First Board Design.

[mistergwinge]

Hey, I just wanted to ask a few questions here and present my essentially stolen design.



I did this in autocad based on somebody's tail and nose blowups (Thank you whoever that was). Does this look stable or would it break? I weigh 130 lbs (58.9 kg)

This is my first board so should I just get a 3/4" plywood sheet and just cut it out and put trucks on it?

I kind of want atleast a little concave...Would making a press to bend a 3/4" or 5/8" work or would the wood just spring back to it's original shape?

Again, I only weigh 130 lbs (58.9 kg) so it might not have to be too thick.

Should I just laminate some 1/8" veneers until I get the right flex? Thanks.

[jmclure]

Nice Design. Wish I had auto cad and knew how to use it.
The 1st thing everyone else will tell you is to use the search function as questions like yours get asked and answered on the board building forum all the time. The next thing that everyone will say is not to use any old pine plywood that you get from Home Depot. You need baltic birch plywood with 10 or 11 plys that you get from a cabinet building store or lumber yard. 5/8" is best for your wieght, you could even get away with 1/2" for more flex in a 40" board. If you go over 45" stick with the 5/8". 3rdly you can't put a 5/8" board in a press and shape it. For that you have to start with 1/4 or 1/8" ply and glue them in a press so they'll hold their shape. I suggest going with the flat board for your 1st board and just cutting out the shape, sanding the edges and putting some clear finish (polyurethane) and grip on it. You design would make a nice drop through. The baltic birch usually comes in 5'x5' sections so you have enough to make 5 or 6 boards. You can make one normal and make one a drop through, one a 50" carver, and a 60" nose walker and make a couple for some friends. Make them buy their own grip and trucks and such.
Again use the search and browse the board building forum.
Have fun.

[mistergwinge]

Thanks man. Yeah, I've been searching for a few days now. Information just sits better when I know I asked it.

[YachtRat]

as for the design, i like it but you might wanna beef up the nose and tail for good measure. put the wood you have on the ground on wood blocks where the trucks will be and stand on it. The ammount of flex you get when you stand on it will be magnified a little once it is cut out (at least this happened to me) so make sure its a bit too stiff before cutting. As for lamination/pressing. I have no idea.