1. What did you make?

At my school we have a Summer Gym program where you can take gym for four hours a day for three weeks in the summer instead of doing it during the school year. We play volleyball every day in it and one of the days I thought it would be cool if I had a volleyball net at my house so I could play with friends/the neighbors. I told my parents and after researching volleyball court and net dimensions we ordered the net (available here) and picked up the lumber and other supplies from the local hardware store and got started.

2. How did you make it?

Like stated before I searched the web for dimensions of volleyball courts and after shrinking the dimensions some to help fit in the yard and because it is recreational we started planning. We drove steel rebar into the ground to mark the location of the first pole and then used a piece of nylon line, measuring tape, and a level to find where the second pole would go. After this we used some math to determine how deep we were going to make the holes so that the tops of the poles were about level with each other. The uphill hole had to be much deeper than the downhill to make them level. After that we used a string tied to each pole and leveled it with a normal spirit/bubble level. Then we went to the midpoint of the two poles and determined how high the string was from the ground. Then using math we determined how much higher the net needed to be to keep it level even though the poles and ground were not (meaning: the average height of the net is standard, up hill is a little shorter, downhill a little taller). Then we drilled the hole for the net and used  a turn buckle attached to a bolt that reaches through the entire post to tighten the net.

Note: The angle on the top of the poles is not aesthetic, it is to keep rain water from laying on top of it and ruining the wood. (Putting a roofing shingle on top can help even more)

3. Where did you make it?

It was all done at my house, mostly outside right where it is now. Some was done in the garage, like cutting the tops of the poles, but even the drilling of the holes was done outside, after the poles were in the ground.

4. What did you learn?

I learned more uses for some tools that I already new how to use, or at least better ways to use them; such as: drilling through the pole when the drill bit wasn't quite long enough (had to use both sides and had to drill at an awkward angle). I also began using skills I learned but had never applied such as in geometry class when I was planning the net height but math came in most useful when I spray painted the lawn for boundaries, there was a lot of Pythagorean theorem use when finding the corners based off the location of the poles. I also learned how hard it is to dig a thin, deep hole, in the summer, haha. I had to use a digging/spud bar to break up the earth then remove it using a post digger, all while trying to keep the hole just big enough for the post to fit in it.
dchall82 years ago
Great idea.  Volleyball is a lot of fun and not so technical that you need a lot of practice to get pretty good.  Of course if you want to be competitive, then you do need a lot of teamwork practice as well as individual skills training, weight lifting, and sit-ups. 

Getting the net right is important.  Since yours is already set up, my suggestions won't help, but maybe someone else can benefit.

Ideally a volleyball net will be set up on a level playing field.  With this one, there is a low end (up hill end) and a high end (downhill end) of the net.  At the low end shorter people will be able to spike the ball.  At the high end, only very (VERY) tall people will be able to spike it. 

The steel cable and turn buckle will last a lifetime.  If you want something less expensive you can use polyester (Dacron) rope and a trucker's hitch to tighten it.  Both the top and bottom need to be tight to get the right bounce off the net.  If you used a turnbuckle on the bottom you would risk maiming someone if they dive for the ball and hit the hooks. 

Polyester rope will not stretch like nylon.  A nylon rope would last about 15 minutes at the proper tension before it started sagging.  Polyester will never stretch. 
Algag (author)  dchall82 years ago
Nice Input! I hadn't realized the Polyester vs. Nylon stretching. v
TN_FIXIT5 months ago

Nice job. I'm considering something similar, but think I will use ratchet straps to tighten the net.