Build a Woodsball Fort
Woodsball is what many imagine when they think of paintball: the military-style combat game that takes place in wooded lots and rolling fields. A few acres in the back of anyone's property can be turned into a small woodsball field, and one of the most useful improvements that can be built is the woodsball fort.
Instructions
1. Survey the ground and make a mental list of places where you might build the fort. There are two considerations that will automatically rule out any site. First, if a nearby hill or knoll dominates the site, it means opponents can shoot down into the fort. These sites cannot be used. Second, the ground should be reasonably level.
2. Factor in two secondary considerations to narrow down the list. First, does the ground around the site offer a clear field of fire? Second, are there some conveniently placed trees to use in place of posts? Having these two things will minimize the amount of work you need to do, but are not as critical as the factors from Step 1. Choose your site from what should now be a very short list.
3. Sketch a plan for your fort, measuring the distances with the tape measure. Having even a crude plan will make building the fort much easier, especially since many woodsball forts are cheaply built from scrap materials. This plan should include either a doorway or a blind entryway to the fort to prevent opponents from shooting directly into the fort.
4. Set posts around the perimeter of the fort as planned. These can be either metal posts, wooden posts or both depending on what is available. Use the shovel and post-hole digger to dig a neat, cylindrical hole roughly 2 feet deep. Place the post in the hole, check it with the level, and fill the hole back in. Tamp the dirt with the tamping rod to form a solid, compacted earth bed for the post.
5. Fasten the scrap timber around the perimeter to form the walls. This can be done by driving nails into the wooden posts or the trees that have been incorporated into the fort, or by drilling holes and using bolts, nuts, and a wrench in the case of metal posts. Given that the fort will take a lot of punishment, put a nail or bolt into these walls for every foot of height.
6. Use the saw to cut crenellations along the tops of the walls and openings for shooting into the sides as desired.
7. Use the machete or weed whacker to clear away any undesired brush that obscures the fort's field of fire.
Tags: into fort, around perimeter, Build Woodsball, Build Woodsball Fort, field fire
