Hey guys,
To save money I want to make my own longboard deck (probably 40" or so) with a little bit of flex So does anyone have any tips on making a longboard deck like what wood to use (that doesn’t break the bank) or just tips. I am totally new to woodwork so sorry if these are stupid or obvious questions.
btw I have watched a couple of videos on youtube but they were very old (2011ish)
thanks will check out that post
veneer is less expensive the more you get but you can get it reasonably priced. You just have to google a lot. google marwood veneer and maybe just skateboard veneer kit or maybe skateboard deck making diy or something. There are a few ways to laminate but you can use a vac bag and some tightbond III wood glue to laminate your veneer for the best results for a one off. A vacuum bag can be made from visqueen (heavy plastic sheeting) and a vacuum cleaner if you’re really pressed for cash and don’t mind the noise of a potentially burning out vacuum cleaner motor for 6 or 7 hours. A shop vac would be better, but if you don’t have one an upright will do. Or you could buy a pump to go with your kit.
let it cure inside your house for a minimum of 48 hours, no matter how you glue it. if you live where there is cold or heat and humidity or anything not ideal the deck could warp. I warped plenty of decks before i figured out what was happening.
@Orin635 if you just need one deck setting yourself up to make one isn’t likely to save you money. Once you buy wood, glue, and supplies will will likely have exceeded the cost of a cheap deck.
I 100% encourage you to make a deck, but realize that it’s not going to save you money.
1/8" Baltic Birch is the absolute best beginner material for making decks. Very easy to work with compared with veneer, and makes perfectly viable boards.
If you were looking at youtube videos you hopefully ran into this one of mine which gives the whole rundown on BB.
Past that, the rest comes down to:
What sort of size/shape were you wanting?
What tools do you have available?
You mention you want flexy, do you mean like dampened comfortable flex, or more of a poppy springy flex?
Not like the boosted board, I have a couple of ideas on what to do. Probably stiff wood would be best (ik I said flexy in the topic but I have redesigned the board
I heard baltic birch is expensive. And what wood glue do you recommend?
I was planning on buying only wood, I have the tools necessary but I’m not sure about glue. A kit would probably be to expensive
I thought i could save some money too, but it’s a bit false economy. It takes a lot of time and effort and i don’t think it is worth it if you don’t produce them for a sale.
Baltic Birch is normally pretty affordable. The only thing is it depends on local availability.
I’m able to get it right now for about $12 a sheet, which is enough wood for two boards. ( or one board, and one mistake )
You’ll have to call around to wood suppliers in your area, its not an uncommon item but you’ll probably still end up needing to make a few calls to find it. Dimensional lumberyards probably won’t stock it, many of them don’t stock plywood of any kind. If a place you call doesn’t carry baltic birch make sure you ask them who might, and that’ll get you there quicker.
If its not available locally then prices get pretty expensive and you’re better off buying skate veneer from roarockit or other places like that, but that’s not exactly super cheap either.
The glue I recommend is Titebond 3, if thats not available or isn’t very easy to get, or you’re pushing your budget a bit then Titebond 2 also works well. Easy enough to get on Amazon nowadays though. A 16oz bottle should be plenty for a deck with some to spare, but I’m unsure if its enough for 2.
Check out these guys if your looking to save some money and dont decide to make your own. Cant beat a $25 dollar deck.
Wow ok. That’s alot of information thank you so much. I will definitely do all that
I have made 2 decks for my esk8’s. I used multiplex, 3 layers around 6mm each and glued them together and slightly bended them. It has a nice flex and I love making them. Make sure you use enough glue between the layers and let it dry a couple of days in the same bended position.
how much did it cost? (for one board)
I don’t know my father gave it to me.
