Home made Barriers

Like many small clubs, my club is in need of a bunch of new barriers.
We have been using cardboard that is taller than an average store bought barrier and they fold up for storage. They are getting frayed and need to be replaced.

Please post ideas and home made barriers that work well.

How about instead of a solid frame, use rope between a couple of stands maybe 32 inches high (that should be better than those silly short barriers).  Hang the cloth on the rope or stitch a pocket in the fabric as if a solid frame were going to run through it, but just use rope.  Sorta like the way a net is strung over the table with supports at each end. 

Using a very lightweight material like curtain sheers would stop the ball without weighing a lot.  That makes support easier.  Also, those are available off-the-shelf in pre-made "standard" sizes, so no need to actually DIY.  (For that matter, it might even be practical to use curtain rods instead of rope.)

The supports would be simple posts with x-shaped base (when viewed from above) to add more stability.  2x4 lumber would be more than adequate.  The cross-members creating the x-shape for the support base should be at least 16 inches long so that they would stick out 18 inches in all four directions for stability.  If curtain rods are used, the end supports only have to support vertical forces, so the base could just be a 12 inch square piece of plywood nailed to the end of the 2x4.

This kind of arrangement would pack up into a very small area.  The cloth could be laundered if it gets dirty.  The rope or curtain rod would be easily replaced, the supports could be painted any color.

A really good substitute for barriers is giant rolls of corrugated cardboard. Its about 3-4' high and the length can vary. Don't ask me where to get it, though.

I was thinking of two 5 gal buckets. get some 1 inch sch 40 pvc and then insert into buckets and add some quick set cement. (you would have to insert a bolt with nuts(drilled through the pvc pipe) to make sure it wont move once concrete sets. Rigid vertical (but mobile) supports. (could be wrapped in something to allow them to slide/ or felt on bottoms -- also could be painted to make them look better)

Between these a long bit of strong (but small diameter) line. Distance between the two posts would be dependent on how heavy the vertical posts are.

I was thinking to make these fairly high (dependent on what barrier material used) the material could be anything that has a weighted bottom and grommets up top.

I was thinking fabric shower curtain liner ( like this: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41V6X7R78SL._AA260_.jpg ) would work -- but maybe not white... maybe black http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31bs6pZTlJL._AA280_.jpg

Depending on how many panels I get, I think for every 8 feet or so it would cost me only about $12 USD -- so I could do two 56 foot runs for about $180 USD. Most store bought options would cost about 30-35 usd per every 8 feet and they aren't very high.

This application would be for the back of playing areas in a huge gym.

dauntless wrote: Also... if anyone know how far apart tables need to be from edge to edge of next table. How much room behind the table? I am trying to firm up our clubs "operations" so that I can pass on the duties to a new guy!

The table tennis table is 5 feet wide by 9 feet long. Allowing a minimum of 5 feet on either side makes the width of the playing area 15 feet. Now add to the length 10 feet on either end. This makes the length of the playing area 29 feet. This makes the total playing area 29 X 15 = 435 square feet. Championship table tennis utilizes more space that what is calculated above. So put 10 feet on either side and 15 feet on either end. This makes a total space of 25 feet by 39 feet, for a total area of 975 square feet.