Skateboard Veneer

Let's start with veneer. Skateboard veneer can be broken down into three categories of plys. Face plys, sanded or unsanded core plys and cross band plys which are generally unsanded. The way that you orient these different layers changes a board's strength, weight and feel. A common method of arranging the plys or layers would be...

1. Face 2. Core layer 3. Cross band 4. Core layer 5. Cross band 6. Core layer 7. Face
The thickness of the veneer varies as well. Often, 1/17th of an inch (.058 / 1.47mm) for the faces and core layers and the cross bands are generally thinner at 1/20th of an inch (.050 / 1.27mm). Depending on the results you want to achieve, veneer is also available in other thicknesses...

1/13th of an inch (.075 / 1.90mm) 1/16th of an inch (.062 / 1.57mm) 1/22nd of an inch (.045 / 1.14mm) 1/24th of an inch (.041 / 1.04mm)
For more information on skateboard veneer, including where to buy it, click here.

Skateboard Glue

You can use a glue made specifically for the skateboarding industry or a quality woodworking glue like Titebond III or a similar waterproof-when-dry glue.

It's best to apply the glue with a paint roller. Preferably one with a short nap that is no wider than 4" in width. The amount of glue that you apply is critical and may vary with each type of glue. I usually use about 3 ounces per veneer ply if the roller is dry and 2 ounces per veneer ply if the roller is already wet with glue. You also need to have an even coat which has not dried in any spot during the glue up process. The number one problem during skateboard construction is delamination, which can usually be traced back to an improper glue up. So work quick and make sure you apply enough glue to your veneer. For more information on skateboard glue, including where to buy it, click here.

Skateboard Molds
The veneer is then placed into a skateboard mold which with the help of a press, will force the veneer into the desired shape. There are a variety of these from foam, wood, aluminum and concrete. A lot of factors go into choosing the right mold. Such as what type of press will you be using, how many decks do you plan on making, how much space do you have and how much do you have in your budget. For more information on skateboard molds click here.

Skateboard Press

Your choice of press is determined by your mold. Regardless of mold, you will want to cold press your veneer (without heat at room temperature). Many factors go into how much pressure you'll need but 175 psi or 25 tons is a good place to start. Which is why a 5 ton press requires the veneer to be pressed for a longer period of time.

The formula you use to determine the proper tonnage is as follows. Take your total number of sq. inches, a sheet of 9.5" by 34" veneer is 323 (9.5 times 34). Multiply that number by your psi (175), which equals 56,525. Divide this number by 2000 (pounds in a ton) to arrive at about 28 tons. With the proper tonnage, some glues can set up as quickly as 10 minutes or less. If you are using an actual skateboard glue such as Multibond Sk8 orPC-2365 and correct tonnage, you can remove your decks within 2 hours (be sure to check with the manufacture of the glue to make sure). If you are using less than the required tonnage, say a 5 ton press, you would just leave your veneer in the skateboard press for a longer period of time. I recommend a full 24 hours. Once your skateboard deck has been removed from the mold, let it cure for an additional 24 hours before you do any more work on it. This allows both the glue and wood to completely dry. For more information on skateboard presses click here.

Drilling the Holes

You want to drill your holes for the truck mounting hardware with a drill press. You can also use a standard drill, but you must make the holes as perpendicular to the deck as possible. To locate the holes, you can use an old deck for a template or you can measure to find your true center of your deck, determine your wheelbase, then go from there. The truck holes are 1 5/8" apart and 2 1/8" from front to back. Use a 3/16" drill bit to drill the holes. For a truck hole mounting template click here.

Shaping the Skateboard

Shaping the deck is often accomplished by using another deck as a template. Trace the deck onto your uncut blank so you can see where to cut. Use a band saw or jig saw to cut out the deck. You can also take common skateboard measurements and determine where you should cut. For common skateboard measurments click here.

Routing and Sanding the Skateboard

The way a skateboard deck gets it's radiused or rounded edges can be achieved by using a router or a lot of sanding. I like to use a palm router or "mini" router as it is less cumbersome and easier to maneuver around the deck. The amount of radius is determined by personal preference, although 1/8" to 3/16" radius is about what you would find on a pro deck. Once you've gotten the edges taken care of, you'll want to sand your skateboard deck. It is helpful but not necessary to use an orbital sander. Start with 80 or 100 grit sandpaper and progressively work your way down to about 220 grit sandpaper which should leave the deck very smooth.

Sealing the Skateboard

Once the deck has been sanded smooth, use a tack cloth to remove the saw dust left behind. A tack cloth is essentially cheesecloth coated in a particular kind of wax. It works very well and I highly suggest using one. Now that your deck is smooth and clear of debris, you're ready to seal it. I use Deft Lacquer. There are many different products you could use here, but I swear by Deft. No one has ever paid me to advertise their product on my site and this lacquer is no different. I just feel it's that good. Unfortunately, it smells horrific. Which means that you must use it in a very well ventilated environment (outside, a good idea for all sealants).

Graphics
After you've applied the sealer, you can move on to the graphics. Stencil, spray paint, free hand or screen print... it's up to you. Just make sure that you use a paint with the same base as your sealer and final coat. What I mean by that is, if your sealer is water based, use a water based paint. If your sealer is solvent based, use a solvent based paint. Some sources say to use the same brand of paint. Which doesn't hurt, but I haven't found it necessary. For more information on silk screening graphics click here.

