Alright folks, let me walk you through my whole process messing with Pad Volleyball Soft Maple Timber. Started when my buddy tossed me a slab saying “Try this crap out.” Honestly looked like any other wood at first glance.
Step one was testing durability. Slammed a volleyball against this thing 500 times straight – my shoulder’s still sore. Expected dents or cracks but nah, only some minor scuffing. Even left it outside during that surprise rainstorm last Tuesday. Dried out without warping next morning.
The Sanding Nightmare
Sanded four sections differently just to see:
- Coarse 60-grit made it fuzzy like peach skin
- Medium 120-grit felt like worn jeans
- Fine 220-grit smooth but sticky
- Did nothing to the last piece – big mistake, splinter city
Learned quick that proper sanding makes or breaks this stuff. The medium grit gave that sweet spot – not too slippery when you’re sweating buckets during matches.
Weight surprised me most. Grabbed my old oak pad with one hand and this maple with the other – difference like holding textbooks vs comic books. Carried it to practice without pretending to stop for “hydration breaks” every five steps.
Final Court Test
Tossed it to our recreational league team last Sunday. That satisfying thock sound when spiking? Way deeper than the plastic stuff they were using. Saw Sarah dive for a save and winced expecting impact splinters… but she just bounced up grinning. Three hours of whacking balls later and still no visible damage.
So why’s this timber kick ass?
- Takes abuse like a punching bag but looks fine after
- Lighter than my gym bag full of sweaty clothes
- Actually forgives your face when you faceplant
- Sounds like you’re hitting proper wood without costing a fortune
- Won’t make you hate hauling equipment across town
Would I use it again? Hell yeah. But sand it right – unless you enjoy picking splinters out of your palm like I did Tuesday night.
