So this removable volleyball project with hevea timber kicked off when I got roped into organizing games at our local community center. Needed something portable ’cause storage space there’s basically zero. Saw those pricey store-bought sets and thought: nope, I’m building my own.
Digging Up Materials
First thing, tracked down hevea wood. Heard it’s tough but light – perfect for hauling around. Wasted a whole Saturday afternoon scrounging through lumber scraps near that old furniture factory behind Main Street. Found decent planks, a bit rough but dirt cheap. Grabbed a handsaw, some coarse sandpaper, screws, and nylon rope ’cause nets cost a fortune.
Sawdust Everywhere
Marked out the poles first. Measured twice? More like eyeballed it once. Cut four six-foot lengths with that wobbly handsaw – took forever and blistered my palm. Sanded ’em down rough as hell, splinters flying everywhere. Didn’t even have a workbench; just propped the wood on two wobbly chairs in the garage.
The Frame Disaster
Figured I’d make a stand so the poles wouldn’t just topple over. Cut shorter timber pieces for a base. Drill holes straight? Not a chance. Ended up drilling diagonally like three times before the holes kinda lined up. Bolted the poles to the base with these rusty brackets from an old shelf. Wobbled like crazy. Stuffed folded cardboard in the gaps – ghetto fix, but it worked.
Net Headache
Biggest pain was the net. Tied that nylon rope crisscross between the poles. Knots kept slipping, tension was all uneven. Measured spacing between ropes with my hand span – thumb to pinkie. Looked totally lopsided after the first try. Redid the whole thing twice, knuckles raw from tugging rope. Finally used zip ties to lock the knots. Ugly? Yeah. Functional? Barely.
Trial by Fire
Took it out to the park next morning. Wind blew hard – whole setup shuddered. Nearly face-planted diving for a ball. The net sagged in the middle like a hammock. Had to tighten everything with pliers right there in the grass. Kids thought it was hilarious. Added guy ropes pegged into the dirt with tent stakes. Still leaned sideways but stayed up.
Breaks Down… Mostly
The whole point was making it removable. Unscrewed the poles from the bases, rolled up the net messily, chucked it all in the trunk. Next weekend at the beach? Sand made the poles sink. Had to dig deeper. Salt water probably rotting the wood too. Gotta admit it’s clunky, scratches the car interior, and still looks homemade. But hey, it works, cost less than pizza, and nobody’s volleyball got impaled by a collapsing pole.
- Lesson 1: Measuring with your hands is dumb.
- Lesson 2: Hevea wood lasts but drinks water like crazy near the ocean.
- Lesson 3: Zip ties save terrible knots every single time.
It ain’t pretty. It wobbles. Takes 20 minutes to set up. But it survives my trunk and lets us play ball anywhere. Next time, maybe thinner poles. Definitely pre-tied knots.
