Ping-pong, also called table tennis, is played on a table that resembles a tennis court. The objective of the game is to send the ball to the opponent’s side and, if someone misses or the ball leaves the table, the point is scored. Making a DIY outdoor ping pong table comes as a great choice, and the steps on how to make a ping pong table out of wood highlighted in this article would act as a great aid.
Furthermore, it is not complicated to make a ping pong table with your own hands. On the Internet, you can find various tutorials to build your table. The more details you want to add, the more time and effort you will need to spend, but it does not take much time to have a simple piece.
Table of Contents
Is this a Good Idea, And Is It Worth The Cost Of Setting Up A Ping Pong Table?
Although this idea has attracted the attention of many people, not many people have implemented it, right? The reason for this is the cost, time, and skills required to make such a project successful. There is no reason why it is not a good idea, but you should be prepared to spend some time and money to get everything you need. Also, you need to be prepared to learn a lot to do your best in the end. Regarding the cost, some people say that this may be a huge investment, and if you don’t directly set a budget from the beginning, it may cost as much as a standard business desk.
Things You Will Need To Build A DIY Ping Pong Table?
There are many things you will need when making a DIY outdoor ping pong table, but here are some of the most crucial things you ought to have to succeed.
- Dimensions
- Notes
- Drawing diagrams
- Part list
- Photos
- Instructions
Regardless of your skill level, everyone should be able to build their table tennis table. However, if you intend to learn how to make a ping pong table in a relaxed way, then being prepared is one of the most important things you need to do. This involves everything from drawings to dimensions and parts lists, as well as final instructions for action.
How to Make a Ping Pong Table?
Step 1-Scope
To start making a ping pong table, you need to have a clear picture of the table designs, and then try to recreate and build it. It is strongly recommended that you pick up any chart that has a standard size table and is made of light and full wood.
Step 2- The Table Legs
Now that you have the size of the table, you need to organize the legs of the table even before you start building it. What we find to be quite cheap and yet very useful is to get four work stands which can act as the table legs and are also durable enough to withstand the weight of the table. Therefore, what you need to do is collect workbenches and even go shopping, but you should pay attention to one thing; the height.
Step 3-The Support
As you can see, all of this is about how to build a tennis table from bottom to top. Thus, the last step before actually creating and putting the table together is the table support. This can keep your tabletop secure and connected with the table legs in a fixed position. At this point, it is recommended that you use a strong wooden board for connection. You should also use support pins and wood screws.
Step 4- The Table Top
Once everything is ready, you can start working on the most important part of how to make ping pong tables; which is the tabletop. It is important to do this because it will directly influence the game performance and even ball rebound. We recommend using two pieces of plywood and cutting them to a nominal size of about 1.6 mm thick. When placing the tabletop on the table stand, be sure to leave enough space for the net as well.
Related Article How to Make Ping Pong Table Top.
Step 5- The Net
After putting all the earlier highlighted parts together into one piece, you will only be missing a net. Although this may be a slightly complicated section, you need to prepare a crossbar and fix the net to the table with wood screws.
Once you have put all the bars in place, you can then work on affixing the net shafts and finally, purchase a net from the closest store and adapt it to your home-made net device.
Step 6- Spray the Surface and Enjoy
After all the work is done, everything has become one piece, and you’ve as well put up the net, then it is time to spray the surface. It is recommended that you apply different coatings. You can opt for two coats of primer, mark the lines, and then make another two coats of primer again. Other components can be left unpainted, but you can go ahead and spray them if needed.
After painting/spraying the top surface and drying it for about 24-48 hours, you can start enjoying the ping pong game on the table you made.
FAQ Section
Can you make your ping pong table?
Ping-pong tables can be expensive, and for some people, it’s impossible to afford them. For others, playing ping pong is only a fraction of the fun, and the process of making their table from scratch is the concluding part that they enjoy. Thus, if you build a tennis table yourself that would be great.
What is the best material to make a ping pong table?
Many ping pong enthusiasts have been asking a common question: “What is the best material for making a ping pong table?” This is indeed an important question and will undoubtedly help many people to choose the table to be used for the game correctly. The material used to make a tennis table varies according to the type of ping pong.
To keep things simple and understand the material types used for ping pong tables, we can simply divide the tables into two main types: indoor tables and outdoor tables. Although indoor table tops are usually made of plywood, a DIY outdoor ping pong table usually have to be made in such a way that it can adapt to various harsh weather conditions. This is why many you can find on sale today are made of relatively more concrete and stronger materials.
What’s a ping pong table made of?
