Newsgroups: rec.sport.volleyball
Date: Sun, 13 Sep 1992 14:37:55 -0400 
From: "Mark J. Marsalese" <mmbx+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: grass net construction

>    Sorry, guys, but PVC was definitley(sp?) not intended for use as support
>    poles, even if it's lightweight, fairly durable, and easy to work
with. >            

>    It's original use was for plumbing/water piping systems ONLY.
>
>     That's why it doesn't stand up too good to side-tension, such as a net 
>    pulling on one side and guy lines pulling on the other. The pipe will
>    eventually bend or snap unless you have reinforcement along the
side of the
>    pipe. Exposure to sun also makes the bending/sagging happen even faster.
>    
>    Now where is that lightweight-galvanized-super-duper-under-25-clams
net >  >    pole
>     I saw in the National Enquirer?!? ;) ;)
>
>    Good Luck on the construction,
>    Get Vertical!
>    Scott


I must disagree w/ Scott here because I have constructed a net with PVC tubing
and a store bought net and mine seem to hold up quite well, and it only cost me
$10 for the poles (<about>) Even after a few games the center still stays 
extremely close to 7'11 5/8" (<I've never seen it under this height, then again
I've never tried to perfectly measure it.>)  Where are you fastening the
support
ropes? The tension on my net hardly ever slackens (<noticably>) unless
it is set
up wrong.Also my poles use 1 1/2" PVC piping(sp?) which is divided into two 
sections. One of the sections has a rounded 1"x1" piece of wood inserted into
it. The second and top piece fits upon it, not loosely, but not tightly. Like 
this:

     ---------------------________   -----------------------
     _____________________--------   _______________________

        
The support lines are fastened above the fastening for the net, like this:


                      

          |@|                                |@|
         /| |_____________                  /| |\
        / | |                              / | | \
   line/  |p|                             /  |p|  \
      /   |o|   N                        /   |o|   \
     /    |l|     E                 line/    |l|    \line
    /     |e|       T                  /     |e|     \
   /      | |                         /      | |      \
  /       | |-------------           /       | |       \
 /        | |                       /        | |        \
/         | |                      /         | |         \
         ~~~~~                   ~~~~        ~~~~       ~~~~

The line extends to a simple tent peg. The tension is begotten from the tension
you place on the pole to get enough slack to insert the tent peg into
the ground

The only problems I have is that the poles are indeed bending as our friend 
Scott says, but despite that the net keeps its tension, but this is only one
summer, perhaps next things will change...


For clarifications and/or changes you 
may or may not be able to reach me at:
                                         E-mail address
                                        
                                         mmbx@andrew.cmu.edu



           Life is a joke.                          ~/mark

Newsgroups: rec.sport.volleyball