Alright folks, today was one of those fix-it-or-toss-it days. Woke up early, brewed some seriously strong coffee – needed it. Remembered that old volleyball engineer board leaning against the shed. You know the one I mean. Been meaning to tackle it since last season, weather finally decent enough. Looked rough.

The State of Things

Dragged it out into the driveway. Sun hitting it showed all the sins. Timber support beam underneath? Cracked clean through near the middle joint. Saw it last fall when packing up, figured I’d get to it “later.” Later was today. Plus, the surface plywood was warping bad near one corner. Felt soft when I poked it with the old pocket knife. Knew it needed more than just glue.

Stuff I grabbed from the chaos pile:

• That leftover pressure-treated 4×4 from the fence job last year. Short, but maybe just right. Got lucky.
• Half a sheet of exterior plywood, looked okay, not perfect. Better than buying new.
• My dusty circular saw – needs a new blade, honestly.
• Impact driver, some random screws (deck screws, mostly, whatever was in the jar).
• Wood glue – the cheap kind. Hope it holds.
• Tape measure that sticks sometimes. Level with a dinged corner.
• C-clamps. The big blue one seized a bit, needed a kick.

Getting Down To Business

First thing: Flipped the whole board structure upside down on sawhorses. Almost dropped it on my foot – stupid. That cracked beam was hanging loose now. Yanked it out. Trash pile. Measured the gap where it sat. Cut my replacement 4×4 chunk on the driveway using a scrap piece of wood as a straight edge. Saw screamed like it always does. Cut was a bit ragged, good enough.

Spread a thick goo of wood glue along the top edge of the new beam piece. Thick layer. Slid it back into place underneath the frame. Had to hammer it slightly to seat it fully. Messy.

Clamped it up tight with the big blue clamp and two smaller ones. Wiped off the squeezed-out glue with an old rag – totally ruined the rag now. Let it sit like that in the sun while I tackled the surface plywood.

Surface Tension

Went at the bad corner. Pried the old plywood piece off. Came up easier than expected – rotted underneath. Ugh. Scraped off the old glue chunks and splinters underneath the frame with my chisel. Cut a matching piece from my spare plywood. More screaming circular saw. Fit was tight, had to sand the edge down a bit with coarse sandpaper.

Again, slapped on the cheap wood glue onto the frame underneath the gap. Dropped the new plywood patch in place. Jumped up and down on it a little. Yep, solid. Countersunk a bunch of screws all the way around the patch, driven deep with the impact driver. Made sure they sank below the surface level. Didn’t care if it looked pretty, just needed it flat and stuck.

The Moment of Truth

Unclamped the support beam underneath. Glue felt dry. Ran a few long wood screws down through the original frame into the ends of my new beam piece. Good grip. Felt way stiffer.

Turned the whole thing right-side up. Slapped the center. Slapped the patched corner. No bounce, no flex. Solid thud. Better than the original, I think. Touched up the raw plywood edge and screw heads with some leftover deck stain I found. Mostly just to keep water out. Looks patchy? You bet. Works? Feels like it should.

Dragged it back near the net post. Least it won’t collapse now if someone leans on it setting up the antenna. Job done. Didn’t cost me a dime. Used up scrap wood I was hoarding. Feels good. Smells like glue and dust. Time for a cold drink.