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| Home Made Boards (6188 Posts)
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Home Made Boards |
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New Board Build by Non skater....
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On 10/5/2007
Grumskikorsakov
wrote in from
United Kingdom
(217.43.nnn.nnn)
Hi there, I'm hoping you can all give me a bit of help. I'm a woodworker who's been asked to build a long board for a relative, and I'd like to make a nice job of it, and am wondering if there are any FAQ's or good sites that discuss the process. I'm fine with technical laminating (I have a water powered vacuum press) and a wide selection of timber. I'd like to use some yew I have, which is historically used in archery bow-making because of it's durability and flexibility (not to mention really cool colouring and wavy grain), but I also have stockes of maple, spalted beech (which looks really funky), wych-elm and ash. The kind of advice I'm after (and I figure skaters rather than woodworkers are the folk to ask) is about; how much flex do you generally look for in a board (I realise this may be quite a personal thing), what's a standard thickness of ply (or do you vary them), is there anywhere I can download a template to use to mark out the shape (or do you just do it free-hand), and are there any rules of thumb about the geometry of the board/truck positioning/curvature. My plan's to use alternating grain direction plys for the board structure but to use one of the more aesthetically pleasing/funky looking timbers as a thin top sheet purely as a decorative top (I may try and use alteranting stripes of spalted beech and yew for quite a natural but psychedelic look). Any help greatly appreciated, I'm actually quite keen to try it out, but merely as a project for woodworking, I'm excited enough about it. Some of the boards I've found on this site and others are clearly labours of love, that as a woodworker I can appreciate. Cheers, from Scotland....Grumskikorsakov.
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new board
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On 9/27/2007 herbn
wrote in from
United States
(205.188.nnn.nnn)
has nice flex, but the flex is very crisp not a soft mushy flex,it's flexing but it's a hard material flexing. I think the reinforcements in the narrowest areas of the wheel clearence cuts,make it a very positive non twisting flex.The set up;i started with yellow(83a) big zigs,they were nice and grippy maybe a bit harsh,the streets in my neighborhood are pretty smooth, i put a pair of green bigzigs(80a)and it's real smooth now ,i figure my 29 degree rear truck doesn't steer those backwheels much,so my dh board is set up like a slalom board,seems to work really well. It steers pretty quick but not a sign of wobble not even unsteadiness, it just carves smooth confident lines, i did a (approx)40 mph flat 90 degree right at the base of my most local practice hill.
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new board is rolling
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On 9/27/2007 herbn
wrote in from
United States
(205.188.nnn.nnn)
excellent,has nice flex,very springy ,i may need to lower it,with truck pockets once i got used to a certain level of lowness it's hard to climb back up onto even a slightly taller board.the tolerences i got on wheel clearence is insane in the back the side of the wheels will rub on the side of the balsa core,above the middle with 2 speed rings it would probabely go away.
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plugging holes
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On 9/24/2007 herbn
wrote in from
United States
(64.12.nnn.nnn)
bought a dowel/plug maker, pretty cool, it has a fairly limited depth, you couldn't really make a long dowel out of a thick piece of wood but you can make 1/2 inch diameter plugs out of 1/4 inch thick aircraft spruce and stack them. The hangers on my new trucks were made a while ago they are a bit narrow,so to have full clearence my board is looking a bit narrow too, so i did some reinforcing along with plugging, i'm trying out a bit of triax carbon under a little scrap of 1/8inch (3 ply)multiply,on top of the board.It'll need a bit of edge trimming and beveling maybe a few epoxy drips will need to be sanded, this is where my boards always get a bit sloppy yet functional,in their finnishing stages. Hey it'll be under the grip. While searching for a source for multiply i found that real aircraft finnish birch ply has 20 plys at 1/2 inch,anybody ever build with this stuff? is it significantly better than the usual 9ply?
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next board next rucks
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On 9/24/2007 herbn
wrote in from
United States
(64.12.nnn.nnn)
the new project isn't done and... i was making the template for making cutaways on my new board it involves bolting the trucks to a small piece of ply and tracing wheel clearence cuts,minimal,then rebolting the trucks and trying them out then modifing,at one point i discovered that one truck was hitting metal to metal i mentioned that i had a problem with one baseplate,it was drilled offcenter by a few thousanths,i recentered and bored out the hole a bit and just made the kingpin for that base fit,but the larger kingpin makes the base just a bit wider and the hanger clearence is close,but i shaved away the base a bit and it's fine now. NEXT, i think my next trucks will have bases designed especially for being top mounted, the area of the base with pivot and kingpin will be narrower so the slot in the board will be narrower and as simple as possible.
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double gloves
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On 9/23/2007 herbn
wrote in from
United States
(64.12.nnn.nnn)
working with epoxy you got to use work gloves,i use thin latex type gloves, i discovered the other day that wearing double gloves makes a huge amount of sense, i had just worn through the thumb, so i doubled up and was thinking if i doubled from the startif i get interrupted i can take the outer ones off to answer the phone or whatever, i use glue with a long working time and i'm at my skateshop,if a customer comes i can take a break,any interruption, no problem. The inner ones can be reused most of the time and if they get glue on them that's just glue that wouldv'e otherwise be on your hands.
