How to Make a Butterbox for Skateboards

A butter is a snowboarding term for balancing on the nose or tail of the board. This is similar to manuals in skateboarding, a maneuver which involves balancing on the front or back wheels. Likewise, a butterbox, a box-shaped obstacle snowboarders use to perform their butters on is fundamentally the same as a skateboarder's manual pad. So a butter box used for skateboarding would most often be called a manual pad and used for practicing manuals.

Things You'll Need

  • 4 2-by-4s, measuring 8 feet long
  • 3 2-by-6s, measuring 8 feet long
  • 1 box of 2-inch nails or screws
  • 1 sheet of 4 foot by 8 foot plywood, 3/4 inches thick
  • Hammer or Screwdriver
  • Tape Measure
  • Pencil
  • Circular Saw
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Instructions

  1. Building Your Butter Box

    • 1

      Cut each 2-by-4 into two boards measuring 3 foot, 9 inches. Measure your 2-by-4s with the tape measure. Draw a line at 3 foot 9 inches to show you where you need to cut. Use circular saw to cut at the pencil lines. Discard scrap wood. You should now have eight 2-by-4s, each measuring 3 feet, 9 inches long.

    • 2

      Cut one 2-by-6 into two boards measuring 3 feet, 9 inches. Measure your 2-by-6 with the tape measure. Draw a line at 3 feet, 9 inches to show you where you need to cut. Use circular saw to cut at the pencil line. Discard scrap wood. You know have four 2-by-6s, with two measuring 3 feet, 9 inches and two measuring 8 feet long. These will be used to build your frame.

    • 3

      Build a rectangle with the four 2-by-6s. Lay the wood vertically in a rough rectangular shape, with the 2-by-6s measuring 3 feet, 9 inches remaining on the inside of the 2-by-6s measuring 8 feet. Nail or screw the frame in place using two 2-inch screws or nails at each corner. Screws or nails should be placed at the top and bottom of each corner using a hammer or screwdriver. After completing this, you should have a rectangular frame of 2-by-6 boards. Lay the frame on a flat surface.

    • 4

      Add supports to the inside of the box using the eight 2-by-4 boards. Measure a space 11 1/4 inches from the end of your box with the tape measure and mark with pencil. Place a 2-by-4 vertically inside the frame at the pencil mark, balancing the wood on a flat surface between the two 8-foot boards. Use four 2-inch nails or screws secure the 2-by-4 in place. Place a nail or screw using a hammer or screwdriver at the top and bottom of each 2-by-4 on either side of the frame to hold it in place. Repeat for remaining 2-by-4 boards, this time measuring the distance for the remaining 2-by-4 boards at 10 1/2 inches apart.

    • 5

      Turn your frame over. Place the plywood on top of the frame. Secure the plywood in place using your 2-inch screws or nails. Place nails or screws using a hammer or screwdriver at all corners, careful to avoid nails or screws already in the wood. Place two more screws or nails on the long edge of your butter box. These should be placed roughly in the center through the plywood and into the 2-by-6 boards. below.