# Skateboard Jig



## TheGeekPub (Oct 29, 2015)

Several years ago my son pestered me until I gave in (any Dad's out there?). Together we made some old school skateboards (link to my article and video about said project). Short story: Basically a 3/4" section of scrap oak and some trucks from an old roller skate.

Well, now he is pestering me to make a real skateboard (and some for his buddies). He wants to make them from them completely from scratch. This includes plying the skateboard and putting it into a mold and pressure forming it.

OK. I think I have most of the process figured out, but I was hoping someone could help me with two things:

1) I am planning to re-saw the plies on the bandsaw. I don't however have a drum sander to clean them up with like I see in all of the YouTube videos. Do you think it would be possible to plain them on the planer maybe using some melamine MDF and some spray adhesive?

2) Since my jig is going to be made from laminated MDF or pine it won't be made from metal. This means I have to put something between the jig and the plies to apply heat to them. Has anyone ever done this before? What's the best way to apply heat to the wood while its being held in the jig?

Thanks for all your ideas!


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## MrUnix (May 18, 2012)

I'm not exactly clear on what you are trying to do… make a laminated board? If so, what do you need the heat for?

I've made several laminated sailboat tillers, which are laminated to get the alternating colors. The laminates are made about 1/4" so they can bend to the final shape. I have an aux. table (just a melamine board with cleats on each end to hold it in place) for my planer that lets me plane them to final thickness. Then a form is made out of some scrap wood to the shape of the tiller. The layers get glued and stacked on the form and clamped in position to cure (I use epoxy as it needs to be waterproof).

Cheers,
Brad


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## TheGeekPub (Oct 29, 2015)

If you look at a skateboard its just plywood. But it is formed to the shape of a skateboard. Do do this four or five plies are glued together and pressed in a heated forming mold to dry.


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## MrUnix (May 18, 2012)

Still not seeing a need for a heated form… those tillers I made were 8-ply (4 each of contrasting color wood) and just clamped onto the form to cure. And they had some pretty substantial curves in them - much more than what a typical skateboard would have. What is the purpose of the heat?

Cheers,
Brad


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## TheGeekPub (Oct 29, 2015)

Well, that's a good point. In all the pro videos on YouTube, they use a big metal heated form to clamp the board into. I honestly don't know why it is heated.


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## SirIrb (Jan 12, 2015)

I think the pros use steam that's where the heat comes in. Final thickness should be about 3/8.


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## SuperCubber (Feb 23, 2012)

Mike, have you seen Bob's video on it?






He uses a vacuum bag and plys. Seems to work well without the use of heat.


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## pjones46 (Mar 1, 2011)

I have made many for neighbor kids. I made a two piece wooden mold and use many large C-Camps to bring the two halves together as would a press on the layers. I have used 3 and 4 layers of 1/8" multi ply Baltic birch plywood or 2 layers of 1/4" multi ply Baltic birch plywood.

The mold shapes a slight curve along the length to the outer edges of the board and a slight curve toward the middle of the board from the long ends. The curve on the outside edges allows more control for turns while on the board and the crown to the center allows for weigh depression in a jump without bottoming out.

I use Tightbond 111 for glue and have no problems with delaminating during use. The thinner the board the better the spring on the board.

If inteested I will post a photo of my form.

There are many vids on the net of this process, do a google search.


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## bbain32 (Mar 8, 2015)

> Well, that s a good point. In all the pro videos on YouTube, they use a big metal heated form to clamp the board into. I honestly don t know why it is heated.
> 
> - TheGeekPub


The heat in the press may be used to cure the specific type of glue they are using. There is really no need to use a heated press for one-off construction of a board.


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## Ger21 (Oct 29, 2009)

The only thing the heat will do is speed up the glue curing process. If you're not in a hurry, you can do without the heat.


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