Thank you for your enthusiasm and interest. I have 5 kids so I'm wonderfully busy! :-) The ball is 1.25"; pins are 2.125" tall. The alley is 4.75" wide and 34" long. The gutters are 1.5" wide. The paper box that holds/resets the pins is 5" wide. GOOD LUCK!
Part 2... Everything that is cardboard is covered in paper to make it look nicer. Of course, over the years, the glue has shown through the paper and it doesn't look that great anymore. Hope to see your bowling alley out there on TH-cam soon!! :-)
The pins came from a Carrom board that was my dad's back in the 40s and 50s. You can probably buy one today, but I suspect the pins will be plastic. Google it. I made plans back in '75 before I made this, but I'd have to dig them out for you. Not sure where they are right now. The alley is about 40" long and is made of a piece of drywall.
If you can build a bowling alley, I KNOW you can build your own ramp! ;-) But "ask and you shall receive." It is 4.5" inches high (including the .25" wall that extends above the ramp's path) & 11.5" long. That will also give you the angle. The alley is a piece of Drywall. (It was the smoothest thing I could find back in 75.) I drew the "alley lines" on it with a yardstick. The alley ends & then the back area is simply sloped cardboard forcing the ball over to the return ramp.
I'm SURE you could! The pin-resetter box would be a tad difficult to make out of wood and the entire alley would be much heavier than this cardboard model, but nothing should stop you from making one out of wood. Some of the moving parts might be a little tricky and you'd need stronger string than fishing line to move some wooden parts, but everything about this bowling alley (with the exception of the pin-resetter) could easily be made of wood. GO FOR IT! :-)
Thank you! I was a busy little guy when I was young. I remember one weekend my parents had my grandmother watching us (because they had gone traveling somewhere) and when they returned Sunday evening, my grandmother told my parents, "I didn't see Mark all weekend. He was making something in the basement and only came up for meals!" That was my childhood. Always drawing and making something. Have you seen my model roller coaster videos? Google "Archimedes Marble Roller Coaster". Peace. :-)
I just added a short video to this one (look for the information "i" in the top-right corner. It is a little video that shows the PLANS I drew to make this bowling alley back in '75. I hope you can use them.
I will have to dig up my old plans for you. I will have to put a clip together showing how to build this and my roller coasters. Now I just need to find some TIME! D'OH! :-) Thanks for your interest!
thanks for info just a few more questions, i promise. size of thing you roll ball down on. HxLxW Degree of angle from back to front. what is on the thing the ball rolls on? i noticed it curled a bit on the end. thanks for your help, i will try to make one after i figure in all the info. maybe even add a few things myself as well. will be waiting for final info and thanks again for your help.
just wondering if you found your plans yet? can you tell us how high the pins are and about how big the ball is? i am in usa i found a set of 10 pins and 3 balls and are sold at a family dollar or general dollar and dollar tree and cost only $1.00 a set. the pins are heavy plastic and are 2.5" high and balls are 1" across. they are not small like the ones you get off of ebay. hope this helps those looking for pins and balls. i hope they will work well. the pins even have two red stripes.
did you ever find the plans for this game? it has been awhile since someone asked you. i would love to make this. instead of drywall for the lane could a lawan wood be used? i hope i spelled that right LOL it is like a piece pf smoth paneling but just plain smooth wood. let me knoq if you found the plans. awsome project by the way and thanks for sharing..... randolf
hello it has been over a year now any luck in finding the plans? i been very ill and in and out of hospital. so i have not started the project yet. but i got some new tools to help me make this project.
could you please tell me how does the pinsetter stay up and go down? i think it has something to do with the sweep mechanism too, but one's never sure, in fact, could you also tell me how you made the pinsetter box? the thing is im making one but im looking for ways to keep the machine up or down and the pin re-setting
The 4 strings (fishing line) that take the pin-resetter box up and down all come together as one string at the back of the alley and I've simply tied a knot in that string grouping and I slide the knot into a slot in the cardboard in the back to keep the box up. The pin-resetter box is simply made of paper with ten pin 'tubes' which are nothing more than paper themselves. The sliding piece of poster board that is 1/2" up from the bottom of the box has a notch at the top of each hole which holds the neck of the pins that did not get knocked down. Does that help? Good luck!
so i think i got the whole fishing line system with the knob, but how does it stay in place when it picks up the pins by the neck? i mean, not wobble around like front to back?
