How to Make a Land Luge

The sport of luge originated in the snow on bobsled tracks. The evolution of street or land luge began when skateboarders started lying down on their boards. At this time there no one was making boards for this purpose, so if you wanted something special in the way of a luge, you had to build it yourself. Today several companies manufacture land luges, which have become technologically sophisticated. Building your own land luge remains a challenge but a pleasure. Engineers can try a metal-based design, but most people find wood easier to handle.

Things You'll Need

  • 2x4 post, 8 feet long
  • Circular saw
  • 4 wood screws, 2 1/4-inch
  • Screwdriver
  • 2x2-foot piece of 1/4-inch plywood
  • 1-inch wood screws
  • 3x4-foot piece of 1/2-inch plywood
  • 24 wood screws, 1 1/4-inch
  • 1x8-inch pine board, 11 inches long
  • 10 wood screws, 1 1/2-inch
  • Woodworker's glue
  • Hacksaw
  • Aluminum tubing
  • 7/8-inch broom handle
  • Drill
  • 1-inch metal strapping, 28 inches long
  • Skateboard wheels on trucks
  • Bolts
  • Nuts
  • 24x8-inch piece of soft material
  • 20 brads, 3/4-inch
  • 2 pieces of #80 sandpaper
  • 2 pieces of #120 sandpaper
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Instructions

  1. Building the Luge

    • 1

      Cut the 2x4 into three sections with the circular saw. The leg section of the rail should be eight inches longer than the distance from the bottom of your feet to your rear end. The torso section should be 12 inches longer than the distance from your neck to the middle of your rear end. The head section should be eight inches longer than the distance from your neck to the top of your head. Lay the torso piece down, and connect the other two pieces to each end of the torso piece with the 2 1/4-inch wood screws, leaving an eight-inch overlap.

    • 2

      Cut gussets (or braces) out of the 1/4-inch plywood, and attach them to the sides of the places where the 2x4s are joined. Screw them in place with 1-inch wood screws.

    • 3

      Cut the 1/2-inch plywood to make the seat pan–the place where you will sit. The pan should be four inches longer than the torso section of the rail, and it should have cuts two inches deep on each end to allow you to insert the pan around the gussets. You can use some creativity to design your own style for the seat pan, though it should be as wide as your shoulders. Round the corners of the seat pan for safety reasons. Attach the seat pan to the torso section of the rail with 1 1/4-inch wood screws. Do not use glue. Cut handles two inches high and 11 inches long out of the 1-inch pine board. Connect the handles to the sides of the seat pan with 1 1/2-inch wood screws and glue, so that they face forward and extend four inches beyond the front of the seat pan.

    • 4

      Cut a 12-inch piece of aluminum tubing with the hacksaw to make a foot peg. Insert the broom handle, and cut off excess with your hacksaw. Drill a pair of 3/16-inch holes one inch to each side of the center through the tube and handle. Attach the foot peg to the leg section of the rail 12 inches from the front with 1 1/2-inch wood screws.

    • 5

      Cut blocks off each side of the front end of the leg section at 45-degree angles so that the rail is 1 1/2 inches wide at the tip. Drill a pair of 3/16-inch holes at the center of the metal strapping, and attach it to the front of the leg section of the rail with 1-inch wood screws. Stretch the strapping around to one side of the foot peg, drill a 3/16-inch hole, and screw the strapping into the foot peg with a 1-inch wood screw. Cut off any excess strapping with your hacksaw. Repeat this operation on the other side of the foot peg to complete the nerf bar.

    • 6

      Attach the wheels to the rail with bolts and nuts. The back wheels should go near the back end of the rail, and the front wheels should go about 12 inches in front of the seat pan. Wheel trucks vary depending on where you buy them. You will have to see where the holes are on the truck and drill the holes accordingly.

    • 7

      Add padding to the head rest. Use a 24x8-inch piece of soft material. Fold it over three times, so that you have an 8x8 piece. Stretch the material over the head section of the rail, and attach it to the side of the rail with 3/4-inch brads.

    • 8

      Sand any rough edges of your luge first with #80 sandpaper and then with #120 sandpaper, so that the edges do not cut you if you wipe out.