Carpentry and Woodwork

by Edwin W. Foster

THE TENNIS COURT

The young woodworker is especially well fitted for the preparation of a tennis court. He has learned the value of accurate measurements, and is accustomed to make a neat and finished job. While the making of a court seems a simple proposition, it may be a very expensive one, if help has to be hired, and all the equipment bought ready for use.

The first step is to select the exact location, which should either be level or practically so. Any discussion as to the merits of dirt or sod courts must be left to the reader. The court proper is 78 × 36 feet, the posts for the tennis net being three feet outside on either side, and the space at the ends between the court and stop nets fifteen to twenty feet more, making a total length of 118 feet.

The following method of laying out the court is recommended:

Make sure that the long way is exactly north and south, and drive in the ground a wooden stake at northeast corner A ([Fig. 213]). At B, directly west, drive stake 36 feet from A. A steel tape measure is by far the best thing to use for laying out, as cord stretches and leads to inaccuracies, and two tapes are better than one.

At the centre of each stake drive a strong nail. From B measure 78 feet south, and place a temporary stake. To insure the angle being 90 degrees, apply this test: From B along the line laid out last, measure 48 feet: slip the ring of the tape measure over the nail at A, and measure to this new point. If the angle is 90 degrees, this diagonal measurement should be 60 feet. If this measurement does not come right, shift the stake C, until this oblique line is exactly 60 feet, then lines A-B and B-C are at right angles. Having fixed this angle, again measure from B to C, and drive stake C at 78 feet from B.

Locate stake D 78 feet from A, and 36 feet from C. A final test should now be made by measuring the diagonals B-D and A-C. They should be exactly alike. These corner stakes may now be driven in flush with the surface, and they should be allowed to remain, to avoid the necessity of doing the work all over again later in the season when the lines become obscure. Measure in from each stake 4¹⁄₂ feet for the alleys and drive stakes in flush.

Fig. 213. The tennis court

Next measure from stakes A, B, C, D 18 feet along outside lines, and again drive in stakes a, b, c, d. By passing a cord from a to b, and from c to d, the service lines are laid out, omitting alleys. Find centre of service lines, and connect points e and f. The net crosses the centre of court from east to west, extending three feet beyond on each side. At these two points x and y, set the posts in the ground. By this method, the only stakes left in the ground are on the outside lines, and they must be driven in so that under no circumstances will a player stumble over them. They can always be found after a rain storm, and new lines laid out.

The posts for the net should be seven feet long and four inches square. Plane them off smooth, and coat the end which is to be in the ground with creosote or coal tar.

This coating should extend three feet six inches from the bottom, and as the post is to be three feet in the ground, this coating will extend six inches above. Decay takes place at the point of contact with the ground, and the creosote will prolong the life of the posts for many years, if the wood is well seasoned. Many posts for tennis nets are not sunk fully three feet in the ground, and consequently require guy ropes or wires to keep them upright. The time spent in digging the holes and tamping the dirt around posts is well spent, as the pull on them is severe, and they must stand upright.

Six inches from the top, bore a hole ³⁄₄ inch in diameter, east and west. The net must be three feet high at its centre, and three feet six inches at the posts. Pass the rope through these holes, and make fast to a cleat. These cleats may be of iron or wood, a sketch of a wooden cleat being shown at [Fig. 215]. They should be of oak or other hard wood, put on with two strong screws through holes which have been bored and countersunk. On the side of post toward the net, three strong screw eyes should be put about a foot apart, the lower one six inches from the ground. The net is to be fastened to these screw eyes to keep it in position. When everything is ready, paint the posts two coats of dark or bronze green.

The position of the tall poles for the back stop are shown in [Fig. 213]. Fifteen feet is none too far from the court for the stop net, and twenty would be better. Purchase twelve foot four by fours, and plane smooth, or have them dressed at the mill when ordering. This will reduce them to 3³⁄₄ × 3³⁄₄ inches. The method of enclosing the whole court by wire netting is seldom resorted to, unless the space available is very limited. The method here suggested of bringing the ends about at an angle of 45 degrees has been found very satisfactory in stopping swift service. Locate the post holes 12 feet apart, and dig them three feet deep. After treating the lower ends of posts for three and a half feet with creosote or tar, place in the ground, plumb each one while filling in, and tamp the earth about them firmly.