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need a plug maker
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On 9/22/2007 herbn
wrote in from
United States
(64.12.nnn.nnn)
man ,pissed off, i thought this dowel i had was hardwood it's soft gotta be pine,so i have to drill that out and replug. I'd like to make the plugs out of multiply,birch,i know there's a drill for that .i could make a plug on the lathe out of any piece of ply but the hole would have to be exactly in the middle and the board is already pluged off center. A small hole saw with no center pilot. Other than the plug fiasco the board is looking amazing, got the cut out patterns made for the wheel clearence,came out real good.
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oops
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On 9/20/2007 herbn
wrote in from
United States
(205.188.nnn.nnn)
i made these plugs out of bolts to keep glue out of the predrilled holes in my board,i didn't realize that enough glue got in there to make a solid bond, when i knocked the bolts out they took some of the core with them,to much.i had to drill them out, they didn't spin until i'd drilled most of the way though ,that's tough glue. I only messed up on two bolts, so it's not to bad i drilled a half inch hole though the core to the other skin,and made some hardwood dowel plugs,on the finnish coat of epoxy i'll put the plugs in and redrill the holes,i still have two good original holes to line up my drill jig,so it should be fine,especially using that same epoxy.My epoxy of choice is by a company called MGS, it supposedly doesny have the nasty stuff that alot of top end epoxys do. The flex on the new board is really a nice stiffness and the board is really light,and it's still square.
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2nd pressing of balsa deck
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On 9/19/2007 herbn
wrote in from
United States
(205.188.nnn.nnn)
i added the top to my "tray" the epoxy coated balsa looked pretty sweet,now it hidden under a plain birch 3 ply skin and a bit of carbon. I rode my old balsa creation from a while ago, i've mentioned that it was kind of stiff,but it's not impossibly stiff, it may actually be the topend speedboard i'm looking for. It feels a bit high,but remember it's being compared to some of my really low creations,nearly as low as the lowest curvy dropped boards by landyachts.I'm not to psyched on that idea, i felt like i was trapped or restricted by the sudden curves,that hooked in feeling would probabely be a good thing eventually but i just didn't like it.I like a flat board with the trucks mounted under it,and i just want it as low as possible. The "stiff" balsa board was .600 thick the new board is gonna be like 570 ish ,i can't be certain it depends on the glue thickness. In the future i want to make a balsa cored deck in the 5/16-3/8 thickness something smaller with very active flex, maybe for my strokers.
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shaping
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On 9/19/2007 herbn
wrote in from
United States
(64.12.nnn.nnn)
recently i thought i'd go back to a nice shape i came up with a while ago,sort of a rounded over stought pintail,but it will definitely need wheel clearence cuts,so i'm gonna make seperate templates for the wheel clearence cutaways,i'm going to try to get the clearences to the wheels as close as possible.
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Home sweet home
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On 9/18/2007
Tyler Hager
wrote in from
United States
(130.101.nnn.nnn)
Ahh, the good old Skatewerks store front, home to many a sight.
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composite alfresco
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On 9/18/2007 herbn
wrote in from
United States
(64.12.nnn.nnn)
after being concerned about proper ventilation while working with epoxy,my tray system of board construction lets me set up out on the sidewalk in front of my shop with a cardtable(cheap,old,folding legs)i mixed the glue in a container and then dumped the resin a bit at a time and used the tray(the shell of the board to dip and coat all the balsa,carbon and hardwood pieces. I had to mix a second batch of epoxy, the balsa was a bit thirstier than i anticipated. Most of the fumes seem to come up while mixing the hardener in, i didn't even notice fumes today.
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whew!
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On 9/16/2007 herbn
wrote in from
United States
(205.188.nnn.nnn)
just did a couple of top speed runs up in harriman probabely low fifty's and let me tell ya my big dh board works almost to well,it's a guided missle not a flick,nothing,from the board ,the pavement is a bit bouncy at that speed,it a very narrow country road and a landscapers trailer goes from white line to double yellow, it's the end of the park season so traffic is fairly light. With the inputs of slightly bouncy pavement it keeps you a bit on your toes you swerve a bit here and there just so you feel in control your carves kind of over ride the inputs from the street. This run kind of clarified what i want from my new speedboard, same steadyness from a somewhat shorter wheelbase, maybe a bit looser, my speedboard with 40 degree trucks on both ends is a bit firm and i really don't think i could throw that hypothetical car avoiding slide, i'm not sure it would slide,i think if i committed to a forty plus slide i'd do a very hard carve and head off the road at 30 mph or my wheels would out grip my shoes and the slide would be done without the board under my feet. BUt this fast hill is the safest i can think of a few cars,no cross traffic,no driveways even, just point and shot. What a rush.
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oh yeah
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On 9/13/2007 herbn
wrote in from
United States
(205.188.nnn.nnn)
there is still the bushings sapporting weight,the kingpin doesn't float when your riding,it's clamped solid in the baseplate.
