Portable DIY Basket Advice for a non-Maker

[Fat Dragon]

Unlike a lot of the people who seem to make their own baskets, I'm a total dummy when it comes to making things. At the same time, I've got some ideas I'd like to try to put into action.

Here in China, the chief natural resources are oil in the northwest, coal in the eastern mountain ranges, cheap labor in the cities, and busted up bicycles in the apartment complexes. I may have made that up, but let's just say any bicycle parts I might want to use for a DIY target would be available in plenty, and while I can't weld or cut metal, I could get it done very cheaply.

I'm thinking a spoked wheel for the upper cage and another for the base of the basket, two rims supported somehow by spokes and maybe a few brackets of some kind for the walls of the basket. Cut up some bike frames or use PVC or bamboo for the posts (lots of thick bamboo growing nearby - wouldn't be hard to find a piece the right thickness and hopefully strong enough for this application). The busted base of a five-wheeled office chair or maybe a contraption of three or four sets of bicycle handlebars welded together for a base. Cheap chain (less likely), rope-and-hose chains (ala the Pinwheel design), or bicycle chains (would look awesome, but high-maintenance and heavy) for the chains.

So, with that basic parts list in mind, does anyone have any advice on what theories I might want to scrap from the get-go? Challenges I might need to overcome? Suggestions for making this easy to break down and transport (I drive a 2015 Honda Fit, if that makes a difference)? If I get nothing, I'll try to see what I can do on my own, but things would almost certainly go better if I had some guidance from better minds than mine before I get started in earnest.

 

[m_Krakov]

Not really advice, but I have seen pictures and step-by-step instructions from someone who used a bike wheel as the top of a basket...i think he used the bottom of a barrel or trash can for the bottom of the basket. Definitely doable, but you should try and find more info on the interwebs.

 

[Dthunderchicken]

With limited resources I'm thinking tone pole. Aside from object courses, that's how I started.

 

[tbird888]

The common DIY cage is made out one end of a 50 gallon drum. I've seen just about everything used though. There are a fair amount of custom build threads on this forum that would probably give you some great ideas.

If you have bamboo available to you, I would build the chain set out of it. Have them hanging from the bicycle rim and in the typical target area shape (shorter on the outside, longer near the center). You could probably thread rope through the bamboo and tie the bottom ends around the pole to keep the bamboo from swinging around wildly.

With limited resources I'm thinking tone pole. Aside from object courses, that's how I started.

This is a great suggestion as well. With a practice basket, you just need the muscle memory to focus on hitting the sweet spot of the target area. A tone pole does that and ups the difficulty level substantially. When you step onto a course and putt on traditional baskets, it'll feel like you're putting at a house.