Custom Handmade Skateboards, Part 3

Oak Short Board Skateboard

The skateboards I started as a weekend project last week are finally complete and if you ask me, look pretty rad. For paint jobs I went pretty simple. Once I sanded the boards down to 220, I went pretty minimalist on the oak, while I wanted to accentuate the shark on the poplar board. So though they are similar in size, they could not be more different in appearance.

On the red oak short board I wanted to let the natural wood shine, so made two simple green lines with watered down acrylic paint, no wider then the countersunk holes for the thru-bolts, and wrapped them around both top and bottom of the deck. I sanded the stripes down for a more distressed look, keeping with the 1970s vintage theme. 

Solid oak custom handmade skateboard.

I thought the grain of the wood was too pretty to cover with paint, decals or grip-tape, so I varnished the wood to let the grain and natural hue shine through. I was pretty liberal with the varnish, seeing that these are skateboards and, by design, take a beating. I used Varathane semi-gloss floor finish to protect the wood from scratches and wear because once it hardens, it is like steel. Wear a respirator when using this product, it contains heavy metals and is toxic.

Oak is really dense with heavy grain, and with the amount of shaping I did to give the nose and tail its shape, the grain really raised up when varnished, even though it was sanded down. So after two coats of varnish I busted out some 400 grit sandpaper and brought down the varnish nearly to the wood. Then I applied another two coats. Once those dried thoroughly, I took out some steel wool (4000 grit) to bring out a nice smooth texture. I applied another two coats of varnish, just for good measure, before adding some silica sand for grip on the top of the deck.

For this, I got some fine silica sand and put it in a salt shaker. I then put on a generous coat of Varathane and lightly sprinkled the sand onto the deck. This captured a fair amount of sand. Once dry, I added another three coats to ensure the sand was fully captured. This gives for a nice grip that allows the natural wood of the board come through versus covering the board in tape.

For hardware, I decided the Randal RII 180 were just a wee bit big, so I swapped them out and started working on a 40-inch pintail to fit the trucks (more on that to come!).

40-inch pintail in the works!

I picked up some 8-inch trucks (5 ¼ inch hangar) to bring the hardware down to size. I also picked up another soy product wheel—Sector 9 Soy-Based Biothanes, 65mm 78A—these so I can get a decent sampling of how Soy wheels stack up against the Sector 9 9 Balls on the Land Shark twin fin. I'll keep you posted on which works better, but from the few rides around the block I have gone on, they seem to ride pretty evenly, though the soy wheels feel a little softer.

I affixed the trucks on ¼ inch risers. When paired with the narrowed design of the board at the tail and nose, there was no need for wheel-wells.

The board rides smoothly and cuts sharp. It is a little heavier then the poplar board, but it hasn't offered any problems to me while cruising. Actually it seems to handle the uneven sidewalks a little better then the lighter boards I have ridden in the past.

Land Shark Swallowtail Poplar Skateboard

I really dig the little twin fin Land Shark I put together. The poplar has some great variation to the grain, ranging from blond to green to a deep purple, so I had to let that shine through on top and let the shark rein supreme down below.

To bring out the design, I used some stain (Bear semi-transparent Weatherproof Wood Stain in Gettysburg) to add some color to the body, and carry a 1-inch stripe along the top of the deck. So once the deck was completely shaped and sanded down to 220, fixed up any last needed repairs with the chisels on the shark design, I stained the board. I taped off a stripe that went the length of the top, and then taped off right at the shadow of the rail so the stain would not flare up to the top of the board. I started staining on the bottom first, then the top along the taped off line. The blue came out darker then I wanted on the bottom, so I sanded it down for a more aged patina, letting the grain peak through at spots. I left the strip up top bold and untouched. 

Poplar Land Shark Twin Fin Skateboard.

I then took some acrylic white paint and painted the teeth and the eye of the shark, two coats. Then dotted the eye with some black, and emboldened the teeth with some black lines, and a simple red line as a border. Once this was done, it was time to varnish.

After the first two coats, the poplar did not raise nearly as bad as the oak, so I sanded down with the steel wool. After that it was smooth sailing with the varnish, just as I did on the other board.

The end result is a pretty quick board with a lighthearted design that will mirror the twin fin surfboard I am shaping now.

Check back soon on updates on the wheel wear and if the soy product is really worth the buck, and on the progress on the pintail, it is going to be sick. And as always, enjoy the Shore Life!