So I got this idea from my backyard volleyball games last summer. Every time we jumped, our knees would ache like crazy on that hard ground. Thought maybe I should try making a shock-absorbing floor myself, but portable so we can store it when it rains. Oak wood seemed perfect – tough but kinda springy.

Digging into the Project

Started by hauling oak planks from the local lumberyard. Measured our playing area – roughly 9 meters by 6 meters – and did the math for how many planks I’d need. Got about 30% extra because mess-ups always happen.

Cutting phase almost went sideways real quick:

• Sawdust flying everywhere in my garage workshop
• Third plank got crooked while cutting – totally my fault for not clamping properly
• Had to redo measurements twice before the angles finally matched up

Drilled holes along each plank’s edge thinking connectors would slide right in. NOPE. The alignment was off by like 5mm across three planks. Scratched my head for two hours before realizing my drill guide was bent. Fixed it with washers underneath – total ghetto solution but it worked.

The Shock Part Was Tricky

Originally tried rubber pads between planks, but they squished flat after one test jump. Switched to crisscrossing bungee cords underneath instead. Tension was too loose at first – felt like walking on a waterbed. Almost gave up until I recalled those truck tie-down straps in my shed.

Strapped them diagonally underneath with heavy-duty hooks. Tested it by jumping myself – felt that sweet bounce-back instantly! Added foam strips along the edges too after my buddy tripped during a trial run. Took three weekends total with all the tweaks.

Final thing was the portability. Cut the whole thing into 1m x 1m squares with handles. Stacked them like giant Jenga blocks in the shed. We can haul out six pieces and snap them together in ten minutes now. Played our first game yesterday – no knee complaints! Just wish I hadn’t wasted money on those useless rubber pads first.