How to Build a Roller Board

Nordic skiers use a roller board to train during the off season. A roller board has three major components --- the base, the roller board and the handles. The base sits on an incline to create resistance. The greater the incline, the greater the resistance. To use the roller board, a skier sets the incline, sits or lays on the roller board and uses the handles to pull themselves up and lower themselves down.

Things You'll Need

  • Table saw
  • 1 sheet 3/4-inch plywood
  • 2 pine boards, 10 feet by 2 inches by 2 inches
  • 30 screws, 2 1/2 inches long
  • Drill
  • 2 pine boards, 10 feet by 2 inches by 4 inches
  • 2 hook screws
  • 14 eye screws
  • Pine board, 6 feet by 1 inch by 2 inches
  • 10 screws, 1 1/2 inches long
  • 4 fixed-direction caster wheels
  • 16 screws, 1/2 inch long
  • 15 feet of sturdy rope
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Instructions

  1. The Base

    • 1

      Cut plywood into an 11-inch-wide by 10-feet-long section and an 11-inch-wide by 30-inch section. Put the 11-inch-wide by 30-inch section aside.

    • 2

      Use 30 2 1/2-inch screws to attach a 2-by-2-inch board flat against the underside of the plywood along each edge. Make sure the edge of the 2-by-2-inch board and the edge of the plywood are lined up straight and have no overhang.

    • 3

      Flip the plywood over so that the 2-by-2 inch boards are on the floor. Stand a 2-by-4-inch board on its 2-inch edge and line it up with the side of the plywood. Attach it to the plywood structure along the bottom so that the 2 1/2-inch screws sink into the board. Attach the other 2-by-4-inch board on the other side of the plywood.

    • 4

      Screw the hooks into the center of the top of the 2-by-4-inch boards. Attach an eye screw to the middle of the outside edge of the 2-by-4-inch boards about 1 inch from the top.

    • 5

      Cut the 15-foot rope in half. Tie each piece of rope to an eye screw at the top of the roller base. Make loops at the opposite ends of the rope pieces to use as handles.

    • 6

      Measure 2 feet from the floor and attach an eye screw to a sturdy wall. Place five more eye screws in a straight line up the wall so that they are 6 inches apart. Use the base to determine the exact width you'll need and place a second column of eye screws up the wall at the same heights.

    The Roller Board

    • 7

      Cut the pine board that is 6 feet by 1 inch by 2 inch wide into two pieces 30 inches long. Attach the two boards to the underside of the 11-by-30-inch section of plywood at the outer edges using 10 1 1/2-inch-long screws.

    • 8

      Line the caster wheels up with the corners of the 1-by-2-inch boards on the bottom of the plywood and attach them with 16 1/2-inch-long screws. Make sure all the wheels are straight so that the platform will roll smoothly.

    • 9

      Fit the hooks on the end of the base into the eye screws on the wall to adjust incline. Put the roller board on top of the base and use the rope handles to pull yourself up and down.