How to Build a Ball Bin Shelf

The Ball Bin!

Did you ever feel you need a better place to put your sports balls?

We did. Having three boys, 6, 9 and 15 means having a good amount of sports equipment. It was a constant battle trying to wrangle basketballs, footballs, soccer balls, baseballs, and playground balls.

We tried a box on a shelf..
But it was a pain getting the balls out and putting the balls back.. so it was a FAIL.

We tried a mesh laundry bag...
It was hard to get the balls out, and the bag always ripped... so it was a FAIL.

So my wife said, we needed a shelf for the balls. It had to be easy to make, inexpensive, and unobtrusive. Oh, and it had to successfully store the balls.

And this is what I came up with.

All the wood I used was scrap, so this project cost me nothing more than a few hours of labor on a Saturday afternoon.

Remember, you can modify this design as you see fit.. make it bigger or smaller.. use different materials. Have fun with it!

Materials:

Wood -
1/2" thick boards. . You can use plywood, pine , mdf or whatever you have lying around. (I used MDF and plywood)
1"x2" stringers

Fasteners
Nails or Screws , and Glue

Tools
Saws (jig, table, band or circular)
Hammer
Screwdriver
Drill
Level

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Step 1: Cut the Vertical Supports

We should start by cutting out the vertical supports. There are three of these, one for each end, and one for support in the middle.

The vertical supports will ultimately determine the height and depth of the ball bin shelf.

My personal requirements were that it had to be big enough to store a regulation sized basketball. A regulation basketball is has a 9.39" diameter. Just to play it safe and leave a little room, I made my support about 12" high and 12" deep.

The curve from top to bottom, was just a freehand curve. Nothing special or necessary. You can make yours 45 degrees (like a triangle) , 90degrees (like a big "L"), or square. I just thought the curve made it look 'fancy'.

The notches in the rear are for connecting the horizontal stringers to the vertical supports. A flat top allows a shelf to be added, this one is about 5" deep. The front lip is cut at an angle to allow for easy storage and retrieval, but prevents the balls from rolling out.

So, now you know the 'why's' on to the 'how's'.

Cut your wood (mdf, pine, or ply) into the rough shape of your supports. Stack three of them together, and temporarily nail or screw them together. By doing this, you only have to cut once and they will all be identical.

Draw you pattern on the top piece, and proceed to cut out with your hand saw, jig saw or band saw. After you cut out the notches for the horizontal supports on the back, make sure your 1X2 fits snugly.

When you are sure that everything looks good, separate three pieces, and then move on to Step 2!