Okay, so “rubber dancing hard timber” – sounds weird, right? Let me tell you how this whole thing came about. It all started with wanting to make, uh, a unique piece of, let’s call it “kinetic art.” I wanted something that moved in an unexpected way. Something organic, but also kinda… stiff.

I first grabbed some rubber sheeting, the kind you might use for, I dunno, gaskets or something. Pretty thick stuff. Then, I found some scrap pieces of hardwood – leftover from a bookshelf project. I think it was oak, but honestly, I’m no wood expert.

The Messy Part

My initial idea was simple: attach the rubber to the wood and somehow make it… dance. Easier said than done, my friends.

• First, I tried glue. Regular wood glue. Epic fail. The rubber just peeled right off.
• Then, I thought, “Okay, stronger glue!” So I got some industrial-strength adhesive. That stuff is nasty. It stuck, alright, but it made the rubber all stiff and weird in spots.
• Next up: screws! I pre-drilled some holes in the wood and tried to screw the rubber down. This actually worked… sort of. The rubber tended to bunch up around the screws, and it looked terrible.

After much cursing and a few near-rage-quits, I had a slightly less stupid idea. I decided to cut the wood into smaller, more manageable pieces. Then, I used a combination of the nasty adhesive (applied very carefully) and some small tacks to secure the rubber.

Making it “Dance”

The “dancing” part was another headache. Initially, I envisioned some kind of motor, but that seemed overly complicated. I wanted something simpler. What I finally settled on was a system of weights and counterweights. I drilled a few more holes, ran some strong fishing line through them, and attached varying weights (mostly old bolts and washers) to the rubber pieces.

By adjusting the weights and the tension on the fishing line, I could get the rubber to “dance” in a slow, unpredictable way. It’s hard to describe, but it’s kinda mesmerizing. The hard wood provides a rigid framework, while the rubber creates these fluid, almost… unsettling movements.

The project at this step, it doesn’t looks morden and beautiful,It looks rough, it’s messy, and it’s definitely not perfect. But it moves. And it moves in a way that makes you stop and watch. And for a spur-of-the-moment project made from scrap, I’m calling it a win.