Purchasing a skateboard can sometimes get out of hand if you have a strict budget. But you cannot stop skating. You need to skate. You certainly cannot borrow one if your friend is mean. So, in this case, you can try making your own one. But how to make a skateboard?
Homemade will not offer you the premium feeling when you use it. But they work. Now here’s the surprising truth. Making a skateboard is not that tough at all. But most people think it to be a hard nut to crack. All you need to do is follow the instructions from homemade plans.
In this content, we will be discussing homemade plans. Or we can say that after reading this content you will know, how to make your own skateboard.
What is a Skateboard?
Skateboard is mainly used for skating. This is an essential tool for all the skaters out there. It has three main parts: the board, the deck, the trucks, and the wheels. It has a deck where the rider can position himself. Normally the decks are usually between 28 and 33 inches long. But in terms of longboards, the length is usually over 36 inches. In this content, we shall only focus on the skateboard.
What Is It Made Of?
Most skateboards are mainly made of several planks of wood joined together by glue. Mainly maple woods are used to build the skateboard deck. The small four wheels below the skateboard help to move freely. Sometimes fiberglass, Plexiglas, aluminum, and other materials are used to make.
First Step: Make Your Blueprint
Before making a skateboard, you need to make a blueprint. A blueprint is mainly the architectural design for it. This design is mainly based on your choice. You will get a good view of the materials you need before you start making it. Besides that, a blueprint will give a crystal-clear view of the number of materials you need.
You will find a lot of blueprints out there on the internet. Your blueprint will also help you to build structure manually. Anyway, you can make your design. But be careful about your choice. Before finding a blueprint, you need to consider some important things.
– Who the skateboard is for.
– If the skateboard will be adjustable with your physic or not.
– Your material should match your budget.
– What type of skateboard you will make. Is it for regular use? Or for stunts?
These are the things you need to consider before making a skateboard.
Step Two: Finding Your Materials
Now for the hard part. After you have made a blueprint, you need to find the essential materials. Earlier we told you that skateboard decks are mainly made of maple wood. But you can use solid woods, Baltic birch plywood, or even bamboo in making a skateboard. When it comes to homemade skateboards you can use normal solid woods or maple wood. Find the wood according to your budget.
Your budget is the main factor in purchasing the materials. But always remember that costly products are not always the best option for you. You might not get a premium outcome but sometimes a lower price material can offer you great support.
We have given you a list of your essential materials for homemade skateboards below:
– 6-7 pieces of 30 cm*10 cm Maple wood/ plywood/ solid wood (for the deck)
– Two trucks
– Four wheels
– Eight bearings
– A set of eight bolts and nuts
– Grip tape
– Two sets of riser pads
– Glue
– Paint
Step 3: Start With The Deck
When you have figured out to make one of it. First, you need to know how to make a skateboard deck. Earlier we told you to purchase 30 cm into 10 cm thick woods. You need to stack them together and form the base of a basic deck. Anyway, you are free to use any type of lightweight wood.
– The basic deck should be 1/17th of an inch thick. So, you need to be careful about this thing. If you change the thickness of the sheets it will affect their stability, flexibility, or weight of it. So be cautious while stacking your plywood.
– Attach the boards with glue. Evenly spread the glue on your boards and stack them together. After spreading the glue, you need to stack the other board gently. Apply this method to the other boards.
– After that place your stacked skateboard on a mold. After that, you need to give it a press. The mold will give the stacked deck a little shape. You can use two old skateboards to give the deck shape. Fit your skateboard in between the two old skateboards and press. The deck gets a shape.
– Seal the mold and skateboard in a plastic bag. After that use a suction pump to suck out as much air as possible. This will evenly apply pressure on your board and the holes will start filling up. But be careful. The plastic bag needs to be completely airtight.
– After you have sucked out all the air. Leave the board to press for at least 7 hours. Check every 2 to 3 hours if the bag is ok. If not, you may need to suction more air out of the bag.
– When the time comes, bring out your skateboard. After pulling out your board, remove the board.
Step Four: Work With Your Skateboard Deck
After pulling out your skateboard deck, you need to trace the shape of an old one onto your pressed wood. This will help you to cut it evenly. You can ask the help of a professional. Watch out, the tail of the skateboard is slightly narrower than the tip. You can use a jigsaw to cut your board. A band saw can make the work much easier, but a jigsaw will do.
After you have cut down your pressed wood, you need to sand the board with a belt sander. The skateboard’s edge needs to curve towards the wheels. So, you need to smooth up the edges of the board.
After that, you can paint the board according to your taste. You can use stickers to get the job easily done.
Step Five: The Finishing Touch
After decks decoration, you need to attach the skateboard trucks. Attach the wheels. Before attaching the wheels, attach the wheel bearings. You don’t want your wheels to stop. After all the attachments. You can go out for a skating ride with your homemade skateboard.
Conclusion
Making your skateboard can be a satisfying and fun thing to do. But people think that making a skateboard is a hard shell to crack. This is the job of a professional they say. But it’s not that tough at all. So, when someone asks to make it. All we need to say is, just go get a blueprint and your materials, please! You can make your one. Or, If you want to buy a brand new one, then you have to select the best skateboard on the market.