Disc Golf Basket | Invention Studio

•

Follow All Following All Unfollow All

Disc Golf Basket

Built by: Micah Morris

@ the Flowers Invention Studio

~ Fall 2022 ~

BACKGROUND:

I really enjoy playing Disc Golf. I’ve played ultimate for 10+ years, and more recently in the past ~3-4 years have become much more involved with Disc golf. However there is a saying in disc golf (and regular golf): “Drive for show, putt for dough”. In order to putt well however, you need to practice, and the best way to do that is to have access to a practice basket. Now, not only do I not have the budget to buy my own practice basket, but I’ve also been looking for an excuse to learn the welder -- enter: Invention Studio -- I could just make my own! So I planned out what material I needed, while designing the disc golf basket to be portable, that way since while I am in college and have my home constantly moving, I can still bring this disc golf basket along with me. This project gave me great refreshers on several tools such as water jet & cold cut saw, as well as taught me how to operate new tools. This project will not only gave me ample opportunity to learn how to use the welder for the first time (100+ individual welds needed), but also left me with a disc golf basket that I can enjoy and practice with for years to come.

Tools used in this project include: Cold cut saw, metal lathe, hammer & vise, sheet brake, 3-wheel ring bender, water jet, belt sander, orbital sander, horizontal bandsaw, pliers, bolt cutters, tape measure, laser cutter, sand blaster, TIG welder, spray paint

Initial sketch of idea & cut rods

Cutting parts down using the cold cut saw; using lathe to sure up the edges

Using the 3 wheel bender to bend round rods into ring shape

Using laser cut curve guide to reach correct curvature

Using the sheet brake and vise & hammer to bend top band "spokes"

Using the waterjet to cut out the top band centerpieces

Using the orbital sander to sand away rust

Beginning the welding process

Welding the top band pieces together

Welding the base pieces together

Bending "spokes" of the basket piece

Welding basket parts together

Bending down top rim of the basket

Getting an idea of how the chains will hang; Showing collapsed (storage mode) basket

Cutting chain down to the correct length

Showing how the basket is assembled (5 pieces)

Before and After painting with blue "rust protecting" spray paint

Laser cutting magnet sheets for creating "GEORGIA TECH" text (before the T was stolen)

Part List:

I ordered most of my parts from McMaster, with the spray paint coming from Home Depot

Lessons Learned:

1) The rings I ordered to hold the chain at the bottom was not large enough to hold 24 chain links & fit over the bar. I had to use the belt sander to grind down the chain connectors so that it would fit over the bar, which ruined the paint job a bit.

2) I also improved greatly in TIG welding. This project was my first exposure to welding, and I improved in technique (more evenly dispersed, etc.) throughout the ~140 welds I completed.

3) The connector I chose for attaching the poles to the basket pieces was a conduit connector; I did not realize how loose / how much "play" these connectors could have. (This is why the basket looks like it is leaning in some of the photos; because it is). If I were to repeat the project I would save the $30 spent on the connector and rather precision lathe the parts to have a "press fit" connection to assemble the basket.

The modified chain connectors fitting (barely) onto the disc golf basket. Comparison of chain connectors before and after modification

Comparison of one of my earlier welds vs one of my later welds

Conclusion:

This project was a blast to make. Huge thanks to the Invention Studio for supporting me through this journey. Not only have I grown in confidence in using the welder, but I also have an awesome new basket to practice my disc golf putting with!