3-by-1.5-inch slate support beams to fit atop the top rim of the cabinet. Screw the support beams into place.
Measure and trim a 1-inch-thick piece of slate to set atop the cabinet. Screw the slate into place. The slate should overhang the cabinet by 7 inches on all sides.
Cut 35-degree angles with a handsaw at each table corner and at the center on both sides to make room for pocket installation.
Build the rails with 0.75-inch-thick and 3-inch-wide wood. Glue the rails to the inside of the support beams. Measurements must consider pocket holes. Rail pocket hole angles are best cut at 55-degree angles on the corners and 15-degree angles on side pockets.
Cut a single layer of felt, and affix it atop the slate with glue.
Insert 3/8-inch bolts to secure leather pockets into the rails.
Cut 1- to 2-inch-long strips of felt to glue alongside the inner edges of the rails for an easy ball bounce.