How to Make a Soccer Rebounder Board

Tools

• PPE (eye and hearing protection, and respirator for dust and spray paint)
• Circular saw, track saw or jigsaw
• Drill or impact driver with a centering drill bit, #8 countersink drill bit and screw driver bits
• Random orbital sander (optional)
• Measuring tape
• Square
• A ruler or pieces of cardboard to use as a spacer (The card from the hinge packages would work well. The spacer should be about 1/16 inch thick.)

Materials

• Two 2x4 foot, 3/4 inch thick plywood project panels
• 1-1/4 inch wood screws
• Four 3 inch hinges
• Two self-adhesive thin magnetic cabinet latches
• Wood glue
• Sandpaper (80 grit for shaping, 150 grit for finishing)
• Either spray paint or paint and painting supplies
• Exterior paint (if it will be used or stored in wet or humid environments)
• Painter’s tape

Note: A full 4x8 sheet of plywood costs about the same as two project panels and will have enough material to build two rebounder boards. Ask a store associate to see if your store offers free plywood cutting service.

• From one panel, cut a piece 1-1/2 x 48 inches. Cut this piece to 40 inches long.
• Cut both project panels to a size of 16x48 inches.
• From the end of one 16x48 inch piece, cut two 2x16 inch pieces. Cut these two pieces to 14-1/2 inches long.
• Cut the remaining 16x44 inch piece to 16x40 inches.
• From the remaining 16x40 inch piece, cut two pieces that are 16x18 inches.
• This list contains the majority of the cuts. Some cuts will be made in later steps.

Note: When using a circular saw, it’s best to cut smaller pieces first. This practice is safer and easier than cutting small pieces of wood with a circular saw. There are times that using a miter saw, jigsaw or handsaw is a better option.

• The 16x18 inch pieces will become the support legs.
• To allow the rebounder board to return the ball on the ground and in the air, each of the supports need to be cut at an angle on one side.
• On one of the 16 inch edges, make a mark at 5-7/8 inches.
• Draw a line from this mark to the furthest away corner on the other 16 inch side.
• This line will be about 20-1/2 inches long; if it’s shorter than that, try the other corner.
• This will create a 30 degree angle and will make it possible to tilt the rebounder to 60 degrees.
• Cut along this line.
• From the sharp point, along the 16 inch edge, measure down 1-3/4 inches. Use a square to draw a line to the angled edge, creating a small triangle.
• Cut along this line.
• Repeat with the other support.

We’ll begin driving screws in this step. The screws are 1-1/4 inches long. The thickness of the plywood is approximately 1-1/2 inches.

Set the pilot bit to 1 inch deep. When drilling pilot holes, use the countersinking bit. Be careful not to make the countersink just deep enough, so that the screw head will be even with the surface of the plywood. Also be careful not to overdrive the screws.

It’s easy, when using power tools, to drive screws so deeply that the head goes below the surface and the point of the screw comes out through the front of the other board. In this case, screw points coming through the front would damage the soccer ball and possibly scratch or cut the user.

• Lay the 16x40 inch piece, the rebounder board, face down on the work surface.
• Apply a thin layer of glue to the back of the 1-1/2 x 40 inch piece, which is the handle.
• Align the handle across the top of the rebounder. It should be flush with the entire top edge and both ends. Clamp it in place.
• Drill five evenly spaced, countersunk pilot holes along the length of the handle.
• Carefully drive screws through the pilot holes and into the rebounder.

• With the rebounder still face down, place one 2x14-1/2 inch piece along each end. These are the hinge boards.
• Use the measuring tape to move them 2-1/2 inches from the edges.
• The top of each one should touch the bottom of the handle, be flush with the bottom edge, and 2-1/2 inches from the ends of the rebounder.
• Trace the side edges of each piece, so the location will be easy to find again.
• Lift one hinge board, apply a thin layer of glue to it.
• Lay it back in place and drill two pilot holes in it, one 1-1/2 inches from the top and another 1-1/2 inches from the bottom.
• Carefully drive screws through the holes and into the rebounder.
• Repeat the process with the other hinge board.

• Measure the distance between the inside edges of the hinge boards. It should be about 31 inches.
• Cut the 8x48 inch board to the length of the measurement.
• Place it in between the hinge boards and center it in the space.
• Mark the location by tracing the edges.
• Remove it and spread a thin layer of glue on it.
• Put it back in place and drill six pilot holes. Three evenly spaced 1-1/2 inches from the top edge and three evenly spaced 1-1/2 inches from the bottom edge.
• Carefully drive screws through the pilot holes and into the rebounder.

• Measure 2 inches from the top and bottom of the hinge boards and make marks with the pencil.
• Align the top edge of the top hinge on its mark. The leaf of the hinge should be lying flat on the board, with the knuckle of the hinge hanging off the side edge of the hinge board, towards the outside of the rebounder board.
• Use the centering bit to drill one pilot hole. Drive a 1-1/4 inch screw through that hole.
• Make sure the hinge is aligned properly, then drill pilot holes and drive screws through the remaining holes.
• Repeat this process with the remaining hinges (the bottom edge of the bottom hinges will align with the 2 inch marks).
• Place the spacer or spacers beside one of the hinge boards, at the hinge locations.
• Stand a support leg on the 14-1/2 inch long edge on top of the spacers and against the hinge knuckles. The angled edge should be towards the top of the rebounder board. The bottom edge should be flush with the bottom edge of the rebounder board.
• Swing the leaf of the hinge against the board and drill one pilot hole with the centering bit.
• Drive one of the screws that was supplied with the hinges to secure the hinge.
• Repeat this process with the other hinge.
• Test the motion of the support leg.
• If it’s good, drill pilot holes and drive provided screws in the remaining holes of the hinge.
• If it isn’t good, remove the single screws and adjust placement of the support leg. The screw holes can be filled with a wood toothpick and glue, if needed.
• Repeat the process with the other support leg.

The edges of all the boards will look better and last longer if they are eased or rounded over.

If you have a router with a roundover bit, remove the hinges and support legs before routing the edges. The edges were needed to make the placement easier.

Using the router or coarse sandpaper, go over all edges and corners.

Go over all surfaces and rounded edges with 150 grit sandpaper to smooth them for painting. Sand with the direction of the grain on face surfaces.

• The back can be painted while the hinges are removed, or the hinges can be covered with tape.
• The rebounder board can be decorated any way you like. Add your team mascot, your name or the colors of your favorite team.
• An additional level of practice can be incorporated into the rebounder board by painting targets on it. Numbers, letters or shapes, anything you can think of will work. When practicing, ask a teammate or coach to call out a target to hit.

• To keep the support legs in place when the rebounder board is folded, install the magnetic plates.
• Peel the backing from a magnet side and place it where a support leg will cover it when the leg is folded.
• Put the plates on the magnets.
• Peel the backing from the metal plate sides.
• Fold the support leg closed and push down with force to set the adhesive.
• Open the support leg, being careful that the plate is stuck in the right place.
• Drill pilot holes with the centering bit, then drive the provided screws.
• Repeat on the other set of magnets.

• A strong kicker may find that the rebounder board moves too much when the ball hits it. A sandbag can be placed over each support leg to hold it in place.
• The rebounder board can be used with the square edge of the support legs on the field to return the ball along the ground.
• Turn it over so that the angled edge is on the turf to return the ball in the air.