Okay, so today I wanted to mess around with something completely different – building a keel for a, uh, basketball court? Out of maple timber. Yeah, I know, it sounds weird. But I had this idea stuck in my head, and I just had to try it.

Getting Started

First things first, I needed some maple. I found some decent pieces, not perfect, but good enough for this little experiment. I figured a rough, sort of “rustic” look would actually be kind of cool.

The Cutting and Shaping

I started by cutting the maple into strips. My saw wasn’t super happy about it, the wood’s pretty hard, but I muscled through. Then, I laid out the strips, trying to figure out how this whole “keel” thing was going to work. Honestly, I was just winging it. No plans, just vibes.

• Cut the maple into strips – tough going, but we got there!
• Figured out a basic shape – lots of eyeballing and head-scratching.

Gluing and Clamping – What a Mess

Next up, the glue-up. I used a ton of wood glue, probably way too much, but I wanted this thing to be solid. I clamped the strips together with everything I could find in my workshop. It was a total mess, glue everywhere, but hopefully, it’ll hold.

The Waiting Game (and Some Sanding)

After that, it was just a waiting game. I let the glue dry overnight. The next day, I unclamped the whole contraption. It actually looked kind of… keel-like? I spent a good chunk of time sanding down the rough edges and trying to smooth things out. My arms were definitely feeling it.

The “Finished” Product

So, here it is. My maple timber basketball court keel. Is it functional? Probably not. Does it look cool? I think so, in a weird, experimental kind of way. This was more about the process than anything else. I learned a lot about working with maple, and I definitely pushed my (very limited) woodworking skills.

Would I do it again? Maybe. But next time, I might actually look up how keels are supposed to be built. Or maybe I will build a boat that time.