Things you will need:
1 Skate board deck
1 sheet skate board deck griptape
2 skateboard trucks
4 skateboard wheels
8 skateboard wheel bearings
2 risers1 set of mounting hardware
1 philips head screwdriver
1 skate tool
1 metal file
1 sharp razorblade
1. First apply the skate board deck grip tape.
By unpeeling the backing and then carefully stick the tape evenly on the top surface of the skate deck. File down the grip tape around the edges of the skateboard, and then carefully use the razorblade to slice off the excess grip tape that hangs over the edges on the skatedeck.
2. Next, attach your skate trucks to your skateboard deck.
Use one of the screws from the mounting hardware to poke a hole in the griptape. Then push the mounting hardware from the top of the skatedeck to the bottom.
3. Now slide the risers over the hardware.
Next slide your skate trucks on. Make sure that the bushings from the trucks point toward each other or face the center of the board. Tighten the nut with the skate tool until it's flush with the trucks. Warning: Do not over tighten; you can cause the wood to split.
4. Now press the bearings into your wheels using the skate tool.
Repeat this for all four wheels. If you do not have a skate tool. You can use your axe on the trucks by placing the bearing on the axel and then pressing the wheel into the bearing, causing the bearing to slip into the wheel. Warning: Be very carefull not to dent or pinch the metal seal around the sides of the bearing. This will ruin the bearings and cause them not to spin!
5. Once the bearings are in place, you can put the on the trucks.
Do not over tighten this will crush the bearing causing it not to role.
6. Now the board is ready to skate. You may need to fine tune the trucks to your liking by loosening them or tighten them. The looser the trucks the easier to carve.
7. Once you are done you can always customize your board with some stickers
Remember to skate safe and wear your pads when needed.
Fred Riehl has been surfing and working with Brave New World surf shops for 18 years!
The Tube Quest Continues at ... www.bravesurf.com
Showing posts with label Make a Skateboard. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Make a Skateboard. Show all posts
Make a Skateboard
By Dash Hammer
It is very easy to learn how to make one with easy to find tools. Of course, many skateboarders have a dream of making skateboarding a profession instead of just something they do in their spare time. Once you learn the technique for making skateboards, assuming either you or a friend have any art talent, a logical next step would be to try to turn this into a business.
Before starting any business, you should first do market research. What this means is asking yourself if there's a market for your product - in this case, custom made skateboards. Skateboarding is a 2.5 billion dollar industry, and it's growing each year. I don't know about you, but a tiny piece of that pie would be very nice. So there is a market.
The next step is to determine if you can get people to find your business. The great news is that the Internet is an awesome tool for driving customers to your business, so once you have a cool website with a few different board designs on it, you can get customers to come to you without the expense of opening a traditional store in a strip mall. Again, if you have web skills with any design talents or know a friend who does, it should be fairly easy to make a killer website which will help drive sales.
Lastly, you'll need to figure out how to mass produce skateboards - maybe smallish quantities, but more than you could do with a wooden-block form and a shop vacuum. Fortunately, you can either make skateboard forms out of concrete or purchase them online (there are several suppliers). Then you'll just have to mount this form into a press (a hand-jack inside a custom welded frame will work until you can afford a hydraulic press) and start semi-mass producing boards. Maple veneer and epoxy are both readily available online, so this really is an easy startup compared to many other business.
Other things to remember, however, is that even though this business will relate to something you're passionate about, it will still be a business.
Most small businesses fail in the first year. This isn't because they didn't have a great product in most cases, it's because the owners didn't know how to run a business. In most towns in the US, there is a Small Business Development Center - if not an the town, nearby. They provide a free service to help small businesses succeed. I highly recommend visiting them early in the planning stage and anytime you run into a stumbling block. Any time you can find a free resource to help your business succeed, it's a huge plus.
So again, once you can make a skateboard, figure out if you can make it a business. It might not be enough to retire on, but you never know - you might be the next Paul Schmitt!
Dash Hammer is a rabid skateboarder who has been researching methods to make skateboards and skateboard related items. He enjoys the sport, and knows that skateboarding has great potential as a business. He hopes to be able to show you how you can turn it into more of a hobby, and perhaps even a business as well. Visit Dash's blog for more information on how to make a skateboard and how to develop a skateboarding business.
It is very easy to learn how to make one with easy to find tools. Of course, many skateboarders have a dream of making skateboarding a profession instead of just something they do in their spare time. Once you learn the technique for making skateboards, assuming either you or a friend have any art talent, a logical next step would be to try to turn this into a business.
Before starting any business, you should first do market research. What this means is asking yourself if there's a market for your product - in this case, custom made skateboards. Skateboarding is a 2.5 billion dollar industry, and it's growing each year. I don't know about you, but a tiny piece of that pie would be very nice. So there is a market.
The next step is to determine if you can get people to find your business. The great news is that the Internet is an awesome tool for driving customers to your business, so once you have a cool website with a few different board designs on it, you can get customers to come to you without the expense of opening a traditional store in a strip mall. Again, if you have web skills with any design talents or know a friend who does, it should be fairly easy to make a killer website which will help drive sales.
Lastly, you'll need to figure out how to mass produce skateboards - maybe smallish quantities, but more than you could do with a wooden-block form and a shop vacuum. Fortunately, you can either make skateboard forms out of concrete or purchase them online (there are several suppliers). Then you'll just have to mount this form into a press (a hand-jack inside a custom welded frame will work until you can afford a hydraulic press) and start semi-mass producing boards. Maple veneer and epoxy are both readily available online, so this really is an easy startup compared to many other business.
Other things to remember, however, is that even though this business will relate to something you're passionate about, it will still be a business.
Most small businesses fail in the first year. This isn't because they didn't have a great product in most cases, it's because the owners didn't know how to run a business. In most towns in the US, there is a Small Business Development Center - if not an the town, nearby. They provide a free service to help small businesses succeed. I highly recommend visiting them early in the planning stage and anytime you run into a stumbling block. Any time you can find a free resource to help your business succeed, it's a huge plus.
So again, once you can make a skateboard, figure out if you can make it a business. It might not be enough to retire on, but you never know - you might be the next Paul Schmitt!
Dash Hammer is a rabid skateboarder who has been researching methods to make skateboards and skateboard related items. He enjoys the sport, and knows that skateboarding has great potential as a business. He hopes to be able to show you how you can turn it into more of a hobby, and perhaps even a business as well. Visit Dash's blog for more information on how to make a skateboard and how to develop a skateboarding business.
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