Ever since our group was introduced to Gaga ball at church camp, we’ve wanted a court of our own. I looked at different plans, and kits to find one that we could build. In the mean time we just turned tables on their sides and made our own.
Then I ran across a Facebook feed on Everyday Youth Pastors (youthmin.org) which contained this simple plan from Jerome Christian Church.
Basically when you cut the notches in the end they fit together like Lincoln Logs. No brackets or hinges are necessary. However we did have to make a few modifications to fit our needs.
1. Supplies –
We built ours from 2×12 boards instead of 1×12. We also used wood screws instead of bolts. Since we do not plan on taking the panels apart this worked well.
Our complete supply list consisted of 12 2×12 boards, 5 10ft 2×4 cut into 2ft sections for braces and a box of wood screws.
2. Angles –
If you opt to go with the 2×12 note that your notches will have to be larger to accommodate the thicker boards and make the angles work. After some trial and error we ended up cutting the angles into the notches so that the boards would fit correctly.
All in all it took us a few hours and under $175 to build. We plan to leave this one in our youth center, however it is easy enough to load up into a trailer and set up wherever it is needed.
What sort of saw did you use for the cutting the angles on each board?
We used what we had at the time which was a sawmzall or reciprocating saw. Im sure a jig saw would have enabled us to make some better cuts.
Also since I have posted this some of the wood pieces on the ends have broken. We solved this by drilling down thru the joints and adding long nail to act as a hinge. Might be something to look at when building for the first time. Hope your’s turns out great.