Alright folks, here’s how I went about trying to build a removable maple volleyball court thing. Crazy idea? Maybe. Worth a shot? Definitely.

Started like always – got obsessed in my head. Couldn’t shake the thought of having a volleyball surface that wasn’t permanent. So I scribbled down dumb little sketches on napkins, imagining sections of maple wood panels that clicked together somehow. Looked real cool in my brain, gotta say.

The Gear Grab

First step, obviously, collect stuff. Didn’t wanna break the bank, so hunted around the garage and the local hardware haunt. Ended up with:

• Some thick maple boards – looked solid enough.
• Ordinary hinges, the heavy-duty outdoor type.
• A big box of different screws and bolts, long ones mostly.
• Wood glue, sandpaper that turned out to be garbage.
• Measuring tape that was kinda fuzzy, but hey.

Cutting Chaos

Measured out squares for the court sections. Wanted six equal panels. Yeah, measured twice. Cut once. Mostly. The saw screamed like mad. Wood chips everywhere. I swear it looked like a beaver went nuts in there. Ended up with six rough maple slabs. More or less the same size. Close enough.

Sandpaper Disaster

Figured I’d smooth ’em out real nice. Wrong. The cheap sandpaper? Fell apart faster than wet cardboard. Took forever and left scratches. Got really pissed off around panel three. Made my arms feel like jelly. Surface was okay, not perfect. Way rougher than I planned.

The Hinge Nightmare

This was the removable part dream, right? Attach ’em with hinges so they fold up or come apart. Marked where hinges should go on the long sides. Drilled pilot holes. Screwed ’em in… mostly. Some screws wouldn’t bite right and kept stripping out. Had to force a few. One hinge bent while I wrestled a screw. Super annoying. Alignment? Not exactly straight. But they connected. Panel one to two, two to three, you get it.

Finishing? What Finishing?

Thought about varnish to protect the wood. Then realized I’d just covered it in sawdust and screw shavings. Wiped it down with a wet rag. Left it to dry. Looked… unfinished. But hey, it’s supposed to be outside, right? Gets weathered anyway.

The Grand Test

Dragged the linked panels out to the backyard grass. Laid ’em flat. Stomped on the joins. Some creaked. The surface wobbled a bit where hinges weren’t perfectly level. Played a tiny bit of volleyball on it. Held up! Could actually take a ball bouncing. Separated panels – hinges worked. Removable! Success? Sorta kinda.

Bonehead Mistake Realization

Stood back admiring my janky creation. Felt good. Then wham – hit me like a hammer. Maple wood is stupid heavy. Like really heavy. Each panel weighed a ton. “Removable” meant needing two people and a hernia to actually move it anywhere. Could barely lift one myself. The whole point of removable? Yeah, forgot about making it light enough to actually remove easily. Massive facepalm moment. Felt like an idiot. Looks like a volleyball court, works like one mostly, but moving it? Forget it.

So yeah, built a heavy maple volleyball thing. Removable hinges worked. Removable logistics? Nope. Got smacked down by basic physics in the end. That’s how stuff goes. Learned a lot. Next time? Lighter wood. Or wheels. Or just give up volleyball.