Fun Backyard Cinema

There are a lot of projects like this online and there are many ways to build one.  I knew I wanted it to be portable, reusable and collapsible in a few minutes. I decided to opt for a left and right frame only, no top frame, no cross bar.  Instead, I anchored each side of the left and right frame to the ground with rope and stakes.  Total labor time was 1 hour.

Disclaimer:  It would take me about one hour to build this again.  Actual time to construct this was two weekends after figuring out what to do. 

Here is how I did it.

It took me a day or so to come up with an easy way to make this.  After 3 or 4 ideas, I came up with this in Photoshop.

  1. (8) old bed frame slats. W 3 3/4" H 3/4" L 26 1/2" (SULTAN LADE
Slatted bed base from Ikea would be perfect for this)
  2. (1) W 28" H 3/4" L 10" board, cut in half
  3. (4) 4" corner braces
  4. (6) 2" narrow utility hinges
  5. (8) #10 x3/4" wood screws
  6. (36) #6 x 3/4" wood screws
  7. (2) #210 screw eyes
  8. (12) 4 1/2" muslin clamps
  9. (6) latch toggle clamps
  10. 6'x9' canvas drop cloth
  11. 15" hardened teeth saw
  12. (4) 10-Inch Steel Tent Stakes
  13. Tent & Canopy Guy Ropes
  14. (4) small sand bags
  15. Drill gun with Philips head
  16. One person to help lift the screen in place

Screw hinges on first.

Screw latch clamps to opposite side.

I built the first base to test part of a frame.  On the second base, I found it was easier to build the frames first.  The last photo in the step shows the frame collapsed.  

Wrap about 1 1/2" of the drop cloth around each frame.  Secure the screen with the muslin clamps while the frames are on the ground.

Secured each frame to ground with guy ropes and the tent stakes.  Attach one screw eye to top of frame.  You could use two stakes on each side if you want more balance.  For the entertainment, I decided to use my Roku to stream Netflix and Amazon movies.  On the next instructable, I will explain my entertainment set.