Alright folks, so my kid’s school volleyball net frame, the base part made from this thick plywood? Yeah, it totally cracked during practice last week. Big split right near where the pole screws in. Pure bad luck. Figured it was trash, honestly, but then I remembered this giant chunk of timber I’d been tripping over in the garage for months. Ding! Lightbulb moment.

Grabbing Stuff and Making a Mess

First thing was hauling that heavy timber board inside. Damn thing was dusty and rough. Laid it down on my workbench – really just an old door on sawhorses – alongside the busted plywood base. Pulled out the power drill and unscrewed the pole mount from the old plywood. Had to wrestle with one stripped screw, naturally. Got angry for a minute, then finally won with a pair of vice grips. Gave the mounting plate a wipe down.

Next step? Trying to figure how to slap the two together. Plonked the plywood base piece onto the timber. The timber was wider, so it stuck out on all sides. That was actually kinda good – more strength, right? Took a pencil and just traced a rough outline of the plywood base onto the timber underneath it. Quick and dirty.

Slapping on Glue and Squeezing Tight

Reached for the bottle of heavy-duty wood glue I keep around. Squeezed a ton onto the timber surface inside my pencil line. Used my finger – why find a brush? – and smeared it around so it covered that whole area nice and thick. Made sure especially where the plywood had cracked. Wiped glue off my finger onto my jeans.

Then, placed the plywood base piece carefully onto the gluey mess. Got it lined up with the pencil lines. Went hard: slapped three big clamps around the edges. Had to really crank ’em down tight. Glue was already oozing out everywhere, like toothpaste squeezing out the tube. Wiped it up with some rag scraps, but it was still kinda messy. Oh well.

Checked the mount plate. Positioned it back exactly where it needed to go, right over the strong timber, and drilled new pilot holes with a bit slightly smaller than the screws. Screwed the mount plate down really hard onto the new plywood-and-timber sandwich. Felt solid.

Waiting is the Worst Part

Left the whole glued mess clamped on the bench overnight. Came back the next morning and released the clamps. Tried to wiggle it. Nothing. Rock solid. The plywood was glued fast to the timber underneath. No movement at all.

Last thing was taking the whole contraption back out to the yard. Hefted the pole into the mount plate and screwed it in tight. Gave it a little kick. Held firm. Grabbed a volleyball and gave it a good hard whack against the net. That satisfying “whump” sound came back! Kid tried it, smashed it harder than me – held up just fine.

Not the prettiest repair job ever, gotta admit. Glue stains, rough edges… but hey, it works. Saved buying a whole new system. Good enough!