Longboard Info

[Clark Harbaugh]

Any of you guys that know skate boards, I could use some help. My daughter has asked me for a longboard for Christmas, and I thought about building her one. I have a couple of quick questions:

A quick google shows many people building these out of ply. I would rather use solid hardwood, is this OK? My thought was maple with a couple of sapele stripes, or the other way around.
She is about 5'5" and about 115 lbs. Based on that, how thick should the board be? It looks like most people judge the flex as they are building, but I want this to be a surprise.
Is flat an acceptable shape, or should start with thicker stock and shape it?
Last question is what type of trucks and wheels are decent quality? It has been 25+ years since I skated, and simply have no idea of the different brands, styles, etc.


BTW, she mostly just wants it for cruising around. Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

[Tom Scott]

Hey Clark, I had a similar request from my son a few years ago. I used maple board that I had laying around and put a few cherry strips in it. I believe it was close to 3/4" thick, maybe a bit less. And it's been too long for me to remember what trucks and wheels I ended up with, but got them off e-bay as a set.
Good luck with the build...they are quite simple and fun.

Tom

[Stephen Cherry]

google " 1/8 baltic birch longboard "

[Huck Schwee]

I have never built one but I think one of the reasons that the board uses plywood is because of the inherit flex and strains that the board goes through. Where a hardwood might simply break or crack, the plywood will flex to absorb the strain and bend back into position. For someone lightweight and easy use, this prolly won't be an issue but something to think about.

[Larry Fox]

As a former skateboarder I would recommend you forego your own satisfaction on this one and buy her a board - at least the first one. They typically have an up-bow to them and that might be hard to sort out and you can use the store-bought one as an example for the awesome one you build later. Remember the Eddie Murphy routine where his mom makes him a burger at home instead of buying him a Big Mac. I am sure the home burger was better but it wasn't a Big Mac - same kinda thing here.

If she scores one she likes her longboard will be her go-to board and will be a something she shows off and it will quickly become her favorite. Longboards are sooooo much fun.

Getting old stinks - I miss skateboarding.

[Keith Hankins]

My son is into longobarding big time. It amazes me how much those cost .vs. regular skate boards. Most boards are laminates for obvious reasons. They are many many different types as well depending on the desired function. Down hill cruzing, or lots of tricks. My son has a bunch an you can sink a bundle into them. He just paid 350 for his last one. He worded all summer to save the money. He to wants to do a joint project. You can find some youtube vids on the topic. Maple plys seem to be the desired wood of choice with fiberglass or carbon fiber inlaid. The hard part is they are not just flat boards but need various contours to support the style desired. If you can do a vaccuum press that would be nice or a form and a lot of clamps would to. 11 plys or fewer if you can do fiberglass. We are going to start on the forms this winter. Now for trucks and wheels I'd go to http://www.daddiesboardshop.com. They are good and ship fast. Bearings, springs and all make a difference. You could get some ideas for board design there. My son has got one board that's almost 5' long pretty cool. I would not use solid wood will not stand up to the stress or you will have to make it so thick it will not be practacle. Good luck man its a great sport but insist on head protection and get some gloves with skid pads.

[Steve Peterson]

There are sites like http://www.roarockit.com/d_builder.php that supply veneer kits for building longboards. 7 ply maple veneer appears to be popular. They would have most of the plys running lengthwise and a few running the short direction to keep it from cracking.

You would need a form to shape it using a vacuum press. It sounds like a lot of fun, but you are looking at some dollars for the vacuum press and around $50 per board for the wood. Trucks and wheels are extra.

Steve

[J.R. Rutter]

It is pretty easy to get a single axis curve, or camber, built into the board if you use thin plywood. Trace out the final shape, but don't cut it until the glue cures. Make a bridge with the plies by putting a cross board at each end, put a weight in the middle, use screws around the perimeter or clamps if you have a bunch. After you make one, you will have a better idea of how much camber you need for a given weight range and thickness.

Solid wood is fine, too, for stiffer boards. I have had VG grain split at the screw holes though, so either use a crossband there or use flatsawn wood. You can sculpt it with a belt sander, angle grinder with flap disk, or with spokeshaves, etc.

[Ted Calver]

Check these out. They appear to be from solid wood.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?134303-3-longboard-skateboards-I-just-finished

[Keith Weber]

When I first starting reading this thread, I was thinking... Solid wood? Really???? That thing would weigh a ton!! You probably wouldn't even be able to carry it solo into the water. But, then I realized that you guys weren't talking about traditional long boards (picture surfing in Waikiki, HI), but were talking about some new kind of skateboard. I guess I'm just getting old!

Keith

[Bryan Slimp]

Amazon has a deal going active around 1:30 PST for a solid looking complete board. Here's the title - Surf One Robert August II Complete Longboard (8.875 x 43.75).