Final coat

Once you have finished your graphics and you've left them to dry overnight or longer, take your tack cloth and wipe down the deck. Using a clear coat, (I use my lacquer sealer) cover the deck and let it dry. Depending on the product, you may want to give your skateboard several more coats of finish (check with the manufacture). That should be it, you have a finished skateboard deck that you made yourself from scratch. Now it's time to grip it and destroy what you've worked so hard to make... it's a cruel world sometimes.

I'll try to get some more articles on the shaping and graphics portion of skateboard deck construction, but for the time being this article should cover most of what you need to know to make it happen. Good Luck!

How to make a wood skateboard mold

Wood skateboard molds are nice because they can be used to make a skateboard deck using all sorts of pressing techniques and they're not too expensive to make. The wood skateboard mold in this article works best with pipe clamps and aside from the tools, it should cost less than $30.

I made this wood skateboard mold with these plans in mind and by following this article it shouldn't be that difficult for you to make. Just make sure you have a thorough understanding of how it is done before starting.

Print
To make this skateboard mold accessible to the novice wood worker while retaining as much accuracy as possible, you will need to print out the three PDF section drawings below. These section drawings have been drawn to scale, meaning that once printed, they will be the same size as the wood mold that you're making. Also, each PDF section drawing represents both the top and bottom of of the wood skateboard mold. The line on the top and bottom of the section drawings corresponds to the top and bottom of the 28 whose overall height is 7 1/4". The lines in the center are the cut lines, lines that once cut will make up the top and bottom of the wood skateboard mold.

PDF Sections

Section Zero

Section One

Section Two

Section Three

Click here if you need Adobe PDF Reader.

Checking scale

To make sure these PDF section drawings are printed to scale, they should fill up a standard 8 1/2" x 11" sheet of paper in it's entirety minus a 1/4" or so on either end of the sheet of paper depending on your printer. You can also check the scale by measuring the distance between the truck mounting lines, this measurement should be 2 1/8". The wheel base dimensions will measure out to be 14 1/4" and the top and bottom lines on the drawings will be 7 1/4", which is the actual width of a 28.

Optional: If you want a shorter wheel base for your wood skateboard mold, make the 14 1/4" distance shorter.

Also, to save space and time, PDF section drawings 1 through 3 will be printed twice and used for both sides of the wood skateboard mold not the top and bottom. You will use the PDF section drawing 0 once, for the center 28 as seen to the right.

Build it
Gather all your materials. Start by cutting two 12' long 2x8's into 34" lengths. You will need a total of seven. Piece your printed PDF section drawings together, end to end, as shown here.

They are only going to add up to 33", so your going to have to draw that extra half inch on each end.

Cutting to Size
Using spray adhesive, glue and center the section drawings onto the 28. The wood will have 1/2" exposed on each end. By gluing the patterns on, you can just follow the lines with a jigsaw and peel off the drawings when you're done. Or you can trace the drawings if you choose.

Shaping

Now place the cut 28's on a flat surface. They should resemble stairs. Trace their outline onto the piece next to it. You can remove the excess wood by chiseling down at an angle to 1/16" or so of this newly drawn line.

You can also use a heavy grit sandpaper wheel on an angle grinder. 40 or 60 grit should do the trick. It will remove the excess wood quickly, almost too quickly so be careful not to take off too much. Do this one piece at a time and try not to remove any wood from the sawn edge.

Clarification
It has come to my attention that the PDF's and this article do not explain exactly where you need to remove the excess wood to create the concave and convex of the wood skateboard mold.

So I threw together the above image to more accurately show where you should chisel to. It is a cross section of the mold, in the middle. The curved line represents the cut line. The #3 piece on the top should have about 5/16" of an inch removed as well as the center #0 piece, which was a bit too long. As I have mentioned to others, the provided PDF's are more of a starting point. You will need to work at getting the two halves to meet by making the bottom to your satisfaction and checking often that the top fits during wood removal.

Assemble

Once they look similar to a finished skateboard mold, brush them off and set them aside.

Using a 4" wide foam roller with paint tray and wood glue like Titebond, begin putting the shaped 28's together by rolling glue onto both pieces, starting with piece number 3. Attach it to piece number 2 with clamps. Now, while the clamps are in place, screw them together using about 3 screws. The screws will be left in for extra strength. Unclamp and attach the glued assembly to piece number 1 using glue, clamps and screws. Repeat until done. After you've done both halves, allow the glue to dry overnight to prepare for finishing.

Finish

Now that the glue is dry, sand the inside edges smooth to finish the skateboard mold. Again, make sure you don't remove too much wood. You just want to have each 28 meet the previous one. An orbital sander with 60 to 80 grit sandpaper works good here. When all the edges meet, use progressively finer sandpaper until smooth.

When using this mold to press a deck, it's a good idea to use a thin layer of cork, about 1/8" thick on both sides of the veneer plies to make up for any imperfections in your mold. You can use about 10 pipe clamps (5 on each side) to press decks with this mold. They should provide enough pressure if left for about 24 hours to dry. One last thing, this wood skateboard mold is only as accurate as you make it. Take your time, have patience and a good understanding of the process.

Your mold will not look exactly like these photos. I made that mold with 26's before realizing that 28's would work better for a wood skateboard mold. As you can see by how thin the top is.