I like the design of the "craigslist" washer pits. The closest thing to "real" washers pitched on dirt. If the pits were to get a lot of use, I would use metal pipe, 3 1/2" OD. I would also make the a little shallower so that you wouldn't have to carry around so much dirt.

I have two 6" lengths of 3 1/2" OD metal pipe pieces. When we go camping or to a party, I just drive the pieces in the ground 21' apart and dig the dirt out of the holes. Pretty fast and simple washer "court".

washers!

no 3 or 5 hole. Be a real Texan. 1 hole. 21 ft apart. 1/3/5 pts.

now I'm a fan of a PVC pipe hole n the dirt but tailgating in a parking lot or areas of campus we can't do that. Here are our boards that Mcgee is diving into The top of the board with the hole is a seperate piece and sits on the bottom frame.

Looks like one of my throws!

Quite positive it landed in for 5 pts or to cover your ass.

Zone - you make those?

Lite beer? Come on be a real Texan.

Zone speaks the truth!

And,light beer is neccesary if you are doing the marathon tailgate.

Zone,
3 points for a leaner. What constitutes a leaner?

Bust or no bust?

3 or 4 washers?

NO BACKBOARDS!

As far as leaners, we allow any part of the washer to be over the hole. Some people are more hard assed and require you to be able to see through the hole in the washer into the cup for it to be a leaner.

Oh...and we use 4 washers but we score 1/2/3 instead of 1/3/5.

Damn Zone....what the hell is that backstop doing there? Do you also still have training wheels on your bicycle?

Same here on the leaners - any part of the washer over the hole.

4 washers.

1/3/5

No bust.

No pitching the other teams washers at the end.

Winner of previous point pitches first.

ringers cancel. leaners determined by furthest over (furthest in).

Only one team scores.

21' apart.

Our rules are: Points- 1/2/3. No points for leaners. First to 21. You are not penalized for going over. Standing on board while throwing. Person/ Team that scores the most the previous round, throws first the next round. 2nd person throws with other persons washers still on the board. Win by 2. Boards are 10ft apart.

1. I'm not in those photos so don't criticize my beer choices

2. the backboards were made for the tailgate boards. they go everywhere and sometimes you can't have washers flying trough the parking lots (if you throw like Cru). it makes for a good home court advantage.

3. A guy out of Victoria made those and we have re-carpeted a few times.

4. We play:
1/3/5
3 washers
No bust.
No pitching the other teams washers at the end.
Winner of previous point pitches first.
ringers cancel. leaners determined by furthest over (furthest in).
closest to hole gets point(s) if no ringer/leaner
Only one team scores.
21' apart
-we usually play a leaner you need to see daylight, but that's not real washer rules- just needs to be inside the cup circumference.
$1 per person/per game bet. Cru goes home with no $1's.

[This message has been edited by Zone416 (edited 4/16/2009 3:26p).]

I think I like you Zone.

What is the secret password to get into your tailgate?

What the heck is the backstop on your board????

Guess its a secret.

I made a set for my FIL that are identical to this (except, mine are 18" square):


They fit together like a clamshell with a latch, so you can carry them like a suitcase. Makes for easy packing ...

My favorite washer set had the boxes "one-holed variety" covered with a thin sheet of lead instead of carpet. The washers would almost stick and it was a lot of fun after getting used to. He even bolted a receptionist bell at the bottom of the hole to rub a little salt in the wound of your opponent when you sunk a ringer.

I like those too phoenix. You just drill a latch on two sides to get them to carry together?

I'm going to Lowes on Sunday to get all the pieces.

Yep, used latches on opposite sides, and bought metal carrying handles rather than the rope ... Otherwise, it's just 2x4s, a PVC coupler (thicker than regular PVC pipe, with smooth edges rather than the rough edges you'd get by cutting a length of pipe).

The carpet, I "acquired" from work when they were installing new squares -- just had to trim a bit, since they were already 18" pieces. When I finished building it, I covered the whole thing in a couple coats of urethane to protect it. It gets pretty beat-up the first time you use it, but each ding hurts a bit less after a while ...

Looks like a great design.

