How to Make a Ping Pong Table Out of Wood

Ping pong is a popular game where players take turns volleying a small plastic ball over a tiny net in a miniature version of tennis. This game is a staple of family game nights all across the country. Ping pong tables can be expensive, depending on the type of table you get. However, it is possible to build a ping pong table out of wood that works just as well as those you buy at sporting goods stores.

Instructions

1

Place a piece of the plywood on a flat surface. Measure two inches toward the center on one of the five-foot sides of the plywood and draw a line across the board with a pencil. Repeat on the other end. Measure six inches toward the center along one of the 4-foot-6 inch sides, and draw a line across the board on that side. Repeat on the opposite side. The lines should cross in four places. The table legs will go at these marks. This is one half of the ping pong table. Repeat on a second piece of plywood to make the second half of the table.

2

Stand the plywood up on one of its edges. Place a piece of the 28 1/2 inch 1-by-4 at the four cross marks nearest the center of the board. Attach the leg to the board by driving two screws through the plywood, into the top of the 1-by-4. Repeat this for all four legs, making sure they are attached to the cross marks that are closest to the center. Attach the legs in this manner to both pieces of marked plywood.

3

Measure one foot down the legs and place a piece of 42 inch 1-by-4 on the legs as a cross beam along the smaller side of the plywood. Screw the cross beam to the legs with two screws. Repeat for the other set of legs on that piece of plywood. Add cross beams to the legs on the second sheet of plywood.

4

Place a piece of the 54 1/2-inch 1-by-4 between the cross beam pieces on each table half, to add a support beam. Screw this piece to the cross beams by driving two screws through the cross beam, into the ends of the support beam.

5

Stand the two halves of the table on their legs. Cover the tops of the table with wood glue and place a second piece of 4-foot-6 inch by 5-foot plywood on both of the table sides to double the thickness of the table top. Let the glue set.

6

Place the two halves together so you have one table which is 9 feet long by 5 feet wide. Crawl under the table and attach hinges to the plywood to connect the two halves. Drive screws through the holes in the hinges, attaching them to each half of the ping pong table.

7

Paint the table top green. Once the green paint is dry, paint a 1/8-inch wide white line down the center of the table, 9 feet in length. Paint another white line which is 3/4-inch wide down the center of the table along the 5 foot side. The lines should cross directly in the center of the table. Finally, paint a 3/4-inch wide white line around the perimeter of the table.

8

Attach the ping pong net to the table according to the directions on the net kit.