Basement Bowling - Full 10 Frame Game

[BasementBowling]

@123flynnbot: They are 7 1/2 inches tall.  Regulation tenpin=15 inches.

[Bungholio24va]

where do you buy the wood and what kind is it

[BasementBowling]

@Bungholio24va: Got the wood from local big box stores (Lowes, Home Depot, etc.)

You can use standard kiln dried wood, unless you are building it in a damp area then I would put down a vapor barrier and use treated lumber for your bedding.

[TheBrunswickBowler]

Can you please upload some more videos? You should upload a 7-10 split conversion. Or even a bunch of different split conversions.

[BasementBowling]

@TheBrunswickBowler : Sure, as soon as I make the 7-10. :) I need to do some more vids.

[TheMotorman116]

That is f cking awesome! I wish I had a larger basement! 

[BasementBowling]

@TheMotorman116: Thanks. Just scale it down until it fits!

[TaikoChirai]

Your game should be 174

[BasementBowling]

@TaikoChirai: You made me check to make sure, but 164 is indeed correct. Thanks.

[Zoomer30]

So you new pinsetter dosent have arms? ;)

Always been a dream of mine to have a bowling lane in my house. Guess some company in FL will put 2 complete lanes, pinspotters scoring the works for around $80k. NOT counting the room needed for the lanes (at least 100ft long).

[BasementBowling]

@Zoomer30: Yes, I've seen that. I think it's $88,000 plus delivery. If I had $100k lying around and a 100ft long basement I would do it! My dream was to have a full-sized lane, only had enough room for what I built though, and we love it.

[LittleNinja39]

Always in the pocket it leaves a ten pin

[BasementBowling]

@LittleNinja39: Just like my regulation-size bowling game is at the alley! :)

[Hondarawpower13]

Are those Candlepin bowling balls?

[BasementBowling]

@Hondarawpower13: Yes they are.

[sethb9]

where do you get the duckpins? I have been looking on the amazon ebay and more

for about a week now.

[BasementBowling]

@sethb9: Those aren't duckpins. They are half-scale tenpins.

[wiiman0001]

This is really cool, you did a great job. It looks awesome!

[BasementBowling]

@wiiman0001: Thank you very much!

[shing5145]

do u use a real bowling ball? (9-15 pounds)

[BasementBowling]

@shing5145: Not on the half-scale lane. Those are candlepin balls weighing around 2lb. 4oz. In 'real life' I roll a 16 pounder at the lanes.

[ibetrollin100]

youve got skill :3

[TheNewBorn230]

LOL to bad this doesn't come with a kid to reset everything...this would be a pain to play alone.

[BasementBowling]

@TheNewBorn230: While the game itself is a lot of fun, setting the pins is actually fun too. But your right in that it would take a lot longer to bowl a game by yourself. When there are 2 of us, usually one of us bowls 2 frames while the other one sets pins, then we switch and the one who was setting pins bowls 2 frames.

[Lufty25]

Are those five pin or or candlepin bowling balls?

[BasementBowling]

@Lufty25: They are candlepin balls.

[tdog13045]

i would love one of those

[BasementBowling]

@tdog13045: Thanks. We love it too.

[davidlee110]

dude, if you get a spare in the 10 flame.

you get a extra shot.

[KidODeath500]

how much would something like this cost to set up and how much space do u need?

[BasementBowling]

@KidODeath500: I would recommend about 28 feet of length if you have it. At least 4 feet for your approach and a few feet for the pinsetter. If you don't have that much space you can shorten it a bit and make it work. Cost can vary greatly. You can do something like this on the cheap and still have a lot of fun on it. I chose to go with nicer, quality materials because I wanted something that would last. We've been bowling on it for nearly 3 years and it honestly looks good as new.

[Thecuponkkid11]

frame 3 just murdered me perfect pocket hit perfect shot but it refused to go down

[phlegmilyb]

so you just have a person who stands behind the pinsetter and sends the ball back? lol 

[BasementBowling]

@phlegmilyb: Yes. Actually, almost everyone who works the pit likes it about as much as they do actually bowling. It's a cool feeling being back behind where the action is. The bowler doesn't really see what's going on, they just make their shot and see the ball come back and the pins get set. But the person behind the scenes sees it all. My middle daughter loves setting the pins and chooses it over actually bowling.

