Simple Steps on How to Make a Skateboard

Apply your wood glue to the face of one of your maple sheets. Once in place, press another sheet of maple on top of it. Lay it directly over the first piece of wood so there is no overhanging. Press them firmly together. Clamp them together with at least four C-clamps so that they dry in place. Repeat this step eight times (most commercially available boards are eight-ply, which means they have eight boards making up the board. Allow for the glue between each of the layers to dry completely before moving on to other steps. This will take usually around 24 hours.

Draw a rectangle that is approximately 33 inches long by 8.5 inches wide on the top sheet of maple wood. This is the average size for most boards, but like most things, you should make something that you're comfortable with. Try out different size boards before you go ahead and make your own. Find out what you're comfortable with and go from there.

Draw a straight line vertically up the length of the board. Place it directly in the middle of the board (4.25 inches from each side). Tie a pencil to a string. Place the opposite end of the string in the center of the drawn rectangle and place the pencil on the edge of the board where the midline you just drew touches the short edge. Tighten up the slack. Like using a compass, draw two arches on each side of the board. The front and back of the board should be curved, which is the template you're drawing.

Use a circular saw to cut out the oval-like template that you just drew out on the wooden sheets. Make it as symmetrical as you can. After it has been sawed, sand the edges so that there aren't any splinters.

Paint the board at this point. Bear in mind that you will place grip tape on the top of the board, so don't paint the top. However, the bottom of the board can be personalized however you would like to reflect your personality and creativity. Allow the paint to dry before attempting to move on.

Place your sheet of grip tape on the top of your skateboard body. Place it on evenly, with as few air bubbles as you can manage (You can use the rolling pin to roll the bubbles out from under the tape if necessary). Press it down firmly, making sure it is adhered securely. Use an X-aActo knife or a box cutter to cut the excess of the grip tape off from around the body.

Turn the skateboard body over (so that the painted surface is face up), and mark a straight line down the center again, much like you did on the other side in step three. Place the two trucks onto the bottom of the board, and position them so that they are each six inches from their respective ends of the board.

Using a pencil, mark the four locations of the screw holes in each of the trucks. Remove the trucks and use your drill to make eight holes in the body of the skateboard. The diameter of the drill bit should be slightly smaller than the screws that you will be using to screw the trucks onto the board.

Screw the four screws through the board and into each of the trucks below it. This will hold them in place. Make sure to use flat-head screws so that your foot doesn't catch on them when you're trying to ride the board later.

Apply the four wheels onto the trucks of your board. Two go on each truck, one on each side. If you bought wheels with bearings, you may have to install the bearings and the wheels at the same time with a hammer or mallet. Once the wheels are pushed onto the trucks, the skateboard is ready to ride.