There is a string on all 4 corners of the box and they go up to holes at the top so when I pull all the strings at once, then the box goes straight up because each string is going up into its hole on the 'roof'. Does that help?
I must have missed your comment a while back. The pin-resetter box has fishing line attached at all four corners and all the strings come back to one string in the back of the alley which I pull to bring the box back up.
The smoothest thing I could find when I was 11-years-old was a scrap piece of drywall (because my Dad was finishing our basement at the time.) The original lane was cardboard (as is most of the entire thing) but the ball would just roll down the cardboard's ridges. So I replaced the original lane with a piece of drywall that first year and drew the lines on it with a yardstick and pencil. So it has been drywall for about 43 years. Thanks for your comment. - Mark
Interesting. Also what’s with the sounds when you move the deck or pin table ?. And I really love your pinsetter since it was very similar to a Brunswick A2 Pinsetter.
It is actually made out of paper except for the sliding piece which is just poster board. (Thicker paper). Did you see the video of my bowling alley plans and drawings?
It sure does. It's now 43 years old! My kids love playing with it. The fishing line (about 42 years ago) was the best 'upgrade' ever! We played it so much as kids that the normal string kept wearing out so I replaced it with fishing line.
It is a paper box with ten paper 'tubes' in it. Each tube is slightly bigger than the diameter of the fat/bottom of the pins. The 'neck-pinching' paper is actually just a thick piece of poster board which has lasted all these years too. The 'tubes' the pins sit in are about 1/2" tall beneath the sliding 'neck-pincher' and above it, the tubes are about 1.5" - 2" tall. Lots of Scotch tape holding that baby together. The alley itself is drywall. My dad was finishing the basement back in the 70s that year and I borrowed a 3.5' strip of drywall because the first alley was cardboard and the ball would simply ride down the cardboard ridges. Drywall was much more smooth.
I will if I have time. I'm a busy father of five! I'm super glad you like the pin resetter box. Not much to it except what I described below. You can make one if I could make one. I was only 11 years old when I made it.
Cardboard, paper, glue, fishing line, drywall for the alley, and a lot of patience! ;-) I was 11 years old when I made this so long ago. I hope you can make one just like it. The pins are about 70 years old. The bowling ball came in a Fruity Pebbles cereal box and I filled it with plaster to give it weight. The pin resetter box was my own design. I drew it and made it out of heavy paper. There is a piece of posterboard in the middle of the pin resetter box which pinches the necks of the pins so they can be lifted up out of the way of the pin sweeper. There is a pencil inside the pin sweeper for extra weight. Good luck!
Thank you for your enthusiasm and interest. I have 5 kids so I'm wonderfully busy! :-) The ball is 1.25"; pins are 2.125" tall. The alley is 4.75" wide and 34" long. The gutters are 1.5" wide. The paper box that holds/resets the pins is 5" wide. GOOD LUCK!
LoL that 10 pin. I did something like this when I was a kid. I took a long plank of wood and craved gutters out and sanded it down. Memories lol
thank you so much for taking the time to help me with all the sizes. you have been a great help. take care.
I do! I don't know where they are. I'll have to dig them out, film them, and add a link to this video. Thanks for asking.
Part 2... Everything that is cardboard is covered in paper to make it look nicer. Of course, over the years, the glue has shown through the paper and it doesn't look that great anymore. Hope to see your bowling alley out there on TH-cam soon!! :-)
The pins came from a Carrom board that was my dad's back in the 40s and 50s. You can probably buy one today, but I suspect the pins will be plastic. Google it. I made plans back in '75 before I made this, but I'd have to dig them out for you. Not sure where they are right now. The alley is about 40" long and is made of a piece of drywall.
