Since the beginning of 2013 I wanted to build a longboard. I like building stuff, so buying one would just not work for me. A plank seems like an easy enough task? Finally, I proceeded to build many boards.The initial problem though was trucks and wheels.
So, I waited...
New York, June 2013. While tidying my Grandpa's garage I came across an ancient skateboard with a deck as flaky as a Weetbix. However, with some WD40 (A.K.A Q20 back home) the wheels were rolling and the trucks were turning. Nice.
How now? Add a headboard that is on it's way out, and Bob's your uncle. Actually, Bob's my Grandpa, and Bob has some mean tools that we'll throw into the mix with some noise as well. So, this is how the headboard was divided.
Grip tape? Sandpaper with some random glue worked, until paper met water. It was still ride-able and I was super happy to be able to re-learn skateboarding and cruise around Brooklyn.
Soon after I met a fellow South African at a park. And after some visits and cycling, his family decided to give me a longboard. Henning Familie, ek is baie dankbaar daarvoor. Julle het my tyd in New York regtig verryk met al die aktiwiteite en uitstappies. Dankie!
Back home. I Had to leave my headboard deck in the US. but the real assets came along! Trucks, wheels, and an awesome looking board. Not too long after, I modeled the following design on some software. From this model I printed pages of contours that I would later transfer to planks. Simply said.
In reality, this project involved hours of measuring, planing and sanding.
I need to confess, it did need some further reinforcement to reduce the flex.
Fix for a Friend
Mr Hendrifyer, broke his board.
The 'broken board' photo cannot be displayed because it has not been taken...
Though it looked something like this halfway through the fix.
Add some carbon, effort and a clear-coat, then put 'em back together!
YEEAAH!
Not too long after...
This design was something fresh, with a concave at the front, and a convex in the rear - to give it a bit more of a surfboard feel.
The building procedure was a different level for me. Instead of gouging out my shape from a slab of wood, I CNC'd the panels, that I pressed into shape over a mould with around 7 tonnes. That mold was also CNC'd.
I chose this method of construction simply because the board might be produced more accurately, and the process would save me time. In turn, learning how to tell the machine how to cut the right shapes from my 3D models, took me nearly twice as long as shaping the board by hand! Lessons learned, so the next design might save me time..
All that is required now, is some graphics! But it is shred ready, so I'll wait with that...
