Okay, so today I wanted to mess around with some materials I had lying around the workshop. I’ve been meaning to try out this LVL basketball – you know, the laminated veneer lumber stuff. I figured it would be cool to see how it handles compared to, like, regular hardwood flooring.

First, I gathered my materials. I had a good-sized piece of LVL, some soft maple timber scraps, basic woodworking tools, and of course, my trusty basketball.

Prepping the LVL

I started by cleaning up the LVL. It had some rough edges, so I grabbed my sander and smoothed everything out. I wanted a nice, even surface to work with. It’s important to make sure you have right surface, or you will feel suck when playing.

The Maple Comparison

Next, I took a few pieces of the soft maple and laid them out next to the LVL. My main goal here was just to get a feel for the difference. Just by tapping them with my fingers, I could already tell the LVL had a denser, more consistent sound.

The Bounce Test

• I bounced the basketball on the concrete floor first, just to get a baseline. Standard, solid bounce.
• Then, I moved to the soft maple. It had a good bounce, a little bit warmer and softer, you know?
• Finally, the LVL. This was interesting. The bounce was definitely firmer than the maple, almost a little too responsive, if that makes sense. It felt… powerful, I guess.

Playing Around

I spent a good hour just dribbling and shooting on both surfaces. The maple felt familiar, comfortable. The LVL, though… it was different. It almost felt like the ball was springing back up faster. I’d have to adjust my dribbling style, for sure. More control, less force.

My Takeaway

Honestly, the LVL surprised me. It’s tough, really tough. I could see it holding up to some serious wear and tear. But it’s almost too good at bouncing the ball back. I can imaged that if I play it for a long time, my arm may be very tired. So, for today’s test I could say the LVL is good, the maple is perfect.