That is pretty awesome.
The-PurpleOrange
If you can build a bowling alley, I KNOW you can build your own ramp! ;-) But "ask and you shall receive." It is 4.5" inches high (including the .25" wall that extends above the ramp's path) & 11.5" long. That will also give you the angle. The alley is a piece of Drywall. (It was the smoothest thing I could find back in 75.) I drew the "alley lines" on it with a yardstick. The alley ends & then the back area is simply sloped cardboard forcing the ball over to the return ramp.
TOTALLY AWESOME!!
+BuckNaykidOR1 - Thank you! My kids think that all Dads make bowling alleys! :-)
I'm SURE you could! The pin-resetter box would be a tad difficult to make out of wood and the entire alley would be much heavier than this cardboard model, but nothing should stop you from making one out of wood. Some of the moving parts might be a little tricky and you'd need stronger string than fishing line to move some wooden parts, but everything about this bowling alley (with the exception of the pin-resetter) could easily be made of wood. GO FOR IT! :-)
Cute, a hand made version similar to the Eldon Bowl a Matic!
i love how this is handmade
Thank you! I was a busy little guy when I was young. I remember one weekend my parents had my grandmother watching us (because they had gone traveling somewhere) and when they returned Sunday evening, my grandmother told my parents, "I didn't see Mark all weekend. He was making something in the basement and only came up for meals!" That was my childhood. Always drawing and making something. Have you seen my model roller coaster videos? Google "Archimedes Marble Roller Coaster". Peace. :-)
Maybe i can that little guy too because im in love with bowling and im pretty young :D maybe i can be like you :)
with a little hand of my dad it would be going perfect ;)
If you're dad can help you, that's GREAT! I want to see your bowling alley when you finish it, OK? :-)
I just added a short video to this one (look for the information "i" in the top-right corner. It is a little video that shows the PLANS I drew to make this bowling alley back in '75. I hope you can use them.
I will have to dig up my old plans for you. I will have to put a clip together showing how to build this and my roller coasters. Now I just need to find some TIME! D'OH! :-) Thanks for your interest!
Not sure I could find more pins or another perfect ball! Not sure how much shipping to Australia would be too! Flattered! :-)
Works exactly like my pinsetter. Lol
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What are you doing in this coment
cool!!
Cool☺
great video
Thanks! I love that I still have this alley and my kids love to play it all these years later!
Molang
you're a genius.
so dope
Cool.
thanks for info just a few more questions, i promise. size of thing you roll ball down on. HxLxW Degree of angle from back to front. what is on the thing the ball rolls on? i noticed it curled a bit on the end. thanks for your help, i will try to make one after i figure in all the info. maybe even add a few things myself as well. will be waiting for final info and thanks again for your help.
just wondering if you found your plans yet? can you tell us how high the pins are and about how big the ball is? i am in usa i found a set of 10 pins and 3 balls and are sold at a family dollar or general dollar and dollar tree and cost only $1.00 a set. the pins are heavy plastic and are 2.5" high and balls are 1" across. they are not small like the ones you get off of ebay. hope this helps those looking for pins and balls. i hope they will work well. the pins even have two red stripes.
could you take a close up picture of each part so i may see it better and use it for reference?
did you ever find the plans for this game? it has been awhile since someone asked you. i would love to make this. instead of drywall for the lane could a lawan wood be used? i hope i spelled that right LOL it is like a piece pf smoth paneling but just plain smooth wood. let me knoq if you found the plans. awsome project by the way and thanks for sharing..... randolf
robyn muru
hello it has been over 3 months now have you ever found the plans to this bowling ane? randolf dumbledore
hello it has been over a year now any luck in finding the plans? i been very ill and in and out of hospital. so i have not started the project yet. but i got some new tools to help me make this project.
cool ! can you make one out of wood?
