Popular Mechanics (South Africa)
Kids’ project: Basketball catapult
A game of one on one that never has to break for bad weather.
DIFFICULTY MATERIALS LIST
• 25 x 150 x 300 pine board • 10 x 1 200 round wood dowel • Wire coat hanger • 70 mm pan-head wood screws • 2 x 200 x 250 clear acrylic sheet • Nerf Rival refill-pack foam balls • 10 golf tees (two colours) • Sandpaper
TOOLS
• Mitre saw • hand mitre saw • drill • 10 mm, 5 mm, 1,5 mm, 6 mm twist drill bits • 20 mm spade bit • jigsaw • wire-cutting pliers • tape measure • wood glue • pencil • marker
DIRECTIONS
1. Use a mitre saw to cut the 25 x 150 x 300 into lengths of 115 mm, 100 mm and 30 mm. Knock off any rough edges with sandpaper.
2. The 115 mm section forms the base. At 50 mm in from one of the cut sides, drill a 10 mm hole on centre to hold the post. Use a tape measure and a pencil to lightly draw two parallel lines 25 mm in from the finished sides. Starting 12 mm from the front of the base, mark off five 12 mm increments on each line for the scoring tees. Drill holes at those marks with a 5 mm bit, then erase the line.
3. The 100 mm section will be the backboard. On one of the cut edges, drill a hole on centre with a 10 mm bit for the post. On the face of the
DIRECTIONS cont.
backboard, measure up 12 mm from the bottom and drill two holes, 25 mm apart and centred over the post, with a 1,5 mm bit.
4. Use a hand mitre saw to cut the dowel to length (see diagram below). Spread some glue on its ends and insert one end in the base and the other in the backboard. Align the backboard so its face is parallel with the front edge of the base.
5. Cut a piece of wire coat hanger to about 125 mm using a pair of wire-cutting pliers. Bend the wire so it forms a circle. Grip each end with pliers to make a 90-degree bend. Insert the ends into the holes you drilled in the backboard.
6. Use a marker to indicate the cut line on the acrylic sheet (see diagram), and cut the catapult arm to size using a jigsaw and a fine-cutting blade.
7. Mark the location of the basketball holder on the acrylic according to the diagram, then bore the hole using a 20 mm spade bit. Drill slowly to avoid cracking the plastic. Use a 6 mm twist drill bit to bore the pilot holes for the mounting screws through the other end of the acrylic and into the wedge.
8. The remaining scrap of pine will form the wedge. With one corner as your starting point, measure 25 mm along one side and 75 mm along the other. Mark both points and cut a straight line between them with the jigsaw. Apply a drop of glue to the wedge’s back and glue it to the 30 mm block from step 1. Fasten the catapult to the wedge with two screws.