Tired of your parents yelling at you for leaving scuff marks on the wall? Don't like picking up your longboard from the floor in the middle of the hallway? Build a longboard hanger!! It is fairly simple to do. Now I know that most people reading this don't have access to a plasma cutter, but there can be a lot of variance to the process of building this. You can use a bandsaw or a Dremel to cut the part out and steel is easily substituted for aluminum. Sheet breaks are hard to come by, but you could just as easily bend aluminum over the edge of your workbench. The reason I used this process was because I had access to it =] Vote for me in the Digital Fabrication Contest!

Step 1: Materials

Small sheet of steel or aluminum. I used a 1/8" sheet of steel

Plasma cutter, band saw, Dremel. pretty much anything that can cut through the metal you choose

Sheet brake, edge of a workbench. anything to put a sharp bend in your metal

Mallet and a metal rod (optional). If you're using a plasma cutter, it may leave bits of slag that are easily tapped off

Files, grinder (optional). to get the edges nice and smooth

Sand Blaster (optional.) If you want to get a nice matte finish on your hanger.

Marking tools. I used a marking square, ruler, and a sharpie

Step 2: Design Your Part

I designed mine on Autodesk Inventor at my school. I had to take into account that the best hanging space for the trucks is 4 inches wide. The body is a 6"x2" rectangle and the arms are just arcs. I intentionally designed the bend to be partially on the main body because it helps keep the longboard off the wall.

Step 3: Cut the Part

I cut mine out on the plasma cutter, but you can use a bandsaw or a Dremel if you are using aluminum. If you are cutting on a plasma cutter, don't go for it with your hand after it's cut out. It's still REALLY hot. Use a pliers and take it to the sink to sink to do a rinse. Also, watch out for boiling water splashing up all over your hand. It hurts.

Step 4: Take the Edge Off

Use a file or a grinder to take off the rough edges. If you plasma cut, the edge might be lumpy. Hit these melted lumps off with a rod and a hammer. They should pop off after 1 or 2 hits. Be careful not to bend your part.

Step 5: Mark and Bend and Finish

The main body of my part is 6" wide, but I need the bends to be 4" apart. To get the bends perfectly 1" in from each edge, take your marking square and put it up against the edge. Take your ruler and put it up against the square and mark at 1". Take the square and put it sideways so that the long edge is touching the mark you made and draw a line. Do this for both sides. The pictures do a better job of explaining.

Once you have the marks, take it to the sheet brake or the edge of your work bench and mark at 90Ë. I just eyeballed and it came out pretty well.

Once your part is bent, you're pretty much done! You can hang it up if you want to, or you can paint it, or sandblast it.

Thanks for looking guys! If you really liked it, you can vote for me in the Digital Fabrication Contest!!!