I'll be honest... I'm 'carpentry challenge'. I'm going to Lowes on Sunday to grab all the pieces I need, and since I don't have access to cutting equipment, I'm going to get them to cut it there as well. Let me make sure I've got this straight...

For 1 box:
- 4 2x4's pieces cut to 18 inches. I like the way they were cut - clean edges.
- 1 PVC coupler - maybe 3.5" ?
- How did you make your base?
- Anything else?

I like the carpet, but I'd rather fill mine with dirt. Any recommendations if I want to go that direction?

Thanks for the help...

quote:

---

what's the best way to get the "carpet" down on the wood? Staples? Hot glue?

Also, any special way to cut the hole in the carpet to get a clean cut or will scissors work? I' builing an old fashion, one-hole, set.

---

You would need a very hot glue gun (industrial) to make the carpet stick so its best to use staples.

To cut carpet cleanly use a utility knife (one with retractable razor blade.)

You could then use latex or hot glue to make sure the carpet doesn't shred along the edges of your cut

you should be able to make that cut with a circular saw at home but, it might be easier to use a table saw at Home Depot. That is if you don't have one at home.

quote:

---

Also, any special way to cut the hole in the carpet to get a clean cut or will scissors work?

---

I just used a utility knife to cut it from the center into several pie shaped triangles. I leave them attached and then fold them inside the hole and staple then to the inside of the plywood. This makes for a very clean looking hole and I think it helps keep the carpet around the edge of the hole from getting torn up too quickly.

I just use staples by the way. My last design I moved the framing boards in a little from the edge of the plywood so that I can just pull up the carpet and quickly replace it when it gets worn out... which it will.

I used Liquid Nails to glue the carpet to the base of my box, and it's held up perfectly over the past several years.

For the bottom of the boxes, I used 1/2-inch plywood (you can buy it in smaller squares, and then trim to fit -- you obviously don't need an entire 4'x8' sheet). For the 2x4 sides, I mitred the corners, although that's probably overkill ... you can simply overlap them like the photo shows, and it will work just fine.

I cut a hole in the carpet using the pie slice method described above, then removed the slices one by one with a utility knife. I forget the diameter of the coupler -- it seems like it's 4", but it may be 3.5". That, I also glued to the plywood using liquid nails, although a better way would be to mount it using a few metal "L" brackets and some screws. It takes a pounding, so the more secure, the better.

It was a fun project, and it turned out really nicely. Wish I took some pictures of it before I gave it to my FIL ... Total cost, sadly, was about the same as the completed kit from Missouri Washer Works, but my FIL appreciated the fact that I took the time to build it by hand.

Any idea where you can purchase lead sheets to cover the boxes. I have my boxes built but can't seem to find the lead.

I looked up the Missouri Washer Works that you mentioned.... I'm pretty darn sure I'm jsut going to order the unfished washer boxes from them. Thanks!

Zone (or Cru) How tall is the back and front of your washer pit? Looks like 2" in the front and 4" in the back... but that seems like it would be too steep?

I'll have to measure it and get the dimensions. I can also get some better photos for you. It's a 2 piece board.

Try Bombat Washers.

http://www.bombatwashers.com/product_p/04-003-02.htm

A little pricey, but you can get maroon/white washer sets. They also sell one-hole and three-hole boards.

1 year since the last post on this thread....

About to start building a set, does anyone have a set of guidelines? Seeing lots of differing opinions on the interwebs. I'm looking to build a single hole setup w/ slope.

-2 ft x 2 ft looks pretty standard
-3 inch hole vs. 4 inch hole?
-2.5 inch washers vs. 3/3.5 inch washers?
-Measurements to create slope? 2 inches in the front, 4 in the back?
-20 ft in between the holes in each box, or 20 ft from front to front?

TIA to anyone that has had success building their own.

Mine are 2ft x 2ft with a 3 inch hole in the center I believe.

For washers, I went ahead and bought A&M washers from Bombat. I have smaller ones that I pick up from Lowes also. My boards tend to bounce pretty good so when less experienced people are playing we use the small ones as they tend to be more forgiving when it comes to sticking on the board.

For the slope, you can take a 2x6 and cut it about 18 inches long and then rip it from corner to corner.

I set ours 21ft from center of the hole to center of the hole, or 19 ft from the front of the boards.