Okay so today I gotta tell you guys how I completely screwed up making this basketball shooting pad thing? Yeah that pad basketball hard timber mess. Seriously it ain’t as easy as those online tutorials make it look. Let me walk you through the disaster step-by-step.
Went Hunting for Wood
First step was grabbing the main piece – the hard timber everyone talks about. Drove my cheap old pickup down to the big lumber yard way across town. Thought I knew what I needed. Found this plank labeled “hardwood,” looked okay, not too banged up. Paid cash and threw it in the back. Biggest mistake already? Didn’t ask anyone for help. Just grabbed it and bounced.
Getting Things Ready (Sort Of)
Got home, dragged the wood into the garage. Dust flies everywhere, made me sneeze like crazy. Found some old tools:
- Dad’s rusty saw
- A half-bent hammer
- Bunch of random screws from a coffee can
- This weird bouncy stuff someone gave me years ago (hoping it’d work for the pad part)
Cleared off my workbench? Basically just shoved the junk onto the floor. Marked where I thought the backboard should go on the plank with a wobbly pencil line. Tried measuring. Pretty sure I added an extra inch somewhere. Whatever, eyeballed it.
Cutting and Cursing
Time to make the actual pad shape. Started sawing along my crooked pencil line. Man, that wood was tough. Saw kept getting stuck. Arm started hurting bad. Probably shouldn’t have skipped gym yesterday. Finally got it cut out roughly. Edges looked like a squirrel chewed on them. Splinters everywhere. Took some sandpaper to it, just made it dusty and rough in different spots.
Attaching the Pad Disaster
Okay, the wood was cut. Now for the “pad” part – the bouncy surface. Found this weird foam stuff I mentioned? Super thick, felt kinda like a yoga mat but lumpy. Cut a rectangle out with kitchen scissors – way too small. Tried again, cut it bigger but then it stuck out over the edges looking messy. Tried glueing it down with construction adhesive I found. That stuff is strong? Yeah. Glued the foam patch on kinda crooked, and also glued my fingers to the foam for a solid ten minutes. Pulled them off, took some skin with it. Hurt like crazy. Then realized the glue made the foam stiff in places. Not bouncy anymore. Awesome.
The Rim Mounting Fiasco
Last part was attaching the basketball rim. Dug this old adjustable hoop outta the shed. Got the wood piece propped up kinda safely? Started drilling holes for the rim bolts. Drilled the first hole crooked. Second one was just slightly better. Tried forcing the bolts through. They wouldn’t line up straight. Cross-threaded one and totally stripped it. Had to bash it through with the hammer. Got it kinda attached? But now the rim wobbles sideways. Looks like it might snap off if someone dunks.
Finally Threw the Ball… Sorta
Called it done. Dragged the whole thing, heavy and awkward, onto the driveway. Threw a ball at the pad. Instead of a satisfying swish off the backboard? It hit the lumpy foam pad, barely bounced, clunked against the crooked rim, and fell straight down. Looked about as useful as a brick wall. My kid looked at it and said “That’s it?” Yeah. Yeah, buddy. That’s it.
So why did I bother? Honestly? Because I saw this fancy store-bought pad online and thought “I can build that!” Wasted most of the day, a chunk of cash on the wood, and probably wrecked some perfectly good scrap foam. Shoulda just gone to that big box store like everyone else. Figured if I do it myself, maybe it’s better? Spoiler: It ain’t. Sometimes paying saves you a world of splinters and tears. My driveway now has this sad piece of junk reminding me every day.
