A ball-pickup tube saves a lot of time and effort. You can make a dozen for the cost of a commercial one or a hopper.

Difficulty Level: average      Time Required: 20 minutes

1. Get a 40" or so length of 3'' or 4" i.d. plastic pipe. 3" is ideal, but it's hard to find any that's not the very heavy Schedule 40. 4" is readily available in the less expensive, lighter weight.
2. If you get a 10' length of pipe, you can cut it into three 40" pieces.
3. Hold the pipe so that you're looking straight down at the circle formed by its end.
4. Mark the point at each end of a diameter of that circle.
5. Hold a ruler across the inside of that circle so that the 6" mark aligns with one of the diameter points, and the 5" and 7" marks touch the outside edge of the circle.
6. Mark each end of the 2" chord you just created.
7. Repeat Steps 5-6 on the other diameter point.
8. Put on eye protection.
9. Drill a 1/8" hole centered 5/8" below each of the four chord-end marks.
10. Run a 2' piece of tough string (nylon twine is best) in through any of the holes, then out through the hole opposite it, but not diametrically opposite it.
11. Run the string back in again through the hole nearest the one from which you just emerged, then back out again through the last unused hole.
12. Check to make sure that the string forms two parallel lines, 2" apart, inside the pipe.
13. Tie the string on the outside of the pipe, drawing the inner parallel lines as tight as possible.
14. Test your pickup tube by pressing it onto one tennis ball after another until the tube is full.
15. Cut off the excess string.
    

1. If balls fall out when the tube gets nearly full, tighten the string or replace it with a stiffer string.
   

Related Features:

• How to Make a Serve Trainer
• New Standards for Balls