Kyserike Kraftsman

I’ve been asked by a few viewers to provide some more details of my backyard horseshoe pit design so tonight I took some time to enhance the sketchup model some and provide a couple of shots which include dimensions.

The first step in building the pits is to create the base. This is made from pressure treated 2″x6″ lumber as shown in the following diagram. I used 3″ exterior decking screws to secure the individual base pieces. (Click on the diagrams for a larger image).

Horseshoe Base Structure

Next the long side decking is added. Three 7 foot sections of 5/4″ decking are used for each side. Adjust the gaps between the boards so the three boards space the area that will become the throwing walkway. For the inside boards on each side I left a ridge on the support base (about 3/4″) showing so that it could be used to support the screens over the pit area.

Horseshoe Pit Long Decking

Next the shorter decking pieces are added to the front and back of the base structure again leaving a small area of the base structure that outlines the pit area exposed to support the screens. I used normal exterior decking screws to secure all decking.

Horseshoe Pit Short Decking

The backboard is a standalone piece that is comprised of 4″x4″ pressure treated posts and 5/4″ decking. The beverage holder is created using 2″x4″ pressure treated lumber. I created the complete backboard assembly, then drove the 4×4 posts into the ground behind the platform. Rather than using cement to secure the posts in the ground I decided to bolt the 4×4 posts to the base structure using 4″ lag bolts. I had to remove two of the short back pieces of decking temporarily in order to drive the lag bolts from the inside of the base structure.

Front view of the backboard

Rear view of the backboard

After the horseshoe pit assemblies where set in the ground and leveled I buried a 5 gallon bucket in the pit area to support the cemented spikes. I then covered the inside of the base structure with landscaping fabric before adding the sand to prevent weed growth.

So far after over a year the pits have held up well (except for the corner of one of them that my wife took out with the lawn tractor). If you have any comments or questions on the design feel free to leave a reply.