How to Make Your Own Backboard

Basketball is one of the most popular sports in America, if not the world. Every April, millions of Americans tune in to March Madness to watch college basketball's month-long marathon. In the summertime, neighborhood driveways are converted into some of the most famous basketball venues, as young boys and girls play out the epic battles of their heroes on their homemade hoops and backboards. Making a homemade backboard can be done easily and for little expense, providing years of entertainment.

Things You'll Need

  • Piece of 6-foot by 3 1/2-foot plywood or other hard surface such as Plexiglass or plastic
  • Table saw
  • Measuring tape
  • Mounting bolts or screws
  • Pole mounting kit (If mounting to a pole)
  • Can of white spray paint
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Instructions

    • 1

      Purchase a piece of plywood from your local lumber yard. Plywood is inexpensive and holds up to weathering and the abuse of thousands of shots. Make sure your piece of plywood is large enough to cut out a rectangle measuring 6 feet by 3 1/2 feet. If you wish, you can also make your backboard out of Plexiglass or plastic, but these materials are more expensive.

    • 2

      Measure the dimensions of your backboard on the piece of plywood using a measuring tape. The standard width for a backboard in the NBA is 6 feet and the standard height is 3 1/2 feet. The NBA backboard is the guide for collegiate and high school backboards as well.

    • 3

      Use a table saw to cut out the template of your backboard. Use straight, even cuts to enhance the appearance of your backboard.

    • 4

      Measure a 24-inch by 18-inch square in the center of the backboard, 4 inches from the bottom of the backboard. The bottom of the box should coincide with the top of the rim of the basketball hoop. Spray paint the outline of the box white so it is easy to see. The white line should be painted 2 inches thick. Shooters use the box as an aiming aid when shooting bank shots. Hitting your shots inside the box from the appropriate angle will ensure your shot goes in every time.

    • 5

      Attach your basketball rim to your backboard. Drill two holes in the center of your backboard, just below the white square. Make sure the pre-set holes of the basket line up with the holes you drill. Align the top of the rim with the bottom of the square. Place anchor bolts in the holes, securing them in the back of the board with locking nuts. Each anchor bolt should have a load limit of at least 50 pounds.

    • 6

      Use mounting screws or anchor bolts to attach your backboard to a flat wall or a preset pole that has been cemented in the ground. Basketball hoops are exactly 10 feet high, so be sure to measure this distance before securing your backboard into place. If attaching your backboard to a flat wall, drill a hole in each corner of the backboard and secure using one mounting screw per hole. Each screw should have a 50-pound load limit. If you are mounting your backboard to a pole, you will need to purchase a pole mounting kit. The kit attaches to the pole and has pre-set holes that you use to attach the backboard. Typically there are four holes on the mounting kit. You will need to drill holes to match the holes on the mounting kit, then secure using anchor bolts and locking nuts. It is best to attach the board to the mounting kit before attaching the kit to the pole.