How to Make a Weldless Skate Rail

Skateboarding allows you to test your abilities on a variety of obstacles. Jumping down stairs, getting air on vert ramps and grinding ledges are just a few ways of how athletes apply their diverse bag of skills. Mastering the balance and board control necessary for carrying out some of these tricks requires a lot of time and practice. Learning how to build your own grind rail will allow you to have an obstacle ready to use at your convenience, making it easier to sharpen your grinding abilities.

Things You'll Need

  • Two 2-by-4s, 6 feet long
  • 2-by-6, 6 feet long
  • Two sheets plywood, 7 inches wide, 1/2 inch thick, 6 feet long
  • Wood screws
  • 26 5/8-inch screws
  • 3/8-inch drill bit
Show More

Instructions

  1. Assemble the Rail Structure

    • 1

      Position the two 2-by-4s lengthwise so they form a T shape; in other words, lay one board with the 4-inch side on the ground, then plant the other board's 2-inch edge along the center of the first 2-by-4. Secure the two boards together by inserting a screw through the bottom board, up into the second. Connect the two boards with one 1/2-inch screw at each end.

    • 2

      Lay the 2-by-6 on the ground with the 6-inch side flat, then center the 4-inch face of the T shape you made in Step 1 on the 2-by-6. Secure the two 2-by-4s to the 2by- by inserting two 1/2-inch screws on either side of the vertically oriented 2-by-4. In other words, the screw should penetrate the 2-by-4 adjacent to the 2-by-6, fastening them together.

    • 3

      Lay the 7-inch plywood board diagonal against the side of the structure you made using the 2-by-4s and the 2-by-6. The 7-inch plywood should run along the entire length of the structure, resting on the ground and running up at an angle toward the top of the vertically oriented 2-by-4. Attach the two sections of plywood to either side of the structure using 14 5/8-inch screws. Install a 5/8-inch screw every foot along the perimeter of the plywood boards.

    Attach the Rail

    • 4

      Use the 3/8-inch drill bit to make a hole through the top part of the rail at both ends.

    • 5

      Use a 3/16-inch drill bit to make another hole directly below the 3/8-inch holes at either end of the rail.

    • 6

      Insert a 5/8-inch screw through the top hole in the railing, then screw it down through the bottom hole to connect the railing to the grind rail structure. Repeat this process at both ends of the rail.