Portable Beer Frisbee Poles

Intro: Portable Beer Frisbee Poles

After playing Beer Frisbee at a family event, I knew I had to create my own.  I searched online and found a lot of different websites dedicated to the rules of the game, and to what the game is called.  Regardless of searching for Beer Frisbee, Beersbee, Frisbeer, Polish Horseshoes, French Darts, and a few others names, I couldn't find a good guide for actually BUILDING the required poles.  I set out to change that by writing my first Instructable after years of just browsing the site.  All of the materials were bought for about $50 at my local Home Depot and the build took a couple hours, mostly due to extremely high temps and trying to remember to take pictures along the way.

In this Instructable, I'm not going to explain the rules of the game.  There are so many different ways to play that you'll have to decide which version works best for you.  Search any of the above names of the game on your favorite search engine and you'll find more than enough ways to play.  Chances are, if you found this Instructable, you've already played somewhere else and will stick with the rules you first learned.

STEP 1: Materials & Tools

Materials:

Qty 4 - 1-1/2" PVC Pipe cut to 2.5' (30").  I had an employee at Home Depot cut a 10' long piece into four equal length pieces. 
Qty 2 - 1-1/2" PVC Coupling
Qty 2 - 1-1/2" PVC to 1-1/2" Thread Fitting
Qty 2 - 2" to 1-1/2" PVC Reducer
Qty 2 - 1-1/2" Pipe Thread Metal Flanges
Qty 2 - Boards to act as bases.  I was able to find 2 pieces of pressure treated 2" x10" x 24" for $1 each in the cull (scrap) bin.
Qty 8 - #14 x 1-1/2" Flat Head Screws.  These came in packs of two at Home Depot.
Qty 1 - PVC Primer (Purple Can)
Qty 1 - PVC Cement (Gold Can)
Qty 2 - Beer Bottle.  I've played with 16oz plastic bottles (with some rice inside for weight) that work a lot better than glass.  No worrying about breaking a bottle and it hurts a LOT less when it lands on your feet.
Qty 1 - Frisbee, of course.

Tools:

Drill and drill bits
Screwdriver
Framing Square (optional)
Gloves
Table or Mitre Saw (optional if you need to cut your own wood or PVC pipe)
Sunscreen if you're a redhead building this at noon on a 100+ °F day in July.

STEP 2: Prime the PVC Parts

These directions are for making one pipe.  Just follow them again for the other pipe.

You'll prime both ends of one pipe and just one end of the second pipe.  

Also prime the inner 1-1/2" diameter of the reducer, threaded adapter, and ONE half of the 1-1/2" coupling.

Apply the PVC Primer per the directions on the can.  Remember that the stuff smells awful and is very nauseating, so do this in a well ventilated area like outside.

STEP 3: Combine PVC Parts

Now you'll build the two halves of the PVC pole.  Again, this step only shows the building of one of the two poles, just repeat for the second pole.

Apply PVC Cement following the directions on the can.  Mine said to apply the cement to the outer diameter of the pipe first, then the inner diameter of the fittings, then press together with a bit of a twisting motion to get the pipe to seat all the way into the bottom of the fitting.

Pipe with both ends primed:
- Cement the 1-1/2" threaded adapter on one end
- Cement the 1-1/2" coupling to the other end.

Pipe with ONE end primed:
- Cement the 2" to 1-1/2" reducer onto the primed end.

STEP 4: Build the Base

Again, this step shows the building of one base.  Repeat for both bases.

This is a pretty simple and straightforward step.  All you're doing is attaching the pipe flange to the wooden base board.

I went a bit overboard (I have Engineer's Disease) and used a framing square to get pretty close to the center of the board and to give myself alignment lines for attaching the flange.  You could just as easily eyeball the flange in the center and mark your mounting holes with a pencil.

