shitbum
Active member
Well, 2 years ago I got sick and fucking tired of spending 20 bucks on a ebay deck that would break in a week, or spending 65 at the "local surf and skate shop" and having it last a little more than a month. So I started looking up what it took to make my own decks.
And I guess I should inform you of my work situation, I've been working for my pops forever, in a tiny custom cabinet/furniture shop, just me and him, it's no big factory. So needles to say I know how to work with my hands and all, and how to work every damn tool and machine in there.
I clicked around online and quickly found what was going to be my bible for the next year ( DIYskate.com ) and memorized it.
essentially, you need:
Hard Maple Veneer - 1/17" thin pieces of wood from the greatlakes region, it makes for the best deck, really tough shit.
Glue - I just used titebond 3 for the first few decks, then went with Multibond-SK8 ( made for skate deck production)
and a press - basically, you've got a bottom mold and a top mold, and you sandwich the veneer in between them with tons and tons of pressure.
The press and molds were the hardest things to make, considering it had to hold up to ATLEAST 20 tons of pressure.
View attachment 17774 View attachment 17777 View attachment 17783
This was all the original shit I made, and it worked great aha. The press was mortise and tenon so it wouldn't bust apart at the joints (quick google search will explain this). And the molds alone took 2 weeks to make, a lot of sanding and fine tuning, because they have to fit together as prefect as you can get them, so you don't got no air or glue bubbles. They were just 2x8's cut down then slowly, slowly worked to where I needed them.
after googling for way too long, I found a Cali based company that would sell me the veneer, for a decent price, and once that happened it was on! I ordered that shit, and within 2 weeks it was there at my shop, and I was ready to press boards.
View attachment 17784
Using a paint roller, I rolled on the glue to both sides of the veneer threw it in my press, and used 2 car jacks, and a 10 ton bottle jack and cranked down on it. let it sit for a day, and came back and got it out and this is what I had.
View attachment 17785 View attachment 17786
it was a little fucked up, but whatever, first one, I had too much glue in it, and had some bubbles. worked out the kinks, and badabing, I was spraying boards out, with finish.
View attachment 17776 View attachment 17780 View attachment 17787 View attachment 17782 View attachment 17775
Now the only thing left to do was to try them out, and see how durable they were.
View attachment 17788
7/3/09 was when I put trucks on this board, and started skating and beating the shit out of it.
View attachment 17778 < like this FS disaster.
View attachment 17779 View attachment 17781
I'm still riding this board today.
I managed to sell enough of them to pay for my investment, but I'm bummed I couldn't keep it going, it just sorta fizzed out when all the summer came and all the skaters turned into surfers.
I have upgraded a lot of shit, I've got concrete molds made from hydrolic cement and I'm making a steel press. The glue I used dries in 2 hours if you use the correct tonnage, there's an equation for it somewhere, I don't feel like finding it, but it's something like 28 tons. Hence the steel press.
Anybody interested in being involved or maybe want a board? I'm most likely going to start this up again sometime soon here, being as all the surfers around here are going to turn back into skaters for winter.
And I guess I should inform you of my work situation, I've been working for my pops forever, in a tiny custom cabinet/furniture shop, just me and him, it's no big factory. So needles to say I know how to work with my hands and all, and how to work every damn tool and machine in there.
I clicked around online and quickly found what was going to be my bible for the next year ( DIYskate.com ) and memorized it.
essentially, you need:
Hard Maple Veneer - 1/17" thin pieces of wood from the greatlakes region, it makes for the best deck, really tough shit.
Glue - I just used titebond 3 for the first few decks, then went with Multibond-SK8 ( made for skate deck production)
and a press - basically, you've got a bottom mold and a top mold, and you sandwich the veneer in between them with tons and tons of pressure.
The press and molds were the hardest things to make, considering it had to hold up to ATLEAST 20 tons of pressure.
View attachment 17774 View attachment 17777 View attachment 17783
This was all the original shit I made, and it worked great aha. The press was mortise and tenon so it wouldn't bust apart at the joints (quick google search will explain this). And the molds alone took 2 weeks to make, a lot of sanding and fine tuning, because they have to fit together as prefect as you can get them, so you don't got no air or glue bubbles. They were just 2x8's cut down then slowly, slowly worked to where I needed them.
after googling for way too long, I found a Cali based company that would sell me the veneer, for a decent price, and once that happened it was on! I ordered that shit, and within 2 weeks it was there at my shop, and I was ready to press boards.
View attachment 17784
Using a paint roller, I rolled on the glue to both sides of the veneer threw it in my press, and used 2 car jacks, and a 10 ton bottle jack and cranked down on it. let it sit for a day, and came back and got it out and this is what I had.
View attachment 17785 View attachment 17786
it was a little fucked up, but whatever, first one, I had too much glue in it, and had some bubbles. worked out the kinks, and badabing, I was spraying boards out, with finish.
View attachment 17776 View attachment 17780 View attachment 17787 View attachment 17782 View attachment 17775
Now the only thing left to do was to try them out, and see how durable they were.
View attachment 17788
7/3/09 was when I put trucks on this board, and started skating and beating the shit out of it.
View attachment 17778 < like this FS disaster.
View attachment 17779 View attachment 17781
I'm still riding this board today.
I managed to sell enough of them to pay for my investment, but I'm bummed I couldn't keep it going, it just sorta fizzed out when all the summer came and all the skaters turned into surfers.
I have upgraded a lot of shit, I've got concrete molds made from hydrolic cement and I'm making a steel press. The glue I used dries in 2 hours if you use the correct tonnage, there's an equation for it somewhere, I don't feel like finding it, but it's something like 28 tons. Hence the steel press.
Anybody interested in being involved or maybe want a board? I'm most likely going to start this up again sometime soon here, being as all the surfers around here are going to turn back into skaters for winter.
