Okay, so I’ve been wanting to try out this “batten dancing” thing with some soft maple timber. It looked pretty cool in some videos I saw, and I figured, why not give it a shot? I mean, how hard could it be, right?

Getting Started

First things first, I needed to get my hands on some wood. I went down to the local lumber yard and picked up a few pieces of soft maple. I made sure to choose pieces that were straight and didn’t have any big knots or anything. I’m no expert, but I figured that would make things easier.

Then, I hauled all the wood back to my garage – that’s my workshop, by the way. It’s not fancy, but it gets the job done. I cleared out some space and set up my sawhorses. Safety first, you know? Even though I sometimes forget my safety glasses… don’t tell anyone.

The “Dancing” Begins (or Tries to)

I grabbed my trusty measuring tape and started marking out the lengths I needed for the battens. I’m kind of winging it on the dimensions, based loosely on some pictures I saw.

Then, I fired up my circular saw. This thing is powerful, so I was being extra careful. I cut the soft maple into the strips I had marked. So far, so good. Although I messed the measure, so I decided cut another one.

Next, I started trying to, you know, “dance” the battens. Basically, I was trying to bend and flex the wood into these curved * me tell you, it was a lot tougher than it looked. Soft maple is, well, soft-ish, but it still puts up a fight. I wrestled with those pieces of wood for a good while. I even snapped one in half. Oops.

Sweat, Swearing, and (Some) Success

After a lot of pushing, pulling, and a few choice words, I finally started to get the hang of it. I realized that going slow and steady was the key. Applying even pressure and letting the wood gradually bend worked way better than trying to force it. I am so brilliant, right?

• I clamped some of the battens to my workbench to hold them in place while I worked on others.
• I used some scrap wood as forms to help shape the curves.

Slowly but surely, I started to get the shapes I was after. It wasn’t perfect, not by a long shot, but it was definitely starting to look… something. I can’t say it’s like a beautiful art, but more like…abstract?.

The Final Result (and Lessons Learned)

In the end, I managed to create… well, a thing. It’s not exactly what I envisioned, but it’s definitely *’s a start, I guess! I learned a few things along the way, that’s for sure:

• Patience is key: Rushing things just leads to broken wood and frustration.
• Soft maple isn’t that soft: It still takes some effort to bend it.
• Practice makes perfect (maybe): I definitely need more practice.

Would I do it again? Probably. It was a fun challenge, even if the results were a bit… rustic. Next time, I might try using some different wood, or maybe even invest in some proper bending tools. For now, I’m just going to admire my slightly wonky creation and call it a day.