Skateboard Bed #2: The Axle, Wheels, and Trucks

I did some proportion work and decided I need 6” wheels. The wheels I found have barring that are made for a ½” axle. For the axle, I went to steel supplier and had them cut some 43” pieces for me.

For the trucks I glued up some MDF to come up with a 3” thick block. I sanded down the corners at an angle just to give it some interesting lines and not just a plain cube.

I have the axle and the trucks. I needed to find a why to attach them together. My original thought was to use a bracket system. That would have worked fine but the difference in the length of the axle and the truck was causing a little flex. I decided to dado out a channel into two pieces of poplar, the distance between the wheels, and encase the axle. This solved the problem of the flexing and how to attach it. I screwed the first part of the axle housing to the MDF truck piece, put the axle in, and screwed the other axle housing piece onto the first.

Next post I’ll explain how I make the actual platform part with the turned up ends. For more building pictures see my Current Projects link at wwbeds.com

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