That's a great idea to make a roller. It's true that they get soft if you use it often enough. I'm on my 2nd roller now since I started rolling two years ago. Yeah, it's pretty painful when you start doing it. It gets easier and less painful. I went for a massage about a year after I started rolling, the therapist asked me if I roll. She said she can feel the difference between someone who rolls and someone who doesn't. She said it is easier to massage the legs if you roll regularly.