How It's Made

Narrator: TODAY ON "HOW IT'S MADE"...

...ROPES...

...BILLIARD TABLES...

...SAILBOARDS...

...AND CYMBALS.

YEARS AGO, MAKING ROPE WAS A TIME-CONSUMING PROCESS.

THEY STRETCHED YARN 700 TO 1,000 FEET --

SOMETIMES DOWN ALLEYS --

AND SECURED IT ON HOOKS.

THEN, THEY TURNED WHEELS TO ROTATE THE HOOKS,

TWISTING THE YARN INTO ROPE.

THIS TECHNIQUE WAS CALLED A ROPE WALK.

LUCKILY, TODAY, WE HAVE MACHINES TO DO ALL THE WORK FOR US.

THESE ROPES ARE MADE FROM THOUSANDS OF NYLON FIBERS

THAT ARE FINER THAN HUMAN HAIR BUT STRONGER.

TO MAKE ROPE, YARNS WIND AROUND ALUMINUM CYLINDERS

PULLED BY A TURNING SPOOL DOWN THE LINE.

THEN, THREE AT A TIME, THE YARNS ROLL OVER ANOTHER SPOOL

THAT APPLIES A PROTECTIVE COATING OF URETHANE.

THEY FUNNEL THROUGH A DISTRIBUTION PLATE

THAT HOLDS THEM EVENLY APART.

THIS ENSURES THEY'RE AT AN EVEN TENSION

AS A ROCKING SPOOL TWISTS THEM INTO ONE LARGER YARN.

THIS MACHINE IS CALLED THE WHIRLWIND.

IT TWISTS THE YARN

AND THEN WINDS IT ONTO A TAKE-UP SPOOL INSIDE.

A LITTLE ARM MOVES BACK AND FORTH,

GUIDING THE YARN SO IT WINDS EVENLY ONTO THE SPOOL.

THIS IS CORE YARN, AND IT WILL BE USED TO MAKE OTHER ROPE.

NOW DOZENS OF SPOOLS OF NYLON FIBER UNWIND AT THE SAME TIME

TO MAKE JACKETS TO PROTECT THE CORE YARNS.

THE FIBERS TRAVEL SEVERAL FEET OVER A NETWORK OF ROLLERS

THAT ACT AS GUIDES AND CONTROL TENSION

ON EACH INDIVIDUAL FIBER.

THEY PASS THROUGH DISTRIBUTION PLATES

AS TURNING BOBBINS BELOW TWIST THE FIBERS INTO YARN.

A PLATFORM MOVES UP AND DOWN

TO EVENLY WIND THE YARN ONTO THE BOBBIN.

THEY PLACE 48 OF THESE BOBBINS ON THE MAYPOLE MACHINE --

SO CALLED BECAUSE THE BRAIDING ACTION

RESEMBLES A DANCE AROUND A TRADITIONAL MAYPOLE.

THE BOBBINS SPIN AND ZIGZAG AROUND EACH OTHER

AS THE MACHINE PULLS CORE YARN UP THROUGH THE CENTER.

HERE, YOU CAN SEE THE ROPE BEING BRAIDED AROUND THE CORE YARN

AS IT'S PULLED UP THROUGH A DIE.

THIS IS THE BRAIDING ACTION IN SLOW MOTION.

IT PRODUCES A MOUNTAIN-CLIMBING ROPE -- STRONG YET STRETCHY

BECAUSE OF THE TWIST IN THE CORE OF THE ROPE.

THE ROPE WINDS ONTO THE WHEEL AS IT PULLS IT UPWARDS.

THEN IT SPILLS INTO A BASKET.

A WORKER PULLS OUT A SAMPLE ROPE

TO CHECKS ITS FLEXIBILITY AND STRENGTH.

HE BENDS IT TO MAKE SURE IT WILL KNOT EASILY.

NOW ANOTHER MAYPOLE BRAIDER WEAVES A SYNTHETIC ROPE

THAT'S STRONGER THAN STEEL YET LIGHTWEIGHT AND FLEXIBLE.

THAT'S BECAUSE THE STRANDS AT THE CORE

ARE BRAIDED WITH A MATERIAL CALLED

ULTRA-HIGH MOLECULAR WEIGHT POLYETHYLENE.

IT'S A HIGH-PERFORMANCE THERMOPLASTIC.

THIS ROPE WILL BE USED FOR ADVANCED YACHTING.

