Alright folks, today I wanna share this wild idea I had and actually went through with – messing around with “shock absorbing dancing hard timber.” Yeah, sounds kinda nuts, right? Trust me, the journey was crazier.

The Stupid Idea That Stuck

So basically, I was watching one of those street dance videos, you know, guys jumping off buildings and doing crazy spins on concrete. Looked awesome but man, those landings must wreck their joints. Then I looked at my woodworking bench, with some super dense hard maple I had lying around. It got me thinking… what if you could actually, somehow, dance on hard timber and have it soak up some of the shock? Like, make it less like hitting a brick wall. Stupid? Probably. But I decided to try.

Starting Simple… Too Simple

First thing, I grabbed a thick slab of that maple. Solid, heavy stuff. Took it out to my garage floor. I mean, I wasn’t gonna try any windmills or anything! I just… stamped my foot down hard on it. Thud. Barely felt different from hitting the concrete floor itself. My foot buzzed. That sucked.

Okay, Plan B. Gluing stuff together crossed my mind. Maybe layers? I found some thinner pieces of oak and pine plywood scraps – different densities, right? Slapped them together with some heavy-duty wood glue, alternating oak, plywood, oak. Clamped it down good and waited a whole day for it to dry. Felt kinda hopeful.

The First Real Test (and Failure)

Next day, unclamped my little Frankenstein dance pad. Looked rough, but solid enough. Placed it back on the garage floor. Took a deep breath. Lifted my leg a bit higher than the stamp… and did a proper hop and landed straight down onto both feet.

• BOOM. The sound was loud and sharp.
• Ouch. My knees jolted.
• Ugh. The slab itself didn’t budge, didn’t give. It felt just as bad as the solid maple.

The wood glue just made layers stick dead together. No spring, no give, no shock absorption whatsoever. Almost quit right there.

Pivoting – The Rubber Band Moment

I was staring at the failure pile, feeling annoyed. Then I noticed a busted office chair nearby – one of those old ones with the thick elastic bands underneath the seat for bounce. Lightbulb moment! Maybe wood is too rigid? Maybe I needed something to stretch and snap back?

Ripped those heavy elastic bands off the chair. Took another smaller plywood piece, about the size of a doormat. Glued four short chunks of 2×4 scraps to the bottom corners, near the edges. Then started strapping those big elastic bands diagonally under the plywood pad – from one corner block to the opposite one. Took some wrestling. Secured the heck out of them with staples and screws into the blocks. Looked messy and kinda dangerous.

The “Dancing” Test Part Deux

Put this elastic contraption down. Stepped onto it gingerly. Pressed down with one foot. Hey! It sank down a bit! Released, and it wobbled back up. Actual movement!

Tried shifting my weight side-to-side. Wobbly as heck, almost fell over. Not smooth. But… there was give. Next, a gentle jump. Landed. Knee impact felt… less? Maybe? Less sharp pain for sure. The pad compressed, absorbing some force before pushing back. The bands stretched and groaned.

Did It Work? Sorta…

Okay, let’s be real. Calling it “dancing” is generous. It’s more like controlled bouncing without dying. But compared to landing straight on wood or concrete?

• Way better. Definitely took the edge off the landings.
• Terrible control. Wobbly mess. Forget spins. Basic weight shifting was a challenge.
• Not durable. After about ten minutes of hops and shifts, the bands felt permanently stretched, and the wood blocks were straining the plywood. No way this lasts.

So, yeah, “shock absorbing” – kinda happened with the elastic! Surprised myself! But “dancing on hard timber”? Well, the timber base is still there underneath. The dancing part? More like awkwardly bouncing and trying not to eat concrete. Mission “sort of” accomplished? It was a messy, somewhat painful, but unexpectedly cool experiment. Makes you appreciate sprung floors a whole lot more!