How to Build a Skateboard Mini Box

The main purpose of a skateboard mini box is to use it as a "manual pad." Skateboarders often use the mini box to ollie onto, balancing on the back two wheels only and performing a manual across the whole thing, similar to "riding a wheelie." A mini box is also portable and can be transported from place to place with just one person in most cases. Learning how to build a mini box can give you something to skateboard on while you're away from the skate park, and it also makes a great project for shop classes.

Things You'll Need

  • 2 pieces of wood, 2 by 4 by 60 inches
  • 2 pieces of wood, 2 by 4 by 32 inches
  • 1 piece of plywood, 3 by 5 feet
  • 20 screws, 4 inches long
  • 15 screws, 1 to 2 inches long
  • Power drill
  • Wood glue
  • Tape measure or ruler
  • Pen
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Instructions

  1. Building the Frame

    • 1

      Use a tape measure and pen to mark a line for every foot, going down one of the 5-foot-long two-by-fours.

    • 2

      Align one end of the 5-foot-long two-by-four with one end of one of the smaller two-by-fours on the ground so that they make an "L" shape . Align them in a manner where you are not adding any length to the longer two-by-four. Keep both of them sitting on the 2-inch sides, and use wood glue to fasten them together.

    • 3

      Connect the rest of the smaller two-by-fours with wood glue on each of the 1-foot increments you marked in Step 1, again with each of them resting on the 2-inch sides so that the frame resembles the shape of a comb, or the letter "E" with two extra lines.

    • 4

      Close off the frame of your skateboard mini box by gluing the other 5-foot-long two-by-fours to the other end of each of the smaller two-by-fours, giving it a rectangular box shape. Allow all of the glue to dry.

    • 5

      Secure the frame together with the 4-inch screws. Use a power drill and insert two screws on each spot that you glued together, leaving about 2 inches of vertical space in between each screw. A total of 20 screws will be used for the frame, with 10 on each side.

    Putting on the Top

    • 6

      Take a piece of 3-by-5-foot plywood and place it over top of the skateboard mini box frame. Align the plywood so that it sits evenly across the frame.

    • 7

      Secure the plywood down by using 1- to 2-inch-long screws on all four corners to start out with.

    • 8

      Mark a line for every 1 foot, precisely where each 2-by-4 is located underneath.

    • 9

      Finish up by adding a screw to the outside edges of the mini box, on every 1-foot increment you marked. Add a screw on each 1-foot increment going down the middle of the mini box as well. Each of the five increments will have three screws going across when you are finished.