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How to Build Your Own Ladder Ball

Building your own ladder ball game is a project the whole family can enjoy. Making this game out of sturdy PVC pipe and golf balls takes about an hour from start to finish, so you can build it and play it in the same day. There are power tools involved so this is a definitely not a project for children by themselves; for safety, adult supervision is required.

Things You'll Need

20 20-inch pieces 1/4" nylon rope
4 10-ft. sections of 3/4" schedule 40 PVC pipe
40 golf balls
4 standard golf tees
4 90 degree PVC adapters
12 3/4" PVC Tee adapters
4 3/4" female PVC adapters
4 3/4" male PVC adapters
8 3/4" PVC caps
3 colors of electrical tape
Sandpaper
PVC cement
Electric drill
Table saw
Tape measure
Marker
Butane lighter
Work gloves
Safety glasses

Instructions

Ladder Ball Goals
- 1
  Measure and mark the 10' PVC pipe so that each piece has four 1-foot sections, two 2-foot sections, and one 20-inch section.
- 2
  Put on the work gloves and safety glasses.
- 3
  Turn on the table saw and rip each PVC pipe. Then turn off the saw and remove safety gear.D iscard the extra 4" sections as they are not necessary.
- 4
  Sand the ends of each section of the PVC pipe to eliminate any jagged edges.
- 5
  Place one 3/4" tee on the ground with the tee facing up. Insert a 1' section into the parallel joints in the tee securing with PVC cement.
- 6
  Thread the male adapter into the upward facing section of the tee and secure with PVC glue.
- 7
  Screw a female adapter into the male adapter in the tee joint. Do not secure it with PVC glue.
- 8
  Insert a 20" PVC pipe into the female adapter securing with PVC glue.
- 9
  Place another tee on top of the 20" PVC pipe with the tee parallel to the ground. Secure with PVC Glue.
- 10
  Insert one 1' PVC section one tee with the tee parallel to the ground (and in line with the previous tee) one more 1' section and a 90 degree PVC fitting (making sure it is in line with the tee joints) in the tee at the top of the 20" pipe. Secure all joints with PVC glue.
- 11
  Repeat Steps 5-10 for the second side of the ladder.
- 12
  Connect the two sides of the ladder together by placing the three 24" PVC pipes in the tee joints and 90 degree joint. Secure the joints with PVC glue.
- 13
  Pick one side of the ladder and drill 21 1/4" holes at a 45 degree angle (make sure the holes open toward the sky). Label each hole 1-21 and place golf tees in as score markers.
- 14
  Wrap each of the three 24" pipes in a different color electrical tape to designate them as the different scoring sections.
- 15
  Repeat Steps 5-14 for the second ladder.
Making the Bolos
- 16
  Put on safety glasses and work gloves. Place two golf balls on the ground.
- 17
  Drill a 1/4" hole through the center of each ball.
- 18
  Thread one 20" piece of 1/4" nylon rope through each hole so that 1 inch protrudes from the end.
- 19
  Melt the 1-inch end of the nylon rope with a butane lighter. This will fuse the rope to the balls.
- 20
  Repeat for the remaining 38 golf balls and 19 pieces of rope.

Backyard Toys