Most pool table slate comes from Italy and is cut and milled there for pool table use. From there, it is finished at the pool table manufacturer.
To purchase new slate, you need to contact a pool manufacturer and convince them to sell you the slate. Because it is not an item they intned to sell, expect it to be very costly. In addition, you will most likely be responsible for drilling the slate yourself.
A better option may be to look around for a used pool table that has the slate in excellent condition. This can be found in yard and garage sales, newspaper ads, Craig's List, and eBay. This most likely will be much cheaper than buying new slate.
1 inch minimum. Most poolplayers will agree that the thicker the slate, the more consistent the table will be. That is why experienced poolplayers that can both afford it and have a room to support it, will have a table with 1.5 inch, and even 2 inch slate. However, most tables are 1 inch slate and most poolplayers would agree that they cannot tell the difference from 1 inch to 1.5 inch. Thinner tables are made, and most will argue that you can tell the difference.
A billiard room is a room in a house or other building in which there is a billiard table.
There is no record of the first billiards table. The first billiards table on record was built in France and in use in 1429.
Yes, slate is not necessary, but the level of play may not equal to even a cheap slate table.
There are 6 pockets in a standard table.
According to the Hampshire list of Billiards and Snooker, the Royal Oak does not have a billiards or snooker table.
Bar Billiards.
Pocket billiards ("pool") tables have pockets. Carom billiards tables do not. Apparently the table in the video is a carom billiards table. Whether this was a specific choice or whether it just happened to be handy I don't know.
There is no difference.
There is no record of the first indoor billiards game. However, it is known that in 1429 billiards was played indoors on a billiard table in France.
In billiards the corner pocket means an opening in the billiards table into which the balls are struck into. There are also side pockets. the idea is to get the balls in to the pockets.
Billiard table lights can be purchased from many retailers. One can buy these items from 'eBay', 'Ozone Billiards', 'Billiard Warehouse', 'Lowe's' and 'Cuestore'.