Homemade Grind Rails

No driveway skate park is complete without at least one grind rail. Indeed, a good rail can be the piece of equipment around which you can build your skater's paradise. Unlike vert ramps or fun boxes, grind rails require very few materials to build, and the array of tricks you can master on a single rail could make you the skating prodigy of your neighborhood.

So, whether you are just beginning, or you have launch ramps and fun boxes already set up, it's time to build a grind rail.

Things You'll Need

  • 8 feet of a 2 3/8 inch aluminum conduit or a steel pipe.
  • 4x4 inch pressure-treated post
  • 1/2 inch pressure-treated ply wood.
  • Wax
  • Saw (Circular or hand)
  • Power Drill
  • 1/4 inch drill bit
  • 1/8 inch drill bit
  • Galvanized screws. (deck screws work well)
  • Galvanized nails
  • Hammer
  • Scissors (optional)
  • Soda can (optional)
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Instructions

    • 1

      Cut two 2-foot squares out of your 1/2 inch pt plywood. These will be the feet for your rail posts.

    • 2

      Affix the feet to the bottom of your 4x4 inch post with galvanized nails after cutting the post to your desired height for the rail. One foot should be adequate for most skaters, but feel free to add or subtract from that height as desired.

    • 3

      Drill two holes into your rail about two feet in from both ends of the rail. Use a 1/4-inch drill bit for the first hole. Change to a 1/8 inch drill bit and drill a second hole through the bottom of the rail. These will be pilot holes.

    • 4

      Screw your rail to the top of your 4x4 inch posts using galvanized screws and screwing through your pilot holes. . It is important to use galvanized hardware because you are screwing into pressure-treated wood.

    • 5

      Cut strips of aluminum out of a soda can to cover your holes in the pipe.Wrap the strips tightly over the pipe and attach to the post with galvanized screws with washers to help ensure the screws do not tear free of the aluminum strips. This step is optional.

    • 6

      Wax the length of the rail. While wax is sold specifically for skateboarding, an old candle will work just as well. The wax will also help the 1/16 inch difference between the rail and the soda can aluminum if you've decided to use step 5.