Build your own balance board for balance training at home

A balance board made from wood lies on a parquet floor. Other exercise equipment and wall bars can be seen in the background — The balance board is one of the most versatile pieces of exercise equipment for working out at home.

Difficulty

easy
Cost

< 42 £
Duration

1-3 h

Introduction

A balance board can be used to train your sense of balance, coordination skills and responsiveness, among other things. You can use it to do a wide range of exercises to train your body stability and body tension at home at any time. We’ll show you how you can build your very own board in just a few simple steps.

You need

Tools

Utilities

scissors
pencil
ear protectors
g-clamps
face mask
nail
drinking glass
piece of string/cord
pocket rule
safety glasses

Materials

Birch plywood board (18 mm thick): 1x 600 x 400 mm, 1x 300 x 300 mm
Grip tape
Oil for sealing
Screws (approx. 60 mm in length)

L: Length, W: Width, H: Height, D: Diameter

Let's go - step by step

Step 1 10

Sketch the rounded corners of the standing platform

A wooden board lies on a work surface. Rounded corners are being drawn onto it with the aid of a drinking glass and pencil — Simply use a drinking glass to draw the rounded corners of your balance board.

You need: drinking glass, pencil, wooden board (600 x 400 mm)

The very first thing you will need to do is get a wooden board (600　x　400　mm). You can get one that has been cut to size at your local DIY store, or you can saw it yourself.

You should round off the corners of the large standing platform to give your balance board a high-quality finish. Simply mark out the curves with the aid of a drinking glass.

Step 2 10

Round off the corners using a saw

The corners of the wooden board are rounded off using a jigsaw — Now round the corners off.

You need: Jigsaws, Jigsaw blade T 308 BOF, g-clamps, work gloves, safety glasses, ear protectors

Round off the four corners using a jigsaw and a fine jigsaw blade. Clamp the board securely and make sure to take sufficient measures to protect yourself.

TIP

Very little physical effort is needed to saw the curves. Only apply light pressure and guide the saw along the line.

Step 3 10

Draw a round shape for the bases of the balance board

The centre is drawn onto a wooden board with the aid of a pocket rule and a pencil — First, determine the centre of your wooden board.

A circle is drawn onto a wooden board using a compass made from a piece of string and a pencil — Trace the round shape of the two bases of the balance board using a compass.

A circle is drawn onto a wooden board. A woman draws out dimensions using a ruler — The circle you have drawn will now become two semi-circular bases.

You need: pocket rule, pencil, circle/rope/string/piece of wood, wooden board (300 x 300 mm)

Now you will need a second wooden board, from which you will saw both of the rounded bases for your balance board.

The bases are two semicircles. Take a rough measurement of the centre of the wooden board and draw a circle with a diameter of 300　mm using a compass to mark out its size.

Measure 80　mm above and below the edge of the circle and transfer these measurements.

You can find the measurements and lines in the diagram .

Step 4 10

Saw the bases of the balance board

A wooden board is clamped securely to a work surface. A circle is sawn out from it using a jigsaw — Saw out the circle.

A wooden board is clamped securely to a work surface. The halves of a circle are sawn out from a wooden board using a jigsaw — Saw out the two semicircles from the wooden board one after the other.

You need: Jigsaws, Jigsaw blade T 308 BOF, g-clamps, work gloves, safety glasses, ear protectors

Now saw out the two semicircles from the wooden board using a jigsaw. Begin at one corner of the board and guide it along the line of the circle to do so. Saw only half of the circle first before sawing along the straight edge. Repeat the same process on the other side.

Make sure to also clamp the board using G-clamps and bear safety measures in mind.

Step 5 10

Sanding

A rounded corner of a wooden board is sanded using a sander — The sawn-out corners of the standing platform are then sanded.

A semi-circular-shaped piece of wood is clamped securely to a work surface. The rounded side of the wood is being sanded using a sander — You will also need to sand the two semi-circular bases of the board.

You need: Multi-sander, Sanding sheet for multi-sander G120, g-clamps, face mask, ear protectors, work gloves, safety glasses

All of the boards that have been sawn out　– the standing platform and the two semi-circular bases　– now have to be well-sanded all over.

Step 6 10

Mark the holes for the screws

Measurements are transferred to a wooden board using a pencil and pocket rule — You will need to transfer a few measurements to the board to guarantee that the bases are put in the correct positions.

You need: pocket rule, pencil, sketch

In the next step, both bases are placed in the correct positions on the standing platform.

You will now have to transfer different measurements and mark them to find the correct position for the bases and the appropriate holes for the screws. You will be able to find the exact measurements in the diagram .

There should be six holes for screws on the top side of your board at the end of this step.

Step 7 10

Position the bases

A semi-circular piece of wood is affixed to a wooden board using a G-clamp — The bases are positioned on the underside of the board.

You need: pocket rule, pencil, g-clamps

As the bases will of course be screwed to the underside of the board, you will now have to transfer your markings to the other side of the board.

Then, position the first base with the correct distance to the edge and secure it using a G-clamp.

Step 8 10

Drill the holes

A small hole is drilled into the wooden board — Pre-drill the holes for the screws.

Drill holes are countersunk into a wooden board — Then, countersink the holes.

You need: Cordless Drill, 5 piece-wooddrill-bit-set, Countersink, g-clamps, safety glasses, ear protectors, work gloves

Now turn over the standing platform together with the securely clamped base. Place the board on your work surface so that the base on one side hangs over it and the board lies flat. Make sure it is clamped securely.

Drill the holes for the screws on the marked positions.

Then, countersink the pre-drilled holes using a countersink cutter.

Step 9 10

Screw the bases to the platform

A screw is screwed into a wooden board using a cordless screwdriver — Now you can screw the bases to the balance board.

You need: Cordless Drill, g-clamps, 60 mm screws, optional: wood oil

Have you managed to drill all the holes? Then it’s time to screw the base to the platform using 60　mm screws.

When the first base has been screwed securely, you can repeat steps 7, 8 and 9 for the second base.

If you like, you can also varnish your new piece of training equipment.

Step 10 10

Affix the grip tape

A black strip of grip tape is placed on a wooden board — Grip tape will give you a more secure grip on your balance board during your workout.

You need: scissors, grip tape

If you would like a better grip on your board, we recommend that you attach a strip of self-adhesive grip tape 25　mm from the edge of the board. You can get this tape in strips from your local DIY store.

You have now completed the DIY part of your mission to do more exercise. Now you have no reason not to work out. We hope you have a lot of fun practicing your balance exercises and working up a sweat!