How to Build Skateboarding Rails

Skateboarders use rails to perform grinds. A "grind" refers to a type of skateboarding trick in which skaters lock the aluminum trucks onto a rail or ledge, and then slide across the surface. The two trucks of the skateboard, located on the bottom of the wooden deck, secure the wheels in place. Purchasing already-made skateboard rails can be costly. Building a skateboard rail at home, without the use of any welding tools, saves skaters money--and provides hours of entertainment.

Things You'll Need

  • 2-inch OD schedule 80 steel pipe
  • Electric drill
  • 3/8-inch drill bit
  • 3/16-inch drill bit
  • 2 1/2-inch screws
  • 1 5/8-inch screws
  • Two 2-by-4 pieces of lumber
  • One 2-by-6 piece of lumber
  • 1/2 inch sheet of plywood
  • Band saw
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Instructions

    • 1

      Take the skateboard rail materials to a flat, paved surface. Cut the two 2-by-4 pieces of lumber and the 2-by-6 piece to correspond with the length of the steel pipe. Lay one 2-by-4 on its 2-inch side. Place the other 2-by-4 on top and center it to create a T shape.

    • 2

      Drill the 2 1/2-inch screws through the top of the T shape, going down the length of the wood while spreading the screws out six inches. Lay the 2-by-6 flat on its 6-inch side.

    • 3

      Flip the T-shaped 2-by-4s upside down and center them on top of the 2-by-6. Drill screws through the top of the horizontal 2-by-4, going around the vertical 2-by-4, to attach it to the 2-by-6. Spread the screws out six inches.

    • 4

      Cut two pieces of the half-inch-thick plywood to have a width of seven inches and a length that corresponds with the 2-by-4s and the 2-by-6 piece. Lay a piece of the seven-inch-wide plywood against both sides of the 2-by-4 and 2-by-6 structure to create a pyramid-shaped design.

    • 5

      Drill the 1 5/8-inch screws through the top and bottom of the plywood to attach the pieces to the 2-by-4s and 2-by-6. Space out the screws six inches going down the length of the structure.

    • 6

      Measure two inches away from both ends of the steel pipe moving towards the middle. Drill a 3/8-inch hole through the top of the pipe at both two-inch measurements. Drill a 3/16-inch hole directly under both of the 3/8-inch holes.

    • 7

      Lay the rail on the top of the pyramid-shaped 2-by-4 and 2-by-6 structure with the 3/8-inch holes facing up. Drill a 1 5/8-inch screw through the two 3/16-inch holes to attach the steel pipe to the vertical 2-by-4.

    • 8

      Drill a 3/8-inch hole through the top of the pipe for every four inches of space between the two original holes. Drill a 3/16-inch hole under every 3/8-inch hole. Drill a 1 5/8-inch screw through every 3/16-inch hole to stabilize the pipe to the vertical 2-by-4.