Scavenger Chic

DIY Croquet Stand from Reclaimed Wood

• By Joan
• February 8, 2023
• 2 Comments

DIY Croquet Stand from Reclaimed Wood

For a Christmas gift this year, I found this beautiful, practically brand new, croquet set at a local thrift store.  It seemed to have all the pieces and had only one slight grass stain on one of the mallets.  New croquet sets run about $50 and up.  At $15, this set was a bargain.

The croquet set came with this handy dandy carrying case.  The ends of the mallets screw off so that everything fits into the bag.  If you leave the heads attached, they absolutely would not fit.

I may be old, but in my day all the croquet sets came with a stand.

.I already knew I wanted to make a croquet stand.  Seriously, that’s a pretty simple design and I have tons of scrap wood.

So how much do croquet stands actually cost? This one from L. L. Bean sells for $199.

This croquet stand at Amish Toy Box is slightly more reasonable at $69.50, though my preferred price point is closer to FREE.

Gather your supplies.   I’m using 4 pieces of pallet wood 3 1/2″ wide by 23″ long,  2 pieces of the wider pallet wood,  5 3/4″ wide by 23″ long and 2 additional pieces for the sides, 5 3/4″ by 32″ in height.

You’ll also need a belt (at least 34″ in length) , screws and an additional piece of scrap wood which I’ll get to soon.

Cut all your pallet wood pieces and sand well, especially those splintery edges.

Measure and mark where you would like your mallets placed.

My markings are about 2″ from the ends and 3″ between the next 2 mallets with a larger space in the middle.

I used a 1 1/4″ spade drill bit to drill the holes for the sticks.

For the wickets I used a 12″ piece of an old belt cut and rounded at the ends.  The belt was a flea market find from last summer, it cost me $1.  So much for my free cart. 😆 

Screw the belt as shown to the center of one of the 3 1/2″ pieces of pallet wood.

For the bottom part of the croquet stand, nail or screw two of the  3 1/2 wide x 23″ long pieces of pallet wood to one of the 5 3/4″ x 23″ pieces to create a trough for the balls.  The sides of the box should be on top of that bottom piece so that the total width does not exceed the 5 3/4″ side pieces you cut.

Repeat for the top box, this time using the piece of pallet wood with the belt wicket holder attached.

Nail or screw the 5 3/4″ x 32″ side pieces  to the 2 boxes you just created.

I used my pneumatic nail gun with 2″ nails, it makes assembly so quick.

Sand all the edges well to get them free from splinters.

It’s coming together but I’m  still missing  a place to put the end stakes and the whole thing is a little wobbly.

Create a pattern  for side supports to stabilize your brand new  croquet stand.

You only have to draw the pattern on half of a folded piece of paper.  When you fold it and cut it out it will be exactly the same on each side, just like a heart you made when you were a kid.  Total width of your paper should be about 9″.

The pattern you’re creating should be about 2″ wider on both sides than the side of the croquet stand for stability.

The bottom cutout is just for decoration.  The top indent will be where the point of the croquet stake will sit.

Transfer your pattern onto scrap wood and cut out.  I used a tabletop scroll saw but a band saw or jigsaw should do the job as well. Repeat.  My scrap wood is 1 inch thick, about 4 1/2″ x 9 1/2″.

Again, sand well.

I painted my  newly cut out bottom pieces black before attaching with more nails.

On both sides of the croquet stand add another  piece of belt about 5″ long to hold the top of the stakes in place.

Almost finished, I added two more, 6″  pieces of belt to the top of the stand on both sides to help with carrying.

If you enjoy family game time, you might also like this game of yard yahtzee, of course it’s also made from reclaimed wood.

As always, stay inspired.

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