Understanding Brunswick Oil Patterns – Part 1

This series of articles is all about Brunswick lane machines and Brunswick oil patterns. We will examine how they work, compare them with Kegel lane machines, and then take a detailed look at the oil pattern sheets that Brunswick produces to better understand how to read them and interpret the oil pattern graphs that are associated with them.

However, this cannot be done properly unless a “unit” of oil is first thoroughly understood. So, this first article is entirely devoted to the unit of oil. The next article will be about Brunswick lane machines themselves, and the final article will cover Brunswick oil pattern sheets. Get ready, as there are some really interesting things to explore!

Motivation

When we think of all the different parameters used to describe an oil pattern, the overall volume of oil that is applied is one of the most common, such as 27 mL. Another metric is the length of the oil pattern, such as 42 feet. Together, they can immediately provide insight into the thickness of the oil. For example, 27 mL of oil spread over 42 feet of lane will be thicker than if it were to be spread over 48 feet of lane. To achieve the same thickness across 48 feet would require a larger volume.

This is essentially what the unit of oil describes, as it is a measure of the oil’s thickness. That is, it relates the volume of oil to its thickness over a given area.

History

As far as I can tell, the oil unit was first introduced by the American Bowling Congress (ABC) as part of the “System of Bowling” initiative in the early 1990s (USBC, 2019). The purpose of this set of regulations was to help regulate oil patterns in certified bowling alleys such that proprietors couldn’t practice a technique called “lane blocking.” The ABC found this to be occurring in many bowling centers, with oil ...