Evet
do you have plans so someone else can make one?
rzimmer1
could you please tell me how does the pinsetter stay up and go down? i think it has something to do with the sweep mechanism too, but one's never sure, in fact, could you also tell me how you made the pinsetter box? the thing is im making one but im looking for ways to keep the machine up or down and the pin re-setting
The 4 strings (fishing line) that take the pin-resetter box up and down all come together as one string at the back of the alley and I've simply tied a knot in that string grouping and I slide the knot into a slot in the cardboard in the back to keep the box up.
The pin-resetter box is simply made of paper with ten pin 'tubes' which are nothing more than paper themselves. The sliding piece of poster board that is 1/2" up from the bottom of the box has a notch at the top of each hole which holds the neck of the pins that did not get knocked down. Does that help? Good luck!
so i think i got the whole fishing line system with the knob, but how does it stay in place when it picks up the pins by the neck? i mean, not wobble around like front to back?
There is a string on all 4 corners of the box and they go up to holes at the top so when I pull all the strings at once, then the box goes straight up because each string is going up into its hole on the 'roof'. Does that help?
so string inside the box, pokes out the box, pokes out the top, goes behind the stick thing, doins the other three in the knot, and boom?
Yes! All 4 go up through their own hole in the 'roof' and then meet up in the back so they can all be pulled at the same time. You've got it!
Have you any idea of how he made the pinsetter box come back at the top by itself?
Please tell me. really need it.
I must have missed your comment a while back. The pin-resetter box has fishing line attached at all four corners and all the strings come back to one string in the back of the alley which I pull to bring the box back up.
please teach us how to make
Is the lane made of wood ? Cause the ball and pins make thud sounds on the lane.
The smoothest thing I could find when I was 11-years-old was a scrap piece of drywall (because my Dad was finishing our basement at the time.) The original lane was cardboard (as is most of the entire thing) but the ball would just roll down the cardboard's ridges. So I replaced the original lane with a piece of drywall that first year and drew the lines on it with a yardstick and pencil. So it has been drywall for about 43 years. Thanks for your comment. - Mark
Interesting. Also what’s with the sounds when you move the deck or pin table ?. And I really love your pinsetter since it was very similar to a Brunswick A2 Pinsetter.
how u do that pinsetter can do a tutorial dw
How to make the pinsetter with cardboard
It is actually made out of paper except for the sliding piece which is just poster board. (Thicker paper). Did you see the video of my bowling alley plans and drawings?
Does the pin setter still work
It sure does. It's now 43 years old! My kids love playing with it. The fishing line (about 42 years ago) was the best 'upgrade' ever! We played it so much as kids that the normal string kept wearing out so I replaced it with fishing line.
Mark S you should make more videos about the pin setter
It is a paper box with ten paper 'tubes' in it. Each tube is slightly bigger than the diameter of the fat/bottom of the pins. The 'neck-pinching' paper is actually just a thick piece of poster board which has lasted all these years too. The 'tubes' the pins sit in are about 1/2" tall beneath the sliding 'neck-pincher' and above it, the tubes are about 1.5" - 2" tall. Lots of Scotch tape holding that baby together.
The alley itself is drywall. My dad was finishing the basement back in the 70s that year and I borrowed a 3.5' strip of drywall because the first alley was cardboard and the ball would simply ride down the cardboard ridges. Drywall was much more smooth.
Mark S no I was saying post more videos on TH-cam about the pin setter
I will if I have time. I'm a busy father of five! I'm super glad you like the pin resetter box. Not much to it except what I described below. You can make one if I could make one. I was only 11 years old when I made it.
How to make it bro?
it
How do you make it?
Cardboard, paper, glue, fishing line, drywall for the alley, and a lot of patience! ;-) I was 11 years old when I made this so long ago. I hope you can make one just like it. The pins are about 70 years old. The bowling ball came in a Fruity Pebbles cereal box and I filled it with plaster to give it weight. The pin resetter box was my own design. I drew it and made it out of heavy paper. There is a piece of posterboard in the middle of the pin resetter box which pinches the necks of the pins so they can be lifted up out of the way of the pin sweeper. There is a pencil inside the pin sweeper for extra weight. Good luck!