Okay, so today I wanted to mess around with some materials I had lying around and see if I could make something cool. I had this old keel, some volleyball net parts, and a chunk of hevea timber. I figured, why not try to combine them into… well, I wasn’t sure what yet, but it sounded like a fun challenge!

Getting Started

First, I grabbed the keel. It was pretty rough, so I spent a good hour just sanding it down. My arms were definitely feeling it after that! I wanted to get it nice and smooth before I did anything else.

The Timber Trouble

Next, I turned my attention to the hevea timber. This stuff is pretty dense, so I knew I couldn’t just wing it. I decided to sketch out a rough idea of what I wanted – basically, a kind of support structure for the keel. I’m no artist, so it was a pretty basic drawing, just enough to guide me.

• Marked the timber where I needed to cut.
• Used my trusty old saw to make the cuts (always wear safety glasses, folks!).
• Sanded down the edges of the timber pieces, because splinters are no fun.

Putting It All Together

This was the tricky part. I laid the keel on top of the hevea supports and started figuring out how to attach them. I ended up using some heavy-duty wood glue and a few screws, just to be sure. I clamped everything together and left it to dry overnight. The waiting is always the hardest part!

Volleyball Net… Why Not?

While the glue was drying, I started messing with the volleyball net. I thought maybe I could incorporate it somehow, like a decorative element. I cut a section of the net and draped it over the keel, just to see how it looked. It was… interesting. Still not sure if I’m going to keep it that way, but it’s an option!

The (Almost) Finished Product

The next morning, I removed the clamps. The glue had set, and the whole thing felt pretty solid! I gave it a few test taps and wiggles, and it seemed sturdy enough. I added some small wooden blocks at the joint points between keel and timber, to add extra support. It’s still a work in progress, and I might add some finish or paint later, but for now, I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. It’s… a thing! A keel-timber-volleyball-net thing! Not sure what I’ll use it for, but it was a fun experiment. I learned to improve my timber cutting skill with this experience.