Introduction: Diy Longboard Deck

In this instruction I will show you how you can make your own longboard deck in some simple steps. First you will have to build a press to form the longboard. After that you can press your board.

Supplies

For the press you will need

  • 13 pieces of multiplex from 14cm by 34cm and 18 mm thick
  • 2 pieces of wood from 34cm by 120cm and 18mm thick
  • 10 beams of 30*30mm and 40cm long
  • 4 1 meter M8 rods
  • 20 M8 nuts

For the board you will need

  • 3 pieces of really strong multiplex from 25cm by 100cm 3mm thick
  • triaxial glass fiber
  • wood epoxy

Step 1: The Press

You start by making the ribs of the press. I made templates that you can use. The templates need to be printed out on a A3 paper. You will need to print all of them two times except rib 7 which you will need to print only once.

Attachments

Step 2: The Ribs

Use paper glue to attach the templates to the multiplex. Use a jigsaw to saw them out. Best to saw really slowly with a lot of accuracy.

Step 3: Placement of the Ribs

The placement of the ribs: start at 12 cm from the short side of the base plate and keep 6 cm in between the ribs.

Step 4: Attaching the Ribs

Now you can attach the ribs to their base with wood glue and screws. It's important that the side with the paper is facing to the outside of the press. And the order of the ribs should be 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-6-5-4-3-2-1.

Step 5: The Clamping System of the Press

For the clamping system you will need to cut the M8 rods in 10 pieces of 30 cm. Next you should number the beams in pairs of two, clamp them together and drill at the two ends an 8mm hole. After that you can enlarge the two holes of each pair of the beams with a 12mm drill until halfway. This way you can hammer a nut in place. Now you can divide the clamps on the backside of the lower press plate and glue them in place. After you have done that, you will insert the rods on the lower press plate in the nuts. And use those rods to align the top part of the clamps and also glue those in place on the upper press plate. Now you can apply pressure on the glue by tightening the nuts. Now you're ready with the press!

Step 6: Preparing the Board

First you need to place a layer of plastic foil to work on. Then you need to cut two pieces of glass fiber of the same size as the wood for the board. For the first layer of wood make sure that the wood fibers are aligned with the longitudinal axis of your board. Next you mix your epoxy. You will need about 200ml so make 250ml to be sure. Apply a layer on the wood. After that you can put the first layer of glass fiber. I use 1 layer of glass fiber between each layer of wood - if you want to have a stiffer and stronger board you can use 2 layers. For the second layer of wood you should take care that the wood fibers are oriented perpendicularly with the first layer and for the third layer again aligned with the longitudinal axis. When you're done with the three layers you can wrap the board in plastic foil and put it in the press.

Step 7: Finish the Board

After 48 hours you can take the board out of the press. If you used a lot of epoxy like I did you will have to sandpaper it. After that you can use my template to saw it out or draw your own design on it. After it is cut out you can drill the truck holes. I would recommend to paint the board to make it water resistant. And after it is painted the only thing left to do is put grip tape on it and go longboarding.

Attachments

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