[ididurmomification]

do u use oil?

[BasementBowling]

@ididurmomification: We don't. If you want a more 'oiled' feel you can just dust it with a little furniture polish.

[Thecuponkkid11]

@BasementBowling yea i used furniture polish on my lane and it works great... its been on for like 6 months and still hasnt worn off

[Thecuponkkid11]

@BasementBowling i used pleadge on mine

[MurderousPandas]

@ididurmomification How do you hook the ball? I know that the ball slides on oil then tracks, but since you don't use oil how do you hook it? I tried hooking off oil before and the ball takes off without getting any length.

[bunzpaul1]

you need a pin sweeper

[ALV524]

Is your basment bowling finished?

[BasementBowling]

@ALV524: Never! :-) I'm always looking for ways to make it better.  But in the meantime, we're still having a blast using it.

[VHrocker5150]

what is the lane made out of? the other one i saw was made of laminate flooring

[BasementBowling]

@VHrocker5150: The lane surface itself is a maple laminate. What really makes it nice is that the bedding (underneath the lane) is built just like a standard lane bed so it's nice and solid.

[brian1969a]

I built a lane last winter and got some candlepin balls for it (same pins, though). They didn't hook very much, so I soaked them in some acetone overnight, and now they do the skid, roll, hook thing just like a real bowling ball. Plus, they hit like a truck. =)

[TheOnehandedwonder]

one of the best lanes i've seen

[BasementBowling]

@TheOnehandedwonder:  I appreciate that!

[SpeedStackerFan90]

Nice are you guys working on a automatic pinsetter and ball return?

[supermonkeyballboy]

Can you make a video showing how the pisetter works?

You have a great alley, by the way!!

[BasementBowling]

@supermonkeyballboy: I have to stop redesigning it first! :)

[BowlingMania14]

How did you get the spots on the pindeck aligned, or did you find it somewhere? I am currently trying to align a set of pins on a lane I have, but it doesn't work. And, how expensive was one set of pins? (I love the pins)

[BasementBowling]

@BowlingMania14 - I have a system I designed to align the spots. The are all 6" apart form each other. Use a 60 degree triangle (NOT a 45 degree one) and a good long ruler and it should help you. The head pin should be 18 inches from the corner 7 and 10 pins, at a 60 degree angle. So basically the outside pinspots are along an 18" 60 degree triangle. The pins are around $80-$85 shipped.

[BowlingMania14]

@BasementBowling Thank you for the help, and wow, I would say the pins are kinda pricey, too. Great job on the lane, it looks beautiful.

[BowlingMania14]

How did you get the spots on the pindeck aligned, or did you find it somewhere? I am trying to align my pins up, but it just never works. And how expensive was one set of pins? (I love the pins)

[supermonkeyballboy]

What's your highest score on your lane? On mine it's 177.

[BasementBowling]

@supermonkeyballboy: So far, 168. Half-scale bowling is a lot tougher than regulation bowling.

[supermonkeyballboy]

What was your highest scoring game? On my mini bowling alley, I've gotten a 177 in 10-pin and 121 in Candlepin.

[JC8230]

Looks great! I just added 5' to mine so mine is about 20' long now too. The ball rolls better now. I still need to paint mine so it looks as good as yours!

[BasementBowling]

@JC8230: Sweet! Did you get your HPL on yet?

[JC8230]

@BasementBowling Not yet. Its on the backburner for now. Probably this summer.

[milkme21]

your stuff is so awesome,cool vid

[BasementBowling]

@milkme21:  Thanks!

[Wolfman12395]

How long is the lane? I seriously would love to build something like this. Great video! :D

[BasementBowling]

@Wolfman12395: Thanks! The lane surface itself is about 20 feet long. I had just under 28 feet to work with. I also have a 4 foot approach and the pit and pinsetter area.