Okay, so yesterday I decided I needed a better solution for my aching feet after hoops. Like, serious pain, you know? Standing around on that hardcourt is murder. I remembered seeing something online about homemade kneeling pads for gardening made from wood. Got me thinking: why not try making a small standing pad out of wood? For after games.
Why Maple? Why Soft?
Saw this “Soft Maple” stuff at the big box store. Not super expensive like hard maple. Figured, “Soft? Might be easier to work with.” Grabbed a little board about a foot long and wide enough. Had zero plan drawn up, total flying-by-the-seat-of-my-pants situation.
First thing? Took it home and tried sanding one side just to see. Dust frickin’ everywhere, man. Seriously coated everything. Had to drag the sander outside. Didn’t feel particularly soft either. Needed some elbow grease.
Making a Hole for Grip
Thought it needed a finger hole or something, make it easy to carry to the court? Found this old hole saw attachment in my junk drawer. Like, hadn’t used it in years. Drilled that hole right in the center. Bad news: the wood kinda splintered on the backside. Not smooth. Plus, the saw got jammed halfway through – had to wrestle the drill to get it unstuck. Wood was fighting back!
The “Pad” Idea… Sort Of
Okay, sanded board, awkward hole… now what? Thought maybe gluing some leftover foam rubber on one side would make it a “pad”. Found this thin yoga mat scrap. Cut a piece roughly the same size. Slathered on wood glue and pressed it down. Clamped it overnight with like, every clamp I owned weighing it down.
The Moment of Truth (Spoiler: Not Great)
Morning comes. Unclamp it. Foam is kinda stuck? But it peels right off at the corners. Glue didn’t hold worth a damn on the foam surface. Total fail. The board itself felt okay under my foot in socks… until you hit the edges. Corners are sharp! So then I tried sanding the corners round. More dust, more mess. Better, but still a chunk of wood. Took it out back and threw a basketball on it as a test. Ball rolled right off. Pointless for that too.
What the Heck Was I Thinking?
So yeah. Standing there covered in maple sawdust, sticky foam on my fingers, staring at this weird, holey, kinda rounded plank. What even is it? It’s too small for a real stand, too uncomfortable barefoot near the edges, glue didn’t stick to the foam pad… basketball ignores it. Soft Maple wasn’t that soft to work with either. Dust city. Ended up costing me a bit of cash for the wood and glue, plus a Saturday morning I won’t get back. Lesson learned? Sometimes online project ideas are trash. Or maybe I just executed it poorly. Either way, it’s sitting in the garage now, probably gonna become firewood next winter when I remember I don’t have kindling.
