|

How to Make a Vintage Tennis Racket Table

For this month’s Power Tool Challenge Team project, our theme is repurposed. I am excited to share how I used vintage tennis rackets to make a tennis racket table.

Vintage Tennis Racket Table - Learn how to make a table base with six vintage tennis rackets. virginiasweetpea.com

I started collecting wooden tennis rackets years ago thinking that I’d use them at the lake as wall decor. 

I still may execute that idea but loved repurposing these rackets into a table base.

Vintage Tennis Racket Table - Learn how to make a table base with six vintage tennis rackets. virginiasweetpea.com

The summer 2016 of Flea Market Style was the inspiration for this project.  My table is built similarly to the one in the magazine but with a few differences.

How to Make a Vintage Tennis Racket Table

How to Make a Vintage Tennis Racket Table

My husband and I had fun making this table and it is now being used in our lake house.

It’s always a conversation starter when guests see it in our home.

Materials  

6 Wooden Tennis Rackets

30” Glass Table Top

Drill and Bits

Awl

Hammer

Ruler

Scrap Lumber (To Make a Jig and Braces)

1 1/4” Deck Screws

Zip Ties

Epoxy

Dowel Scraps

Procedure

Step One  Measure 12 1/2” from each racket handle base and mark a spot for a hole to be drilled with an awl and hammer.

How to Make a Tennis Racket Table

Step Two  Pair the six rackets.  For each pair, drill a hole in one racket and countersink another hole in the other.

How to Make a Tennis Racket Table

Step Three  Screw pairs together using a deck screw.  The rackets will scissor at this point making the height of the tabletop adjustable.

How to Make a Tennis Racket Table

Step Four  Decide on a desired table height; I chose 19 1/2”. 

To set each racket pair to be 19 1/2” tall, build a jig by screwing or clamping two scrap pieces of lumber to a work area 19 1/2” apart in the center. 

Place racket pairs into the jig and adjust so that the heads and handles of the pair will be 19 1/2” tall.

How to Make a Tennis Racket Table

Step 5  Add another screw beside the first one.

How to Make a Tennis Racket Table

Step 6  Group the three pairs of rackets to form the table base. 

Use zip ties to hold the racket heads together.

How to Make a Tennis Racket Table

Step 7  Mix epoxy and apply to each racket head junction.

How to Make a Tennis Racket Table

Step 8  After the epoxy is dry, remove zip tie and epoxy a dowel scrap to each racket head junction for further support.

How to Make a Tennis Racket Table

Step 9 Cut a wedge shaped scrap of wood and epoxy into place under the handle below the screw where it will be hidden from view.

How to Make a Tennis Racket Table

Step 10  To make extra sure that the table would be secure, the racket handles were screwed together.

How to Make a Tennis Racket Table

Step 11 Carefully place the glass top on top of the racket base and enjoy your new table.

Completed Tennis Racket Table

After completing our table, I set it up on our patio to see how it looked and I styled it with a few vintage things.

The arrows were my dad’s and I even have their original quiver.  

Vintage Tennis Racket Table - Learn how to make a table base with six vintage tennis rackets. virginiasweetpea.com

Have you ever seen tennis balls that come in a glass instead of a can?  Spalding must have done that as a promotion at some point in the past.

Vintage Spalding Tennis Ball Glass

This was such a fun project and it was a great way to use tennis rackets that I saved.

One of the rackets used to make this table belonged to my friend’s late father which makes this table extra special.

Don’t miss the tennis racket basket that we made to coordinate with the table.

Basket made using two vintage tennis rackets
Table made using six vintage wooden tennis rackets

More Repurposed and Upcycled Project to Enjoy

Now it’s time to see what the other ladies created for this month’s upcycle challenge.  I am really looking forward to reading these posts!  Click the links below to visit each project.

Power Tool Challenge Team Upcycled and Repurposed Projects

1 Hanging Picket Pendant Light by Designed Decor

2 Garden Bench by Create and Babble

3 Bed Spindle Pedestal Bowl by H2OBungalow

4 Industrial Cart Coffee Table by Refresh Restyle

5 Mid Century Headboard Bench by My Repurpose Life

6 Framed Wall Spool Rack Upcycle by Kim Six

7 Vintage Tennis Racket Table by Virginia Sweet Pea

8 Recycled Wood Plant Stands by Designs Bt Studio C

9 Rustic Coffee Mug Holder by Interior Frugalista

10 Repurposed Cabinet Door String Art by Domestically Speaking

42 Comments

  1. This table is too creative and out of this world awesome! When my husband saw the pic, he kept saying how’d she conect the rackets? I have no doubt that this table will the talk of the get together when you have friends over!

  2. This is SO COOL! Even though I just read how you did this…how in the world did you do this? Haha! It’s such an awesome idea and just boggles the mind to look at. I love it!

  3. wow Paula!

    What a clever and creative use of vintage tennis rackets. Super tutorial and tips–love the zip tie clamps! LOL

    The table is so pretty and very unique. Pinned!

    gail

  4. Paula, I love all the projects shared in this month’s challenge but when I saw your table, it is my favorite, hands down! LOVE LOVE LOVE this conversation piece and I bet it looks fabulous at your cottage. Clapping hands over here – you rocked it!

  5. Just stunning! Makes me wish we had tennis players in our family who would really appreciate this! If I had a game room, I would be on the hunt for old tennis rackets today! I would be honored if you would stop by and share this at Celebrate Your Story! link party! Here is the link: http://celebrateanddecorate.com/celebrate-story-24/ I have pinned this one to my Crafty Furniture board, I hope it inspires lots of others to take on this or a similar project!

  6. Paula, you’ve outdone yourself on this project! This is brilliant!! As always, you give such good instructions for making one of these. We’re not tennis players, but I still just love this table. Awesome!

    Thanks so much for joining the Grace at Home party. I’m featuring you this week!

  7. I’ve never seen anything like this- so creative! I love how it turned out! Thanks for linking up to the Handmade Hangout! I’ll be featuring you on my blog (www.occasionallycrafty.com) when the new linky goes live today at 6pm ET. I hope you’ll stop by and link up again!

  8. How incredibly cool is this table! What a brilliant idea! I love how your mind works! Well done! I hope you have a great day!
    Smiles!
    Terry

  9. Pingback: Inspire Me Monday #111 - Sweet C's Designs
    1. Thank you! We play tennis, so this table is perfect for our home. When we have visitors, they almost always comment on this table.

  10. Pingback: 15 Useful Upcycling Projects That Will Inspire you. - DIY CHICKS
  11. Paula. I just found this on Pinterest😱. I have about 6 of my dads old racquets who played til he was 86. I’ve been looking for ideas for how to display them. An this would be amazing at our home in a Maine that we just inherited. I’m thinking in the sunroom👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.