DIY Hockey Scoreboard

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Hockey scoreboard diy
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Free plans to make your own home scoreboard!  This DIY scoreboard features a sliding scoring system, so no remotes, screen timeout or setup time to get playing - it always works!  The sliding system also has a series row, so you can keep track of the series standings too!  Add an inexpensive kitchen timer to give this scoreboard a professional feel.

Customize to make this scoreboard a beautiful decor element - perfect for sport courts, mancaves, garages, or playrooms!

This is a free step by step project plan - we'll show you everything you need and how to build it.  From Ana-White.com

Why I Built this Project

My kids love knee hockey.  They get their mini sticks out and disappear for hours.  Friends come over and they have tournaments and shootouts and series.

We tried using an iPad app as a scoreboard, but this takes set up time, batteries must be charged, and the screen lock has to be turned off so the screen doesn't keep timing out on them.  Such a pain.

We tried an electronic scoreboard, but the problem was it had a tiny remote that always got lost, and took setup time and use.  So the kids just wouldn't bother using it.  

The kids needed a scoreboard so simple to use, that it was worth using.  And if it looked like a big time scoreboard, they'd want to use it.  

With some scrap wood pieces, black spray paint and a kitchen timer, we made them this!

hockey scoreboard DIY

 

 

How I Built this Project

Here's how I built this project -

Build hockey scoreboard

I cut 1x2 boards in 24" and 14-1/2" long and made a frame.  I used glue and 1-1/4" brad nails.

Hockey scoreboard diy

I cut a 1/4" plywood piece for the back and glued and nailed it on.

Hockey scoreboard

I spray painted the frame, back, wood wheels and rods with black spray paint.

The wood wheels I cut from a 1-1/4" wood dowel and drilled the centers out.  You can also purchase wood wheels and use them instead.  I painted all but two wheels black.  The center wheels I painted red.

The metal rods I found at my hardware store.  You could potentially use wood dowels, but the metal was more appealing to me since I wanted this scoreboard to take some use (and abuse).  I painted the rods black too.

Okay, now for the vinyl lettering - this is what makes this scoreboard!  And the good news is you can customize for however you like!

I have a Cricut Joy and I used it with white permanent vinyl to cut the lettering out for the header.  

DIY hockey scoreboard

For the Home and Guest score boxes, I simply made a white vinyl block 5-1/2" x 9" and then cut out the "home" and "guest" lettering, so I didn't have to paint the white boxes on the black frame.

Then we drilled out for the rods, hot glued them in place (with the wood wheels on of course), and mounted the kitchen timer to the center.  

DIY hockey scoreboard

So how this works is the top bar is the "game" scoring.  When a team scores, simply slide a wood wheel over to that teams white box.  When the time clock runs out, whichever team has more wood wheels is the winner.  Alternatively, you can play the first to seven, with the red wood wheel being the seventh score.

The lower row of scoring is for a series.  When a team wins a game, they then get a series point on the lower abacus.  I put seven wood wheels on our series scoring, the first to win four games wins the series.

Our goal with this scoreboard is for it to look like a real scoreboard and add an arena feel to the room, for it to work simply and without much setup, and even without power or batteries, so there are no barriers to using it.  

The kids are loving it, and it's a fun decor element to their playroom!

Watch!  Build Video for This Project

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Free Plans to Build Your Own Personalized Home Scoreboard

The only way to get this home scoreboard is to make it!  Here's the free plans with links to the materials I used.  Thank you for using my plans, I'm glad we can help!

Dimensions
hockey scoreboard diy plans
24" x 16" x 2" deep

Preparation

Shopping List
  • 1 - 1x2 @ 8 feet long
  • 1 - 1/4" plywood panel 24" x 16"
  • 2 - 24" metal rods, 1/4" diameter
  • 20 - 1-1/4" wood wheels or cut your own with a wood dowel and drill out center with 5/16" bit
  • Kitchen timer (I used this one) approximate outside dimensions 8" x 4"
  • White permanent vinyl for decals and scoring boxes (I used a Cricut Joy)
  • 1-1/4" and 3/4" brad nails
  • wood glue
  • black spray paint
  • wood screws for hanging
Cut List

Frame

  • 2 - 1x2 @ 24"
  • 2 - 1x2 @ 14-1/2"
  • 1 - 1/4" plywood @ 24" x 16"

Vinyl Pieces

  • 5-1/2" x 9" white blocks for home and guest scoring boxes
  • 4" x 21-1/2" header size

Scoring Abacus Pieces

  • 2 - 24" metal rods
  • 20" wood wheels, maximum diameter 1-1/2", 
Tools
Tape Measure
Pencil
Drill
Circular Saw
Brad Nailer
Power Sander
General Instructions

 

 

 

 

Instructions

Step 1

Build the frame with brad nails and wood glue.

Step 2

Attach the back to the frame with 3/4" brad nails and wood glue.

Spray paint the frame, wood wheels (reserve 2 to paint red), and metal rods black.  For the two remaining wood wheels, I actually colored with a red sharpie.

Step 3

Create the vinyl pieces and transfer to the wood frame.

Step 4

Install the metal rods with the wood beads on them by drilling through the sides, leaving enough clearance for the wood pieces to slide easily on the metal rod.  Use hot glue to hold the metal rods in place.

Step 5

Hang the frame on the wall with a wood screw through the back to a stud in the wall.  Alternatively you can use a French cleat hanger, just make sure the piece is hung well on the wall and won't move with use.

Use a screw to install the timer clock in the empty space.