Strips 1 × 3 inches and 12 feet long must be used to join the posts at the top, else the pull necessary to straighten the wire will bring them out of plumb. These strips are to be nailed at the extreme top by eight-penny wire nails. When the structure is finished, except for the wire, paint with two coats of the same colour as the net posts.

The wire netting is chicken wire, inch and a half mesh, and three feet wide. Three of these strips will cover the space from the ground to the top. It is put on with staples nailed to the posts, stretched taut, and the joints where the strips touch wired together at intervals of three feet with soft iron wire.

If arranged as shown in the drawing, it will take six strips sixty feet long by three wide for the back stop, or 1080 square feet, and will cost $9 or $10.

Cheap cotton back stops are sold, but they are not very satisfactory, as they tighten in damp and sag in dry weather. For a permanent court belonging to a club the galvanized wire is well worth the difference in cost.

The size of the mesh is important, because although a tennis ball is 2¹⁄₂ inches in diameter, when driven hard it frequently goes through two-inch mesh.

There are many opportunities about the tennis court for the young woodworker to show his skill. Camp stools, settees, benches either plain or rustic, a chest to keep racquets and balls, fitted with a strong padlock, shelters for the spectators or club members, and even a small club house are among the possibilities.

Permanent structures, such as shelters and heavy benches, should generally be on the west side of the court, as spectators are usually present after the sun has passed the meridian, and it will then be at their back.

Tennis Court Accessories
THE CAMP-STOOL

Use hard wood such as maple, ash, or oak. The stock required for each stool will be four pieces 20¹⁄₂ × 1¹⁄₂ × 1 inches, two pieces 14 × 1¹⁄₈ × 1¹⁄₈ inches, and two pieces 10¹⁄₂ × ⁵⁄₈ × ⁵⁄₈ inches.

Fig. 214. The camp-stool

The four legs are made as shown at a ([Fig. 214]). The small end is to be rounded to a diameter of ⁵⁄₈ inch; 8¹⁄₂ inches from this end a ³⁄₁₆-inch hole is bored for the rivet or bolt, which is to hold the legs together. Seven inches from the lower or foot end a ¹⁄₂-inch hole is bored ³⁄₈ or ³⁄₄ inch deep. This is to receive the cross rod or dowel. The two top pieces 14 × 1¹⁄₈ × 1¹⁄₈ inches are rounded on two of their edges as shown at b. On the flat side of one of these bore two holes ⁵⁄₈ inch diameter and ³⁄₄ inch deep, 9 inches apart, to receive the small end of the leg. On the other top piece, the holes are eleven inches apart.

The two cross pieces may be rounded, or pieces of ⁵⁄₈-inch maple dowel used. In either case, the ends must be pared down to a diameter of ¹⁄₂ inch to fit the holes of this size. One is to be sawed nine inches long, the other eleven.

The camp-stool is composed of two frames pivoted together. Put together the inner frame, first gluing the legs into holes bored in top pieces, and at the same time gluing in the cross piece. These joints may be fastened by driving a brad through from the outside, or by wedges, as described in previous chapters. The outer frame is now put together, and the two pivoted. This is usually done with a rivet, a thin washer having been placed between the two sets of legs to relieve the friction. A small bolt and nut may be used, but as the nut is liable to come off, the bolt end should be riveted over the nut with the hammer.

Canvas or even a piece of carpet may be used for the seat. The size required is 15 by 12, the ends being tacked to the lower side of the top pieces. When canvas is used, it is usually turned under an inch on each side, and hemmed. In this case, its width must be at least fourteen inches. All articles which are to be handled much should have the edges slightly rounded; this rule applies to the camp-stool.