Make a Basketpong Game and Net

This is a very easy-to-make project.  It just requires a fair bit of cardboard, hot glue (I like hot glue more than duct tape), and string.  To play it, you will need a ping pong ball and a ping pong racket.  If you would like to challenge yourself by using a smaller ball, I recommend using the small B.B. you get at the dollar store (they are dirt cheap).  You'll learn more about this on the last page.  If you want to challenge yourself even further, you can add obstacles in front of the box.  You can also hang model airplanes from the supports.  This makes it look cool and less nerdy.

Step 1: Get the Parts

This step is easy.  You just need to go outside into your rec-room.  If you have a ping pong racket, that is great.  You will need it.  If you don't have one, that's okay too.  See the last step for more information about this.

You will also need the following:
- about two sticks of hot glue
- a hot glue gun
- about 5 cubic feet of cardboard (this is just an estimate)
- a bunch of string (this depends on the size of the area you are putting this in)

Step 2: Cut the Pieces

Everything you will be cutting is either string or cardboard, so all you will need for this are scissors and an exacto-knife.  There are 4 pieces of cardboard that you will need to cut and label.  We will get to the string the in the following steps.  After Googling for I while, I have developed a way to cut almost straight lines.  You put the ruler down and cut right against it while pushing both down and to the side the ruler is on.

The dimensions and what you label them are below.  I do recommend labeling them in sharpie on the side that has writing from the manufacturer (this is recycled cardboard).

- 17 cm x 10 cm (front)
- 20 cm x 21 cm (back)
- 16 cm x 16 cm (sides) (make two of these)
- bottom

The bottom is a bit harder than the rest.  How I did it was I got a piece of paper and drew a line right down the middle of the page (it doesn`t have to be perfect).  Then at the top of the line I centred the ruler and drew a 17 cm line.  Next, I measured 15 cm down (not 16 because it is on an angle) and drew a 20 cm long line on the bottom.  All you have to do from there is join the two with a line on each side. 
I have attached a diagram of what it looks like.  You can also make your own or simply print mine off.
Cut the bottom using the dimensions of what I gave you.

Step 3: Add the Supports

This is another easy step.  First, take a role of string and measure the distance from one side of your room to the other.  If your room is like mine, and you have a cross support half way, then you can measure from it instead of side to side.  Next, take the role of string and cut two pieces the same length (the width of your room).  Tie push pins to the ends of the strings and hang them about 20 cm apart from eachother.  That is all for this step.  There are pictues of before and after the string was added.

Step 4: Glue the Box

It may have been a good idea to plug in your glue gun, because we get to start gluing everything together.  I started with the bottom.  You can set it on a table and then glue on the front.  Next, I glued on the sides to create an uneven box.

Step 5: Hang the Box

This is the last step in making the box.  Next step is playing with it.  You can just cut some string (depending on how high your roof is) so that the box is about 2 metres off the ground (the distance doesn`t really matter).  Tie the string to the two runners on the roof and glue the other end of the two strings on to the box.  You will want the front of the box (labelled from) facing the direction that you will be hitting balls from.  You will want this area to have a fair amount of space so that you can step forward.  By now, if you followed the instructions properly, you should a goofy box hanging from the roof.  You may want to paint it (or even color it).  I didn`t.

Step 6: Now You Can Play

To play, you stand back 5 feet (I made a tape mark on the floor) and hit ping pong balls at it.  You can either use your hand or a racket.  If this is too easy for you, you can challenge yourself by using smaller balls.