The materials used to make the ping pong table can be plywood, particleboard, plastic, metal, or fiberglass. As far as professional ping pong is concerned, most of these tables are usually made of high-density fiberboard.
Can you make a ping pong table out of plywood?
Plywood is available in diverse materials, such as fir, pine, and spruce. These three types of wood are soft and suitable for use to build a tennis table. Hardwood plywood can also be used, but since the table does not need to be strong, there is no need to spend more money on hardwood plywood.
What kind of wood is best for a ping pong table?
Although ping pong lovers can buy ready-made tables at the game store, they can also make their tables. The major item used when constructing a table is a layer of plywood. This can be gotten from different types of wood, but it should be of standard size. Furthermore, the type of plywood you choose for the table is unimportant.
Can you use plywood for a tabletop?
As earlier highlighted, you can conveniently use plywood for a tabletop.
How thick should a ping pong table be?
Among many ping-pong players, 19 mm is generally considered to be the minimum thickness of a standard table. In addition to the way the table is played, you also need to remember that thicker tables are much more resistant to warping than thinner tables. Moreover, more expensive tables are usually made up of thicker playing surfaces. Thus, it is entirely possible to pay more attention to their construction, and the quality control of such tables is higher.
Are there different sizes of ping pong tables?
Until recently, many people still desire to know if there is an accurate size specified for ping pong tables. Ping pong tables come in different sizes. Although there are game types that can accept the standard sizes. There are still different sizes that can be used for other ping pong versions. Thus, it is very important for you to understand the different ping pong types and table sizes. Especially if you are striving to learn more and enhance your ping pong skills. This is also important when you want to make or buy your table.
What is the ITTF standard size?
The International Table Tennis Federation of the ITTF is the overall management organization of table tennis. Thus, the organization has carefully compiled and analyzed all standards and guidelines. With this, the standard size and dimensions of the ping pong table are also included. The set height of the table is 9 feet or 2.74 meters, and the width is 5 feet or 1.525 meters. As for the height from the ground, the standard height is set at 2 feet 6 inches or 0.76 meters. Also, the net length of a standard table tennis table must be accurate to 6 feet or 1.83 meters, and the height must be 6 inches or 15.25 cm.
Competition Size” Or “Tournament Size Ping Pong Table
When researching about the size of the ping pong table, you will often encounter terms such as “competition size” or “tournament size”. This simply means that the table used here is a 9 x 5 size table.
Entertainment Ping Pong Table
On the other hand, you will often see small and medium-sized ping pong tables. These are usually smaller than the standard versions. People who usually buy this type of table think that ping pong is just an entertainment activity. In some cases, beginners and learners of the sport will start learning from this type of table. Although others may say that these are not suitable for mastering and enhancing. The overall skills of ping pong, many people will find these tables very useful for training and so on.
In actuality, there are various types of small and medium-sized ping pong tables. They also come in different dimensions. However, the marking and lining are proportional to the size of the table. In general, no matter how different the ping pong tables are today. The recreational versions are usually smaller than the standard types. If you are looking for more serious gameplay and practice, it is recommended that you opt for the standard sizes.
How much space is needed for a ping pong table?
Ping pong tables can provide space for indoor entertainment, even if the outdoor weather is not ideal. The table occupies a lot of space, but you need to leave a little space at both ends to volleyball back and forth. For a full-size table that is 9 feet long and 5 feet wide. You need approximately 19 feet in length and 11 feet in width of clear space for the game so you won’t get obstructed.
How tall is a folded ping pong table?
In terms of the foldable table, the height of the table would be 64 inches in the two halves after folding up.
Wrapping Up
In conclusion, ping pong is a great game that can be enjoyed by many. Upon making use of the steps highlighted above, you can perfectly have a DIY ping pong table.
Mark is a Bloomberg BusinessWeek-based digital entrepreneur, blogger, and table tennis enthusiast. He is a former professional table tennis player with the career-best USATT ranking of 2689. He is also an ITTF Level 3 certified coach and conducts weekend coaching programs in and around the New York area. Mark is also a pool player by passion. He was first introduced to the game of pool at a very early age by his granddad. He had a natural knack for the game and quickly learned the ropes, and by the time he was 15, he was already participating in local leagues. He aims to make it into the APA league someday! Mark started his own blog by starting Indoor Games Zone, where he loves to share his years of experience with the audience. He covers ping pong, pool, air hockey, shuffleboard, and foosball.
- Ping pong
- Pool
- Air Hockey
- Shuffleboard
- Foosball
