Last year my 13-year-old daughter asked for a skateboard, so I gave her my 20-year-old board (which wasn’t seeing much use). She liked to ride it along the bank of the Los Angeles River, and I would ride with her on a Razor scooter. But after a while, I started to miss having a skateboard, and I thought it would be fun to make one.
I put it off for a few months, until I saw a video of Lloyd Kahn, the well-known maker and former geodesic dome guru, cruising down a gently sloped street (makezine.com/go/kahn). He’s 75 years old, and his skating skills are top-notch. This was the inspiration I needed to get off my butt and make my own longboard.
I went online to look for plans. There are many plans and kits available, but they seemed overly complex for what I was setting out to do. I simply wanted a 4-foot-long board that wouldn’t sag too much when I stood in the middle of it. My solution was to make a board with a hump in it.
Here’s how I did it.
Hey John, as long as you have those cutouts on the side it really shouldn’t matter how big the wheels are. I used 76mm wheels. Here’s the package I bought: http://www.amazon.com/LONGBOARD-Package-SILVER-TRUCKS-WHEELS/dp/B002R7IDRQ
I really like the work of Jim Flora. He was a jazz record art director in the 1940s and 1950s. He was really good at making visually exciting designs using just a few colors. Here’s a link to some of his work: http://jimflora.com/gallery/recordcovers.html
Hey Adam, sorry it didn’t work out for you! A couple of questions:
1. How thick was the plywood?
2. Did you use a generous amount of glue?
3. Could you send me some photos so I can inspect it?
4. If you are coming to Maker Faire, please bring it with you so I can have a closer look.
Please don’t get discouraged. We will figure it out!
I’m not sure which ones I got. I would get the larger ones, though.
Thanks for sharing your pics with us, Mike! I just blogged it on Makezine: http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2011/05/make-volume-26-diy-simple-longboard.html
Cheers!
Adam, I think I ran into the same problem as you. I bought the Birchwood plywood from the HomeDepot. But I think Ben Klebe had it correct that we should really buy the Baltic Birch. I am heading out to get some of the Baltic Birch from my local WoodCraft store. I will respond back to let you know if this is successful.
Hi Ben, don’t have the curve handy, but you should be able to make one easily with a compass.
The center of the truck axle is seven inches from the end of the board (both ends).
Good luck!
Very cool design! I just finished my first for my niece to take back to school. She is a huge Dr. Who fan.
https://picasaweb.google.com/todalantyler/2011AugustTiajaSLongboard?authuser=0&feat=directlink
Hey Tom I was just wondering how did you make the ends of your longboard? I am a thirteen year old making this simple longboard and I really like your design! Is there any way you could reply back how you did them or a digital template?
Yeah. That’s exactly what happened to me when I used the wrong plywood. If you inspect all the edges of the plywood, you might see slats of other wood or foam or plastic down one end, meaning the wood is not solid. If this is the case, try and find a Woodcraft store or another store that clearly advertises Baltic Birch plywood. This wood is much more forgiving and should flex only slightly when you stand on it.
The instructions dictate that he left the board like that overnight. Then you get the right form and the glue dries while it is still bent, leaving the polymer as an extra support to hold the board in shape.
When we built mine, it was strong enough to hold my dad, (I am 13) and let me say that it was strong enough to hold his weight and the curve only deformed by about 3/4 of an inch. He mentioned that the Baltic Birch was some of the toughest stuff he had ever use in a woodworking project.
wow nice job, how long is that one in the picture? looks super long!
I’m not as crafty but I designed my own board on WhateverSkateboards.com website and it came out really awesome. You can design it right on the website and it comes professionally printed, pretty sick.
Check it out here: http://www.whateverskateboards.com
Cheers, and great work on that board!
How much did yours bend? Mine bottomed out and i need to add a support brace.
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how much did it cost? Also where did you get a saw to cut it?
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This looks like a great first try at building a longboard! What’s your verdict now, Mark?
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Now you can make a deck out of oak wood and it will not bend that much.
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