That's How I Roll! (Skeeball build)

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urbecrisch:
Can't wait to see the progress and end result. Such a cool and unique idea. I've been pricing some skeeball machines for my basement and I cannot justify spending the amount they go for. When it's all said and done do you mind sharing the ballpark cost for it all?

thatpurplestuff:
urbecrisch- I will absolutely share the total cost at the end of the project, and give a rough estimate as to how much I've spent so far. In regards to justifying paying a lot for Skeeball, after this project is done I might write a tutorial on how to spend this much money on a project while not getting murdered by your significant other.

Materials:
$130 for MDF, wood, etc
$30 for vinyl flooring
$30 for rubber molding
$50 for 3" birch balls
$40 for screws, bolts, washers, L-brackets, rivets, door stops, misc hardware

Tools:
$20 4" hole saw
$30 rivet gun

As many people have said in other threads, if you can get your hands on a used Skeeball machine that doesn't break your bank you should buy it and refurbish it. This project is going to end up being more expensive than I anticipated, but I've got to say that it has also been really fun planning and working on so far. I still haven't purchased anything for the legs, net or net frame, ball release solenoid, paint, or plexiglass. I'm hoping to use some pushbuttons that I have lying around for the scoring triggers, but if those don't work I'll also have to shell out another ~$40 for Cherry wire switches. Some of these purchases can wait, but the scoring, legs and net are pretty crucial to a fun game of Skeeball.

I got my cut lines drawn on to the MDF tonight, so I'm hoping to get the ramp frame cut out after work tomorrow. If I do, pictures will follow.

thatpurplestuff:
I got the ramp sides cut today, sort of. I cut 1 of the 4 exactly how it needs to be (my template), and I got the other 3 pieces cut roughly before it got to be too late to be making a ruckus in the neighborhood. I don't want my neighbors to be eating dinner to the sounds of my circular saw and router, so I'll have to wait until tomorrow to use my flush trim bit on the other 3 sides. I wasn't sure exactly what size I wanted the rounded front edge to look like, so I just took my roll of duct tape and went for it. I'm happy with the result.

I have a half-day at work tomorrow, so I'm hoping to get a lot done in terms of getting this thing looking like an actual Skeeball machine.

Quick question if anyone feels like helping me out: I am having trouble deciding on what to use for legs for this thing. If you take a look at the Sketchup screenshot (I've only designed the side, so a 3-dimensional shot isn't available) you'll see the predicament I'm facing. I'm building this in 2 sections: the ramp in one section and the scoring area in another, so I'm thinking I probably need to make each side have it's own set of 4 legs... otherwise I'll be the first person to die underneath a half-built Skeeball machine while trying to put it together. This thing is going to be pretty heavy when all is said and done, so what are my options for legs? I was hoping for some nice strong metal legs but I don't know where to find any, so I'm thinking my only affordable option is 2x6's or something. Any ideas?

thatpurplestuff:
After a really busy weekend with no time to work on Skeeball (other than flush-trimming the sides of both the ramp and scoring area), I finally got some structural work done on the ramp today. I was actually hoping to get more done today, but after my really slow start this afternoon where absolutely nothing seemed to be coming together correctly, I'm really happy with how much I actually completed. At one point while attaching the braces to the inner parts of the ramp, I attached and had to subsequently remove the wood 4 times. After the rocky start, the Skeeball legs went on easy enough and I was able to get all of the supports screwed on and ready to go.

I decided to go with 4x4's for legs simply because I couldn't think of anything else that I knew would handle the weight of this thing once it is all together. I may use the 1/4" thick mdf to cover the legs and paint them, or if that sucks I figure I can always chop them off and add replacements later on, but for now they'll do.

Tomorrow night, I'll hopefully get the hop-ramp attached, the legs for the other half attached, and the 1/4" mdf actually nailed down to the supports. If I get that done early enough, I may even start putting together the scoring area.

As a side note, I was browsing craigslist today and felt like I got punched in the stomach when I saw TWO Skeeball machines being sold for $100 each in Santa Cruz, CA. They are about 4 hours from my house, but I've already spent more on my build than it would have cost to buy both of them AND rent a UHaul to bring them home. After the initial shock, it kinda motivated me to build this thing even more... at least that's what I'm telling myself haha. If any of you are interested in Skeeball and live near there, you should pick them up!

drventure:
Ah, don't feel bad about the machines you came across. Heck, half the fun for me is in the building (that's why mine is taking 2 years and counting :) )

I'd hazard a guess that a lot of the scratch built machines here could have been had from an old cab and a little paint/resto work, but then, you couldn't say +you+ built it.

Certainly not meaning to dis any of the restos though :cheers: There's plenty of work that has to go into those (not the least of which is messing around with a bare-backed monitor, something I've yet to bring myself to do).

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