How to Make a Skateboard Deck From Plywood

Though skateboard designs have changed over the years and more riding techniques have been developed, the overall deck fabrication remains much the same. To make a skateboard deck out of plywood, you'll need several items, some of which you will have to substitute with everyday items rather than professional grade machinery. With a bit of imagination and some elbow grease, you can make your own deck.

Things You'll Need

  • Skateboard deck template
  • Pencil
  • Plywood
  • Jig saw
  • Router
  • Skateboard press or bricks
  • Hose
  • Trucks
  • Drill
  • Sander
  • Medium-grit sandpaper
  • Fine-grit sandpaper
  • Tack cloth
  • Lacquer
  • Paintbrush
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Instructions

    • 1

      Trace around a pre-made skateboard deck template with a pencil on a section of plywood. This will form the shape of the board. As an alternative, you can use an existing skateboard deck as a template, or draw a pattern freehand.

    • 2

      Cut the deck template out of the plywood using a jig saw, following the pencil lines as closely as possible.

    • 3

      Round the edges of the skateboard deck with a router, smoothing the cut you made with the jig saw.

    • 4

      Place your plywood skateboard deck into a skateboard press. This will curve the board at both ends. If you do not have access to such a machine, use bricks to bend the plywood deck into a concave shape.

    • 5

      Dampen the deck with a hose to make it pliable prior to bending it with bricks. Place one or two bricks under each end, then line the top of the deck in the middle with multiple bricks to make the two ends curve up. Let the board curve for one or two days.

    • 6

      Take the plywood deck out of the press, or remove the bricks. Turn the deck upside down and place the two trucks on each end, then mark the holes in the trucks with a pencil. The trucks should go "inside" the bends, about six to eight inches from each end.

    • 7

      Drill holes into the plywood skateboard deck to accommodate the trucks.

    • 8

      Sand the deck smooth with a sander using medium-grit, then fine-grit sandpaper, wiping down the deck between each sanding with a tack cloth.

    • 9

      Apply a coat of lacquer to your plywood skateboard deck after sanding using a paintbrush in a well-ventilated space. Let the lacquer dry for 24 hours, or as long as suggested by the manufacturer.