After marking your mounting holes, drill a pilot hole for each and then install.  I used a 5/16" drill bit for the #14 screws.  Just remember that you want the pilot hole to be about the same size as the inner shank of the screw (even a bit smaller) so there's material for the threads of the screw to grab onto.

STEP 5: Assemble the Pieces

Finally, assemble the three components into a Beer Frisbee pole.  Repeat for the second pole.

First, screw the lower half of the pole into the pipe flange on the base.  Then press the upper pipe (with the 2" to 1-1/2" reducer on top) into the 1-1/2"  coupling at the top of the lower pipe.  Make sure the pipe is snug, but don't over do it.  The idea is that the three pieces come back apart for easy transportation.

Feel free to paint or otherwise decorate your new Beer Frisbee poles!  They look a bit shabby with purple primer poking through at the cemented joints.

Enjoy!

Comments

[Kps209]

Hi! I bought all of these parts today and brought them home. Before assembling, I put an empty bottle into one of the pvc reducers, and it fits perfectly...TOO perfectly! A Frisbee wouldn't even knock it out! Did I do something wrong??

[MichaelB45]

These are great plans. I'll be making these tomorrow. Thanks so much. I did have one alteration to it. While the board is perfect for flat surfaces, if there is really thick grass, or it is a bit uneven, I'm planning to drill two or for holes in the corners, and then use some turf spikes (nails) to secure it a bit more into the grass. They can be easily removed once your done. Thanks again.

[UCVDub]

Thanks! The boards I used are pretty heavy and actually work well as a tamp to flatten tall grass. I can't wait to use them again this summer.

[tyler.blackford]

We have always used a clear packing tape over a Corona beer bottle, then at night we put in a glow stick. Along with an led flashlight, we play into the night. Also have a solar powered light that is set into the base to shine light on the pole.

[bryans7]

im building the same thing but using 1 gal. buckets filled with concrete. It's going to be in two pieces a small piece inside the concrete and a stick with your top on it that will thread into it! Thanks for the top idea. Also if you guys duct tape the bottles they last about 30 games playing on concrete!

[UCVDub]

UPDATE: We've played well into dusk a few times by using full bottled water and dropping a cheap LED flashlight down each tube. The tube will glow a bit and the bottle will be bright white while on top of the pole, but goes pitch black as soon as it falls off. Maybe try some liquid that glows in the dark or something?

Also, we bought a Nite Ize Flashflight LED frisbee on Amazon last year and it works great in the dark.

[superj300]

Hey, I built a set of these following your instructions, thanks for writing this.

Have you considered not gluing the parts together? They seem to fit together pretty snugly, and as hard as the frisbee might hit the pole, I don't see them coming apart very easily. Have you tried this and/or run into any issues?

[UCVDub]

Nah, I don't think there will be any problems. The only real reason would be if you consistently want the same parts pulling apart and not whichever piece you pressed harder on each time.

[msansone]

Just picked up all the materials for $40 and I can't wait to put it together...great idea, great build, and the ideal instruct able!

[mcgann2113]

We have found that the aluminum bottles (i.e. budlight) work pretty well, they don't shatter, but are still a little heavier than cans.

[UCVDub]

So, I can't stress the bit about not using glass bottles enough. We broke a bottle on the first night of playing with these poles. I've seen other sites where they wrap the glass bottles in duct tape, but I think it just looks ugly and they're heavier than I'd like for something that's eventually gonna hit me in the face or feet, haha.

Playing with cans is a lot safer but definitely harder. They fly off the top and are MUCH harder to catch.

[trayo]

You can disassemble it for transporting, correct?

[UCVDub]

Sure can. Just pull the top pipe section out of the coupling on the lower pipe, then unscrew the lower pipe from the base.

I'll try to get some more pics that show the three complete pieces next to each other.

Stage 2 will be adding features to the base boards to snap/clip the two pipe halves onto it and maybe a built in carrying handle.

[MKosterich]

Fantastic! I'm an avid ultimate player and love to tailgate so I'll have to make a set.