DIY: From Xmas tree to DG basket

[ACJett]

Hi everyone.
My name is Adam. I'm pretty new here.... Love the site! Also, relatively new to disc golf (playing about a year), but really enjoy it and have been playing more and more recently (1-3 times a week). About 2 months ago I bought a DGA mach lite practice basket to practice on and help my putting/approach. I really like this basket and it has helped my putting quite a bit. I found myself wanting another basket (have some property that I'd like to put three baskets on) but didn't want to pay the price for the better baskets out there. Decided to try my hand at DIY (pretty good with tools) and see how it went. The following pics document my process and experience. It all started with a fake xmas tree my wife and I decided to get rid of...

*pic taken as I was about 3/4 of the way through de-limbing the tree.

Limbs removed (except 1 row) to use as inner chain holder.

Sanded, primered, and painted...

After looking for possible items to use as a basket I decided to just make one. Bought a piece of 2'x2' 1/2" thick plywood and used my mach lite basket as a rough guide. I used some cheap 4" by 8" shelf brackets for the outer wall supports.

Basket shape cut out and brackets spaced

(continued....)

 

[ACJett]

Center hole cut and basket "test fit" on pole. Beneath the basket is a pvc "collar" that slips over the pole and is what the basket will attach to.

Basket cut for weight reduction and painted to match.

12 outer & 6 inner chains = 18 chains at 27" a pop. Used 2/0 chain.

Used some left over wood that I had in my shed for the top/outer chain mount. Cut to 22" then measured every 30° to get 12 sides. Holes drilled at every corner to mount the arms through. The metal arms are actually stripped limbs from the xmas tree being bent into shape and re-used.

Holes drilled at every corner for arms to mount through. Mounted arms down with short, wide head screws.

 

[ACJett]

Painted red to match my DGA mach lite (red/silver)

test fit: top/outer chain mount, inner 6 chains and ring. Used a 2 inch pvc collar to brace the underside of the top.

Top attached. Outer chains mounted.

 

[ACJett]

Used light duty hose as the walls of the basket. 3 rows. Wrapped in red elec. tape to match. Attached with some small bolts/nuts.

Since the top of the tree fits right in to the pole I decided to strip all but the last bit, paint it silver and red, and use it as an optional "flag/pole" to help find the pin when shooting from a distance.

Final hose on and basket is officially DONE!

The aftermath.....

Specs:
56" to top of chain rack
22" diameter chain rack/top
24"/26" diameter basket (depends if measuring from corners or faces of basket edge) by 8" deep
24" from ground to bottom of basket
12 outer chains (2/0 chain)
6 inner chains (2/0 chain)

Recycled parts:
Fake Xmas tree stand, pole, limbs, top, other small misc.stuff

Bought parts:
18 pieces of chain by 27" long for total of 40.5ft of 2/0 chain (approx $45)
PVC collars (2) (approx $4)
Spray pain (1red, 1silver) (approx $7)
50' light duty hose (have leftover) (approx $10)
Large roll of red elec tape (approx $5)
12 shelf brackets (8 basket rim, 4 basket support) (approx $12)
2" steel ring for outer chains to mount to (approx $2)
Misc. screws,nuts,bolts,fasteners (approx $10)

Total Out of Pocket Expense: Approx $95
Total time spent: several hours a day for approx 1 week. (much of this time was dedicated to deconstructing the tree.)



This basket is a little heavy but can be moved by one person without issue. It can also be taken apart very easily for longer transport.
Everything is very stable and mounted securely. I tried to keep it as close to specs as I could... It catches very well and hopefully will serve me (and my game) well into the future.

Just wanted to share my project results with you all and hopefully inspire more awesome DIY projects!

 

[Rol6566]

Looks really good man :thmbup: But with all the time, effort and cost of materials its almost cheaper to buy a premade one

But I applaud you for the cool DIY and use of what you have lying around

 

[atl scott]

Very cool! I think I would have just bought the instep for $70. Still a cool project!

 

[ACJett]

Thanks! And, I hear ya guys. I thought about buying one of the cheaper ones and tweeking it to suit my needs but decided I really wanted one that was a little more sturdy and could rival a nice basic basket (something a little better then a practice basket). This thing is nice and solid and catches noticably better then the other cheaper baskets I've tossed at. I modeled the chain structure after the DGA mach new 2. http://www.discgolf.com/equipment/baskets/mach2-discgolf-basket.html Really appreciate you guys taking the time to look and comment

 

[shoe59]

Probably the nicest looking homemade basket I've seen! Very well done

 

[ACJett]

Also, you could tweek the supply list to adjust the price. There were also some left over parts (if building multiple baskets may come in handy and save a little $) The spray paint and elec tape were strictly to make it look good. Knock those out and you're just over $80.

 

[RickBrierly]

How much for the Santa Cruz Deck? lol

 

[ACJett]

Haha ^good eye.

 

[zenbot]

I love that you kept part of the tree for the flag.

 

[ACJett]

Thanks, I thought it would only be appropriate

 

[Dude]

Yeah, I agree. That's one of the better homemade baskets I've ever seen. And yes, the repainted top makes the whole thing that much better. Great job!

 

[joshuajames]

Excellent job man!

 

[jtreadwell]

much better than an instep - Those things blow

 

[Zach-R.]

Nice work looks good, the extra paint helps. It seems you used the "wilson" method to build your basket for the most part. There are very detailed instructions for how to do this using a bike rim on the top ( this is the only real difference) on YouTube. I used this method to make my own as well, just look up homemade baskets or Wilson basket.

 

[Skankin77]

Wow that basket looks prime...nice job!

 

[Midnightbiker]

I am very impressed. That is one of the best homemade baskets I have ever seen. Good job!

 

[UncleSweat]

I love DIY baskets. Well done.