Alright let’s get into this weird little project I tried yesterday. It all started ’cause my kid’s basketball finally gave up the ghost after bouncing into every sharp corner in our house. Thing leaked air faster than a sieve. Figured instead of buying another piece of plastic junk, why not try something stupid?

What Was I Thinking?

Saw this big old hevea tree branch cut down near the river last week. You know, rubberwood? Stuff looked pretty solid. My brain went: big chunk of wood + flat surface needed for bouncing ball = maybe? Yeah, logic was rough.

Getting The Stuff

Grabbed my rusty handsaw and ran down there before someone else hauled it off. Section near the stump was wide enough – maybe two feet across? Sawed off a chunk. Damn thing weighed a ton. Dragged it back sweating bullets. Note to self: next time, borrow a wheelbarrow.

Making It Sorta Flat

Right. Had to make one side flat for bouncing. No fancy planer, just my trusty chisel and a big mallet. Took forever. Chipped away for what felt like hours, sweat dripping into my eyes. Ended up kinda flat… ish. Like, it had character. Hills and valleys.

Sandpaper? Course I forgot. Used a broken brick piece instead. Rubbed it down rough. Not smooth, but less splintery. Figured a ball ain’t fussy.

Testing The “Pad” Part

Got my leftover inner tube from fixing a bike tyre. Messy glue job time. My kid’s craft glue sticks totally sucked. Found this ancient bottle of contact cement at the back of the shed – half solid, but stirred it with a stick. Slapped it on the flat-ish surface and the tube. Waited like… maybe ten minutes? Patience ain’t my thing.

Pressed it down hard, walking on it even. Looked like total hot garbage. Rubber bubbled in places, corners lifting.

The Moment Of Truth

Finally found a leaky basketball lying around the shed. Pumped it up halfway ’cause I didn’t trust the thing. Took it outside onto the uneven rubber pad glued to the uneven timber slab.

Dropped it.

Thud.

Okay, not exactly NBA bounce. More like a sad little hop. Almost rolled off the lumpy pad. Tried bouncing it off the heel of my hand. Couple of weak bounces. Maybe a 3 out of 10? Humidity probably didn’t help – that contact cement felt sticky still.

Did It Work? Not Really. Was It Fun? Kinda?

Total waste of an afternoon? Maybe. Kid came out, saw the mutant bouncing slab, laughed his head off. Gave it a try. Said it bounced worse than our concrete driveway. Probably right.

Lessons learned? Well, contact cement needs way longer to dry than the bottle said. Hevea timber is stupid heavy. Glue sticks are useless against rubber. Physics is unforgiving.

Slab’s sitting in the backyard now. Might become a weird stool. Or firewood. But hey, at least I know you can technically make a basketball pad from rubberwood and a tube, even if it plays like absolute garbage. Stick to buying the plastic junk.