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pivot axle
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On 9/13/2007 herbn
wrote in from
United States
(205.188.nnn.nnn)
it's cromoly and the hangers right up against the bearings,so it would have to shear the axle which is cromoly ,not aluminum.
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herbn's truck
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On 9/12/2007 hc
wrote in from
United States
(71.198.nnn.nnn)
herbn, your truck sounds cool
if I read your description right,
the load is all carried by the 'pivot axle'
8mm is pretty thin, hope it doesn't break,
otherwise sounds like it should ride like chaput's fyre.
harsh ride?
stable at speed?
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Big Joe BB
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On 9/11/2007 Yan0
wrote in from
United States
(140.233.nnn.nnn)
Big Joe, cabinet grade baltic birch (the stuff you want) comes in 5x5 sheets, the 2x4 stuff you got is a softer, crappier wood with baltic birch veneers. There is plenty of info on the site about woods to use, just use the search tool and .. voila. In the meantime, find your local hardwood dealer, they should point you in the right direction.
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bearings
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On 9/11/2007 herbn
wrote in from
United States
(205.188.nnn.nnn)
oh yeah not those spherical bearings that are the current top end in trucks,i'm using those micro bearings,not the tinyest ones there were the medium sized ones that are 5/8 od
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my new trucks
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On 9/10/2007 herbn
wrote in from
United States
(205.188.nnn.nnn)
have two bearings in pivot and a derlin bushing in there too, the pivot area of the base is pretty big on those bases. the pivot axle is the same 8mm cromoly that the axles are.My kingpin is a bit solid,machined out of toolsteel, pretty hollow,if you look carefully you can see the pinch bolt that clamps the kingpin in the baseplate, the kingpin floats to equalize the tension on the bushings,you tighten the bushings,13mm nut 8mm threads(like the axle) the kingpin then thickens to a regular size, then to 5/8 where it is really hollow after you tighten the bushing(the solid pivot keeps the inner bushing from getting weight)then you loosen the pinchbolt in the baseplate and you can see the kingpin shift as the tension is balenced between the bushings, then you retighten the pinch bolt for riding.
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special
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On 9/10/2007 herbn
wrote in from
United States
(205.188.nnn.nnn)
the dual support is theoreticly the best way to go for strength to weight. I made the second pivot real light and pivoting on delrin, it distributes stresses evenly and the kingpin would be nearly unloaded except for the turning resistance of the bushings,very light with loose trucks. It's alot of work it's a lwo spot that can find rocks/cracks ect,it has some downsides. It rides solid no play,but i can build a no play single pivot.
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herbn's truck
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On 9/10/2007 hc
wrote in from
United States
(71.198.nnn.nnn)
herbn, a tag is just a descriptive word for your pic.
you should just create a myspace account and upload all your pics on there.
those trucks look nice, anything special about them?
also, how do you like the ride of those trucks you made with dual supported pivot?
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Big mans board
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On 9/10/2007
Big Joe
wrote in from
United States
(72.9.nnn.nnn)
I had it set for a 30in. wheelbase and yes I jumped on the exact center of the board. I just went out to the store and got a 2'x4' piece of 3/4in. baltic birch. I will keep on trying with different woods in the press after I use up this wood. This one should be done and cruising with pics by friday. Thanks for the help.
And this is Toothless:http://users.pandora.be/Toothless/Toothless/pages/instructions/instructions_index.html
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toothless?
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On 9/10/2007 herbn
wrote in from
United States
(205.188.nnn.nnn)
what's toothless? tootles, is it a name or nickname?,i think the 3/4 inch birch is definitely the way to go,13 plys,count them.320 lbs ,how much of a jump?stop jumping onto skateboards, especially as a test ,sounds like you focused it. GeneraLLY birch multi ply will flex to the ground before it snaps if you stand or jump in the middle,if you stand or jump on the trucks it won't break(i explain that to kids nearly everyday) so if you divide the board into areas there's an area in the middle where the board won't snap and an area near the trucks where it won't snap avoid jumping on the remaining area and you should be cool. AS you go out on the tail,of a kick tail board you can snap it to, i've seen broken pintails from kids trying to jump or kickflip their friends sector pintail,one of those things you only do to your friends' board.
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BIg mans board
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On 9/10/2007
Daniel M.
wrote in from
United States
(68.14.nnn.nnn)
What wheelbase did you put on the board? Did you make sure to use baltic birch, not regular birch? I would make it quite a bit thicker since you're pretty heavy. Maybe 5/8 or 3/4 inch thick baltic birch for a 30-35 inch wheelbase
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Big mans board
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On 9/10/2007
Big Joe
wrote in from
United States
(72.9.nnn.nnn)
What kind of wood should I use on my new deck. I tried the basic method from toothless with a sheet of fiberglass in the center. It only flexed down and cracked from me jumping on it to test it. I did build a basic press for making a couple decks for friends. I am 320 pounds so please help me out, I am not a newbie I have just never made my own board.
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