How to Create a Longboard (Wheele Cutout)

Hey guys,
do you really want to spent a lot of money buying a longboard? Probably not! This DIY project will help you create an awesome self-made longboard of good quality. When creating your own longboard, you can choose the design you want it to be, plus you dont need as much money, which is positive I guess. All the machines, materials and supplies are provided by the school I go in, which means that you will probably be able to get the materials quite easy. So lets go ahead and start with our project of creating an awesome longboard. Have fun guys and try it out. Don't forget to comment if you need help or you have any question.

Step 1: Gather All the Materials Required

The first step to create your longboard is to of course gather all the materials requiered. I will be giving you two materials list, one for the creation of the longboard and one for how to paint it with spray paint. I thought it would be interesting for you to know how you may paint it, that`s why this step by step plan also provides you infromation about how to paint it.

Matirials for the creation of longboard

To create the long board, I will be using:

plywood
trucks with the wheels
a circular saw
screws
sandpaper
sanding machine
screwdriver
wood glue
griptape
brush
paper
1 meter ruler
normal ruler
clamps
heavy weights

To paint the deck, I will be using

alcohol
spray paint cans
tape
pencil
eraser

Step 2: Sketch the Design

First I decided to draw it on a piece of paper, but then I decided that it would be more precise to draw it on the wood. It worked better as you can see on the picture. I used a 1 meter ruler, and a pencil to sketch it. I looked at an example of a "Wheel cutout" longboard and then did the measurements. My board is about 1.20 meters long and it has a width of 22 centimeters (from mid point to mid point). The end of the board are 11 centimeters and 21 centimeters from the top to the line which shows the spikes at the corner. After sketching all the measurements, I had a just a normal longboard, which I found really boaring so I decided to add some curves into it at the sides of it. I also decided to add those four spikes at the sides.

Materials:

pencil
rulers
eraser

Step 3: Glue the Wood Piece on Another One

If you had the same problem as me, which was that I only had a thing piece of wood, just solve the problem by glueing it to another piece of wood. When you do that, be careful to not use very much and just use the requiered amount. I would highly recommend you to disperse the glue with a brush and leave the glue as transparent and thin as you can. After that, you have to leave it drying for two days I recommend. When you leave it drying, add some clamps, so that it sticks better and they press each other. If you want your longboard to be a bit bended, add some weight on the middle of the board while the two days of glueing and place a chair on both of the ends of the board.

Recap of steps:

Spread glue with brush on both of the wood pieces
Stick them together
Add many clamps to the corners and sides
Put heavy things on the middle
Leave it drying for 2 days.

Recap for how to bend it:

Place two chairs facing each other
Place the board on it
Leave a gap between the chairs
Add heavy weight to the middle of the board

Step 4: Cutting the Deck

This is probably one of the most important steps. In this step, you will see that you have done process. When using a cutting machine be really careful of how to use it. For the sake of being safe, I would highly recommend you to use safety googles, no flip flops, and tie long hair. After following the safety rules, you can get started cuting out the outline of your board. During my research on the creation of longboard, I was adviced to not cut too near to the marked designing lines becuase when you do a wrong move you might mess it up.

Recap of steps:

Prepare and get safety materials
Start cutting the outline

Very important: When using the cutting machine DO NOT place your arm as I did on the presented video.

Step 5: Sanding Your Deck

After you have finished cutting the board roughly, go over with a sanding machine or sand paper, this will help you smoothen the deck and create a special feeling. You wont have any splinters or anything which can make your board look bad. Sanding your deck also helps you having it nice and clear without any drawing marks. This process of sanding will make your board look really good and precise.

Recap of steps:

Get your safety googles
Start sanding carefully

Step 6: Varnish the Deck

Now we are ready to varnish and paint the board. After doing a great job of making your board look smooth and actually be smooth, we can use the varnishing spray or paint to make the wood be strong against rain, dirt, dust or water for example. Use an old brush if you have paint or just simply spray it on the board. Your decks color will slightly change which isn't bad since you will be painting it or adding stickers to it anyways. I would let it drying for 2 hours and then we can continue to the next step.

Recap of steps:

Gather materials
Use an old brush to paint the varnishing paint on the deck
Spray the varnishing material if you have a sprayer
Let it dry for 2 hours

Step 7: Painting the Longboard

Now we will do one of the most exciting and fun parts. We will be painting the longboard. To paint spray the deck, you need to have a different amount of tools such as alcohol which will be used to clean the deck when its cut and in its shaped, you will be using paper towels, of course spray paint cans, you will need varnish spray to keep the paint for example when it gets wet and it also helps as a protection wall for dirt, dust or scratches. I will most likely be using a pencil and a rubber to first sketch the design and I will use masking tape to stick it on places where I don't want any paint to come on. To create the design I will first use a pencil to sketch it. After that, I will be using the tape and I will stick it on the parts I don't want paint to go on. After completing that and having everything set, I will start to paint with the cans. I will do everything very precisely to make it look good. Before completing all those steps, I will clean the deck with alcohol so it is clean and there isn’t any dirt on it. After completing all steps, I will take the tape of and I will varnish the deck to create this protective wall which I explained before. When you are painting, wait 30 min between each time you change the color. After completing deck and everything is painted, leave it for 24 hours and then you put the varnishing spray.

Recap of steps:

Clean it with alcohol
Sketch the design you want
Add ducktape to the pats you dont want pay to go on
Start sparing or painting (if you use spraypaint, wait 30 min when changing the color)
Take the tape off
Let it dry for 2 days
Add varnishing spray or paint to it.

Step 8:

So guys,

that was it for this project, I really hope you liked my first instructable and I will be posting a new one on another topic soon. If you have any special wishes and you want me to create something, I will try and create a project and show you how to do it, just leave it on the comments.

Never give up and follow your goal! Have a nice day