A PULLEY DRAWS THIS HIGH-TECH ROPE THROUGH SOME METAL PIPES

FILLED WITH STEAM.

THIS SHRINKS THE POLYESTER JACKET AROUND THE POWERFUL CORE

FOR A TIGHT FIT.

THESE DANCING BOBBINS DO SOME FANCY MOVES

TO PRODUCE DIFFERENT WEAVES AROUND CORE ROPES.

THEY DIP AROUND AND BETWEEN EACH OTHER

IN A CHOREOGRAPHED SEQUENCE.

BUT THERE ARE NO WORRIES ABOUT PRODUCTION HITTING A SNARL --

IF A YARN BREAKS, THE MACHINE SIMPLY SHUTS DOWN.

IT TAKES 8-10 HOURS TO MAKE AROUND 3,000 FEET

OF THIS LARGE UTILITY ROPE.

NOW FOR THE STRENGTH TEST.

THEY LOOP A SAMPLE PIECE OF ROPE AROUND STEEL POSTS.

THIS ONE IS A NYLON DOUBLE BRAID,

THE TYPE USED FOR DOCK LINES ON BOATS.

HYDRAULIC PRESSURE PULLS THE ROPE UPWARDS

WHILE A COMPUTERIZED GAUGE MEASURES THE TENSION

AND DETECTS THE BREAKING POINT.

ALMOST 20,000 POUNDS --

THAT'S THE WEIGHT OF A KILLER WHALE.

NEEDLESS TO SAY, THIS ROPE IS JUST FINE.

NOW FOR ANOTHER TEST --

THEY INSERT A STEEL PROBE, KNOWN AS A FID,

INTO SOME INDUSTRIAL ROPE,

THEN PLACE THE POINTED END INTO A HOLE.

AN ELECTRIC MOTOR FORCES THE FID THOUGH

WHILE A GAUGE MEASURES THE FORCE IT TAKES

FOR IT TO COMPLETELY PENETRATE THE ROPE.

IT TOOK 10 POUNDS OF PRESSURE

TO PUSH THE PROBE THROUGH THE ROPE,

WHICH MEANS THIS ROPE IS FIRM YET FLEXIBLE.

AND THAT'S HOW THIS USEFUL ITEM IS MADE.

THE GAME OF BILLIARDS HAS BEENAROUND IN ONE FORM OR ANOTHER

FOR NEARLY 500 YEARS.

DURING THE 19th CENTURY,

THE GAME'S RULES AND EQUIPMENT EVOLVED

TO BASICALLY WHAT THEY ARE TODAY.

BILLIARDS, ALSO KNOWN AS POOL,

IS PLAYED ON A SLATE TABLETOP

THAT'S USUALLY 8'3½" LONG

AND 4'7½" WIDE.

CLIENTS ORDER BILLIARD TABLES

MUCH LIKE THEY WOULD CUSTOM-DESIGNED FURNITURE.

THEY PICK THE TABLE'S STYLE, COLORS, THE TYPE OF WOOD,

AND ITS LACQUER AND STAIN.

THE TABLES COME IN MAPLE, WALNUT, MAHOGANY,

CHERRY, AND THE MOST POPULAR, OAK.

A COMPUTER-GUIDED MACHINE

SHAPES PART OF WHAT'LL BE THE TABLE'S FRAME.

THIS MACHINE'S ROTATING HEADS PERFORM SEVERAL DIFFERENT TASKS.

A PROFILING HEAD CARVES THE ANGLE OF PART OF THE FRAME,

A ROUTERING HEAD CREATES THE TABLE'S DECORATIVE GROOVES,

AND A DRILLING HEAD MAKES HOLES FOR BOLTS TO FIT THROUGH.

SIX WOOD COMPONENTS, CALLED RAILS,

WILL SURROUND THE PLAYING SURFACE.

THEY HAVE DIAMOND-SHAPED CARVINGS

THAT'LL BECOME VISUAL MARKERS FOR THE PLAYERS.

AFTER SPRAYING THE RAILS WITH GLUE,

A WORKER INSERTS 18 METAL NUTS.

THEY'LL BE USED LATER TO SECURE THE RAILS

TO THE PLAYING SURFACE.

HE ATTACHES RUBBER STRIPS ALONG THE STICKY RAILS,

WHICH ARE JUST OVER THREE FEET LONG.

THE RUBBER WILL CUSHION THE BALLS WHEN THEY HIT THE SIDES.

