Alright, so the other day I had this idea to build a basketball sleeper out of some old batten timber I had lying around. I’m no carpenter, but I figured, how hard could it be? Turns out, harder than I thought, but still pretty fun!

Getting Started

First things first, I gathered my materials. I had a pile of these rough-sawn batten timbers, some screws, a drill, a saw (a pretty blunt one, to be honest), and a measuring tape. I also grabbed a pencil for marking things up. My “workspace” was just my backyard, nothing fancy.

The Rough Plan

My plan was pretty basic: create a rectangular frame using the timbers, then add some cross-pieces for support. I wanted it to be big enough to comfortably lie down on and practice my (imaginary) buzzer-beater shots. No real blueprints or anything, just a general idea in my head.

Cutting and Measuring (and Messing Up)

I started by measuring and cutting the timber. This was the first challenge. My saw was, let’s just say, “well-loved,” and the timber was pretty tough. It took a lot of effort to get through each piece, and my cuts were definitely not perfectly straight. I also mis-measured a couple of times (oops!), so I ended up with a few shorter pieces than I intended. I used them in other place.

Putting It Together

Next, I laid out the pieces on the ground to form the rectangle. I then started screwing the corners together. This was tricky because the wood was so rough, it was hard to get the screws to go in straight. I definitely stripped a few screws in the process, and my hands were pretty sore by the end of it.

• Used some of shorter pieces to reinforce the corner.

Adding Support

Once the frame was together, I cut and added some cross-pieces inside the rectangle for extra support. I just eyeballed the spacing, making sure it looked sturdy enough. Again, more sawing, more screwing, more slightly crooked cuts. It added a nice touch to the whole.

The Finished (Sort Of) Product

Finally, I had something that resembled a basketball sleeper! It was definitely rustic-looking, with uneven edges and plenty of imperfections. But, you know what? It was solid. I could lie down on it without it collapsing, which was my main goal. My imagination works well, I am happy.

Lessons Learned

This little project taught me a few things:

• Sharp tools are important. A sharper saw would have made my life a lot easier.
• Measure twice, cut once is a real thing. I wasted some wood with my mis-measurements.
• Even if it’s not perfect, it’s still satisfying to build something with your own hands.

So, there you have it – my adventure in building a batten basketball sleeper timber. It’s not pretty, but it’s mine, and it works! Maybe next time I’ll try something a little more ambitious… or maybe I’ll just stick to watching basketball on TV.