Getting Started
Grabbed leftover timber from my garage renovation last month – three 2x4s and a plywood scrap. Figured I’d build something for hoop practice since the public court nets got torn again. Measured the wood with my kid’s ruler but eyeballed half the cuts cause I hate math. BIG mistake.
The Messy Build
Sawdust flying everywhere when I chopped the timber. Forgot my goggles so I used swim trunks instead – looked stupid but safety first. Nailed the backboard together crooked cause the plywood warped overnight in the rain. Had to:
- Hammer extra support beams sideways
- Duct tape the cracks where light shone through
- Steal my wife’s yoga mat to pad the edges
Tablet part was worse. Tore apart an old fire tablet trying to gut it for sensors. Ended up zapping the circuit board with my screwdriver. Screen went full static like a broken TV. Had to use my phone duct-taped to the timber instead.
Testing Disaster
Took the whole contraption to the driveway. Balanced it on garbage bins. First shot shattered the “backboard” – plywood split right down the middle. Phone flew off into rose bushes. Timber legs collapsed like dominos. Neighbor’s dog ran off with one of the beams.
What Actually Worked
After all that crap, only useful part was the phone app I coded. Wrote a simple shot counter using free coding tools. Made it buzz when swishes happen. Zero broken timber required. Now I just prop my phone on a lawn chair when practicing. Still can’t believe I spent three weekends building a fancy phone stand.
