Okay, let me tell you about this thing I got into recently. It sounds a bit weird putting it all together, but it makes sense, sort of. It all started because I was getting really bored, and I like messing around, you know, building stuff. I guess that’s the engineer part of me kicking in.

Getting the Idea

So, I was in the backyard, looking at this empty space. I used to play a bit of volleyball, nothing serious, but I enjoyed hitting the ball. The problem is, you need someone else, right? Or a wall. My wall isn’t great for it. Then I thought, what about building one of those rebounder things? Like a practice wall that bounces the ball back. Seemed simple enough.

Gathering the Stuff

First thing was the frame. Wood seemed like the obvious choice. Strong, easy enough to work with. So, timber it was. I went down to the local place, picked up some decent planks and posts. Didn’t want anything fancy, just sturdy. Hauled it all back home. That was the easy part, or so I thought.

Then came the bouncy part. This was the real head-scratcher. Proper rebounder nets or trampoline fabric? Way too expensive for a little weekend project. I looked around my garage. Found this big roll of thick rubber matting. Heavy stuff. I think it was leftover from some flooring job years ago. I figured, hey, rubber is bouncy, right? It should work. Famous last words.

The Build Process – Frustration Ensues

Okay, building the frame. I measured, I cut the timber. Made a few mistakes, of course. Cut one piece too short, had to go back and get another. Typical. Spent a whole afternoon just getting the basic angled frame screwed and bolted together. Felt pretty solid, actually. Stood it up, gave it a wobble. Seemed okay. Felt like a proper engineer for about five minutes.

Now, the rubber. Oh boy. This stuff was heavy. And stiff. Not exactly the springy material I’d imagined. Stretching it across the timber frame was a nightmare. I tried clamping it, pulling it, sweating over it. It just wouldn’t get taut enough. Ended up using dozens of screws with big washers just to hold the damn thing in place. It looked… functional. But not pretty.

Testing… and Reality Check

Moment of truth. Grabbed my old volleyball. Took a few steps back and smacked it into the rubber surface.

Thud.

The ball just sort of died. It bounced back maybe a foot or two, with zero energy. Not exactly the dynamic rebound I was hoping for. I tried hitting it harder, softer, different angles. Same result. That thick rubber just absorbed all the impact. It was less of a volleyball rebounder and more of a volleyball… stopper.

I spent another hour fiddling with it. Adjusted the frame angle, tried adding more screws to the rubber. Nothing really helped. It just wasn’t the right material. Should’ve known, really. Sometimes the cheap way isn’t the best way, even if you think you can engineer a solution out of scraps.

What I Learned

So, what’s the takeaway? Well, the timber frame is still standing. It’s pretty sturdy. Might repurpose it for something else later. I learned that heavy rubber matting does not make a good volleyball rebounder. Shocking, I know. And I guess I learned that even when you fancy yourself a bit of an engineer, sometimes you just pick the wrong materials entirely.

It was a weekend, though. Kept me busy. Got some fresh air, worked with my hands. Even if the final thing was kind of a flop, the process itself wasn’t a total waste. Just gotta figure out what to do with a very sturdy wooden frame and a slightly punctured sheet of heavy rubber now.