The Beginning
Alright, so this whole removable volleyball idea started because my nephew kept whining about carrying his bulky ball around. Saw those fancy expensive ones, thought “Nah, I can figure something out cheaper.” Had this pile of soft maple timber scraps kicking around my shed – decent wood, not too heavy, easy enough to work with.
Grabbed my basic tools: saw, sander, drill, some screws, wood glue. Didn’t wanna go crazy with fancy gear. First step was rough sketching this volleyball shape on cardboard – just eyeballed a standard size ball. Cut that pattern out, traced it onto the maple planks. Took the saw and started hacking out these curved panels. Oh man, that first try? Awful. Ended up with jagged pieces that looked more like weird potato chips than ball sections. Sanding took ages just to smooth those edges down halfway decent.
Messy Assembly Attempts
Tried gluing the panels together first, clamping them tight. Bad move. The glue couldn’t hold the stress when the curve got tight, popped open overnight like a sad flower. Next try, figured maybe tiny screws? Drilled pilot holes, went super careful. Worked kinda okay for about… three panels. Then one cracked clean in half when I tried tightening. Frustrating as heck!
That’s when the “removable” lightbulb went off. Needed a way to assemble without glue or screws stressing the thin wood. Brainstormed simple joints. Settled on these little “tongue-and-groove” bits I could cut into the edges. Basically shaped small, flat tabs on some edges and matching shallow slots on others. Took the router for this part, slow and cautious. Wasn’t perfect. Had to shim some slots with thin slices of cedar cause my cuts were sloppy.
Started piecing sections together, dry fit only. Slot into groove, click. Like chunky Lego. Added maybe… 6 panels? Couldn’t get more than that without the whole thing collapsing. Felt flimsy, kept buckling inwards.
The Frame Saves the Day
Duh. Needed something inside holding shape. Found an old rubber kickball my dog hadn’t destroyed yet. Cut the ball panels slightly larger than needed, aiming for a snug fit around the ball. Assembled the panels directly onto the rubber ball using those little slots and tabs. Finally clicked into place! The rubber ball inside kept the structure round and bouncy. Panels stayed locked together surprisingly well just pushing against the inner ball.
Finishing Touches (And Mistakes)
Took it all apart again. Sanded each maple panel smooth as silk – still hate sanding. Wanted it to look nice. Applied some basic wood stain, a nice warm oak colour. Lesson learned? Didn’t wear gloves. Hands looked like I’d been digging in dirt for a week. Clear-coated everything after to hopefully survive getting smacked around.
Final step? Putting it back together over the kickball core. Slot-tab-slot-tab-click-click-click. Solid! Gave it a good whack. Held firm, bounced surprisingly well for wood. My nephew grabbed it, threw it at his friend. Couple of panels popped off instantly! Facepalm moment. The joints weren’t quite deep enough. Took it back, deepened the slots slightly on the router, and shaved down the tabs for a tighter friction fit. Tried again. Kid-proof test this time – took a solid kick and stayed together.
Done (For Now)
So yeah. Removable volleyball made from soft maple timber. Looks pretty cool, feels warm in the hands. Not perfectly round, has its little dings and character. The panels come off easy for storage or tossing in a backpack. Smells like wood, not plastic. Is it pro gear? Nope. But hey, it works, it was cheap, the kids love it, and I made it myself. That’s the win for me. Might tweak the joint design later… maybe.
