How to Recycle Old Skateboards

by bmkenned

22K10115

Intro: How to Recycle Old Skateboards

My friends and I have a bunch of old skateboards lying around from years of skating. I decided to finally do something with that.

Made at TechShop Chandler
www.techshop.ws

STEP 1: Sectioning and Cutting

Take all of your old boards and ungrip them. The best way to do this is with a hair dryer or heat gun, melting the adhesive and trying to pull it off like a big sticker. Use a razor blade when necessary.

Once the hard part is done section the board off so you will have sections with the same concave. You can cut these all day long on the chop saw.

STEP 2: Gluing

Now you have a whole bunch of bits of skateboard. Do your best to match all the parts with the same concave and approximately the same size.

Spread some wood glue in between each ply and get some clamps! the more the better. If you glue different parts of the board with different concaves the whole block WILL delaminate within a few days of gluing. 2 different sections of different boards with slightly different concave is ok though.

STEP 3: Your Big Colorful Block

Now you have this big hunk of beautiful colored wood that you paid almost nothing for. Now what to do with them? I did some test where I re-sawed it down into 1/8 inch slices to laser cut for some fancy wood inlay work. I also made a diagonal slice across the block and got a really interesting piece. Get creative!

or make a living like this artist named Haroshi is doing!

http://haroshi.com/artworks/

14 Comments

Hiroak 10 years ago

Does everyone but me have a laser cutter?

I like this Idea but I think I will turn it on a lathe becasue I don't have a laser cutter.

bmkenned 10 years ago

Im not actual a huge fan of the laser cutting either, heres a much cooler scroll-saw only method done by an artist named Haroshi.

Dr_Stupid 10 years ago

I loathe and despise the invented term "upcycle". It's just a made up word to give people the warm and fuzzies about using someone else's trash and they're too good to say "Hey, I saved this from the landfill."

Call a spade a spade. Nobodys going to look down on you for making something cool out of trash. Calling it "upcycled" is pretentious and lame, and if someone looks down on you for recycling trash on your own, well they don't need to be your friend.

Pindell 10 years ago

upcycle


ˈəpˌsīkəl/

verb

  1. 1.
    reuse (discarded objects or material) in such a way as to create a product of a higher quality or value than the original.

    "the opportunity to upcycle trash, or turn it into new products, was vast"

_______________________________________________

Using the term "upcycle" IS saying EXACTLY "Hey, I saved this from the landfill" without having to use so many syllables. One literally means the other (and the listener likely knows that, or will know right away). Your suggestion makes language long and drawn out instead of more concise while meaning the same thing. I understand that change is scary (new words occur all the time whether we agree with the decision to use that word for that definition or not), but sometimes it's for the best, or at least good enough...even if we find the word cheesy or "pretentious and lame".

While you're not wrong and are fully entitled to your feelings. I think you're fighting between "6" and "a half dozen", here.

Have a swell day.

Pindell 10 years ago

Oh yeah. One more thing: ALL words are made up. Every one of them.

Cheers!

Oldbear 10 years ago

Wooden hockey sticks can be used in the same way. Thanks for the inspiration. I'm working to instill the re-use part of the 3-Rs in my kids.

vladivastok 10 years ago

WHILE IT IS A GOOD THING TO KEEP THING'S OUT OF THE LANDFILL,. HAVE YOU EVER CONSIDERED MAKING SNOW SHOES? STURDY WOOD WITH UPTURNED ENDS, SLIPPERY ON THE BOTTOM, GRIP TAPE ON THE TOP. JUST NEED TO STRING,VARNISH, AND ADD BINDINGS AND YOU SHOULD BE GOOD TO GO. HELL, SEND ME 2 AND ILL DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!! THANK'S [VLAD]

sobleather 10 years ago

how did you do the houndstooth laser cut?

jhasslen 10 years ago

Put it on a wood lathe

nsnip 10 years ago

Awesome!

ckraske 10 years ago

What do you do with your trucks?! I use the my decks for homemade longboards