THE RAILS THEN PASS THROUGH A PRESS TWICE

TO ENSURE THE RUBBER ADHERES.

NEXT, WORKERS MOVE THE RAILS

ALONG THIS 30-FOOT-LONG SANDING MACHINE.

RUBBER WHEELS GENTLY GRIP EACH RAIL

AS PRESSES RUB SANDPAPER ALONG THE EDGE AND TOP.

THEY SKIP THE BOTTOM BECAUSE IT'LL BE COVERED.

THEY PASS THE RAILS THROUGH THIS SANDER SEVERAL TIMES

TO SMOOTH THEM DOWN.

TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING FITS,

A WORKER PRE-ASSEMBLES THE FOUR SIDES AND THE MIDDLE SECTION

OF THE FRAME'S BASE.

HE USES 20 METAL BOLTS AND 20 NUTS TO JOIN THEM.

AND HE INSERTS EIGHT WOODEN DOWELS

IN ORDER TO ALIGN THE TABLE PARTS CORRECTLY.

HE STAMPS NUMBERS ON THE FRAME SECTIONS

SO THEY CAN BE REASSEMBLED LATER

BY PAIRING THE SAME NUMBERED PARTS TOGETHER.

NEXT, A WORKER HOT GLUES 18 ONE-INCH-LONG

MOTHER-OF-PEARL COMPONENTS CALLED SIGHTS.

HE FITS THEM INTO THE CARVINGS ON THE RAILS

WHICH HAVE NOW BEEN STAINED TO THE DESIRED SHADE.

HE TAPS THEM INTO PLACE

USING A HAMMER AND A BLOCK MADE OF SYNTHETIC RESIN.

THIS WAY HE WON'T DAMAGE THE RAIL.

A WORKER THEN LINES THE RUBBER PART OF THE RAIL WITH CLOTH

MADE OF WOOL AND NYLON.

HE ATTACHES IT WITH A PLASTIC STRIP

THAT FITS OVER THE CLOTH AND INTO A GROOVE.

HE USES A MALLET TO ENSURE THE CLOTH IS TIGHTLY INSERTED.

THE WORKER THEN STAPLES THE CLOTH

TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RAIL.

A ZINC AND BRASS PLAQUE DISPLAYS THE TABLE'S BRAND NAME.

AFTER SHIPPING, WORKERS REASSEMBLE THE TABLE

IN ITS NEW HOME.

SERIAL NUMBERS ENSURE THE PARTS BELONG TO THE SAME TABLE.

ASSEMBLY TAKES ABOUT TWO HOURS.

THEY MATCH THE NUMBERED PARTS TOGETHER

USING UP TO 50 BOLTS AND 50 NUTS.

THEN THEY LEVEL THE TABLE

USING METAL COMPONENTS CALLED LEG LEVELERS

TO ADJUST THE TABLE'S HEIGHT.

IT'S LIKE STICKING A MATCHBOOK UNDER AN UNEVEN TABLE LEG.

NOW COMES THE REALLY HEAVY LIFTING --

WORKERS FIT THE THREE SECTIONS OF THE TABLE'S TOP,

WHICH ARE MADE OF SLATE AND WEIGH UP TO 300 POUNDS EACH.

SLATE WON'T DEGRADE, AND IT WON'T BUDGE IF YOU HIT IT.

THE WORKERS USE 12 SCREWS

TO ATTACH THE SLATE SECTIONS TO THE FRAME.

THEY LEVEL THE SECTIONS USING WEDGE-SHAPED PLASTIC SHIMS

BETWEEN THE SLATE AND THE FRAME.

NEXT, A WORKER MELTS WAX OVER THE CRACKS BETWEEN THE SECTIONS.

HE USES A SCRAPER TO SMOOTH OUT THE PLAYING SURFACE.

THE REMAINING HOLES WILL LATER BE COVERED BY RAILS.

AFTER THE WAX DRIES,

THEY COVER THE TABLE SURFACE WITH CLOTH,

WHICH COMES IN A VARIETY OF COLORS.

THEY CUT THE CLOTH IN THE CORNERS

SO THERE WON'T BE ANY CREASES IN THE LINING OF THE POCKET HOLES.

THEY STAPLE THE CLOTH TO WOOD STRIPS UNDER THE SLATE.

A WORKER PIERCES THE CLOTH OVER HOLES IN THE SLATE

SO HE CAN LATER ATTACH THE RAILS.

THE SIX POCKETS ARE SIX INCHES DEEP