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Boys· Celebrations

Target Building Instructions

Target Building Instructions:

Yikes! I totally forgot that I was going to post this tutorial today!

Earlier in the week I meant to take some photographs of the target and frame in action but then they were borrowed, and then they were taken camping and now the morning is slipping away so we’ll have to make due with some older pictures I found from a few weeks ago so I can get this thing posted!

Ok…so here is the target that I’m posting the instructions for:

Ours sits on a three tiered frame so we can use it for baseball pitching and football aiming (and a new discovery…the sling shot!) Or we can use it for a game my husband built 2 summers ago that uses golf balls on rope.

Here’s a really terrible photo of the golf ball game being played…The object is to stand at different distances away from the frame and then fling your roped golf balls in an effort to get them hooked on one of the frame bars. (Like in the photo above.)
We make up different points for different distances and bars—and we usually use two sets of frames one in front of the other to make it more challenging. The kids love it but we’ve also used it at family parties where all the adults want to play.
Ok…so how do you build the frame?
If you want one like this you will need:
1 inch PVC pipe cut into various sizes:*3 pieces at 29 inches (for 3 the horizontal bars)

*4 pieces at 15 inches (for the feet)
*2 pieces at 10 inches (for the vertical pieces connecting the feet to the 1st horizontal bar)
*4 pieces at 18 inches (for the vertical pieces from the bottom bar to the middle then the middle bar to the top)

Other PVC parts:
4 caps (to cap of the ends of the feet)
2 elbow joints (to attach the top bar to the sides)

6 T joints (to attach all other pieces)

That’s it. It’s easy.
However—-if you want to make it easier….
When we use the frame for just a target we take out the middle bar so the balls don’t bang into it. And you don’t really need the bottom bar (although we keep it in during target practice for added stability).
So…you could build one without the center bars which would make you supply list look like this:
1inch PVC pipe cut into the following sizes:
*2 pieces at 46 inches (for the sides)

*1 piece at 29 inches (for the top)
*4 pieces at 15 inches (for the feet)

Other PVC parts:
*2 elbow joints (to connect the top bar to the arm)

*2 T joints (to connect the feet together and to the sides)
*4 caps (to cap off the ends of the feet)

So there you have it…no middle bars…smaller list and easier to assemble. And either way it will work for your target.
***Note: You can glue all the pieces together if you want, but we don’t. We like to take them apart to store them during the winter months.
Oh! And as for the actual target…I used a leftover piece of canvass from another project. (I wanted something heavy because I knew it was going to take a beating.)

I cut it 29 inches by 38 inches and then turned all edges under and gave it a quick sew around. (If I had a surger I would have just used that.)

Next I sewed on some ribbon (the most boyish kind I could find in my stash) to the top on each side so I could attach it to the frame.

***Note after much use, this afternoon I’m also going to attach one piece of ribbon to the bottom corner of each side of the target as well. The wind is always blowing here and I think it would be better to attach the bottom of the target to the sides as well to prevent it from blowing up during “practice”.)***

Then I painted it with some fabric paint (which you can buy almost anywhere—I’ve even seen it at Wal-Mart).

Ok… so NOW your done. It sounds a little complicated but this project is so fast and so easy to make your boys will be playing in less than an hour (especially if it’s hot enough outside to dry the paint quickly).

Now I better go, the morning is slipping away and my little ones are getting restless waiting for me—currently they are jumping rope in the family room. NOT a good idea.

Have a great weekend!

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Comments

  6. Lisa H. (Sewing or Something) says

    thanks just made this without the middle bars, i would suggest if you go that route to do a t bar on the bottom and add another 29inch piece down there too! super easy with your measurements! Gonna put darth vader on it for our star wars party and let the 4 year old nerf shoot him!

  7. Lisa H. (Sewing or Something) says

    thanks just made this without the middle bars, i would suggest if you go that route to do a t bar on the bottom and add another 29inch piece down there too! super easy with your measurements! Gonna put darth vader on it for our star wars party and let the 4 year old nerf shoot him!

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