How to build a board
Lern how to build wooden fingerboards. Follow the instruction step by step to build your first fingerboard easily.
Step 1 - Preparation
Choose 5 sheets of veneer for your board. Arrange it in the correct order and prepare the wood glue.
Apply the wood glue on the veneer and spread it with your finger equally.
Stack the sheets on the correct oder on each other and press it with your hand.
Step 2 - molding
Lay the 5 sheets of veneer in the middle of one side of mold and put the other side on it.
Screw the mold together with the provided bolts. Take care that you tigthened the screws alternating and equally to ensure an even press on the wood.
Take care that the veneer fits the mold all around. It should look like on the photo.
Let the wood glue dry at least a few hours (better over night) before you follow the next steps
Step 3 - Demolding
Before you open the mold, drill in the holes for the trucks in the wood. Use a 1,5 mm drill and the holes in the mold.
Now you can open the mold and remove the blank wood.
With the use of a 4 mm drill you can make the counterbore for the screws of the trucks. The best way is to use use the cordless screwdriver in left turn mode.
Step 4 - the cutting line
You can draw the outline for your board with a pencil by putting the pressed and drilled wood in the template.
Cut out the contour with a fretsaw.
Now you can remove the waste.
Step 5 - Finishing
First of all sand the edges with a grinding sponge so they getting even and straight. Afterwards take care to sand the ends of board so its getting be a consistence curve.
Now you can smooth the edges and make it round if you like to. After that you can smooth the upper and lower side of the board equally.
When you are done with sanding, you should put on 2 or 3 thin layers of clear coat. This will protect your board and give it the look of a real skateboard.
Finished and ready for shredding!
Put on the Griptape on the upper side.
Put on the trucks and the wheels.
Now you can make a lot of different boards. If you like to, you can put on a graphic. See the instruction down below...
optional - Apply a graphic
Everything what you need.
Cut out the graphic, so it is bigger than the board itself.
Put on some wood glue and spread it.
Put on the graphic in the middle of the board. Take care while pressing the edges down to the board.
Put pressure on the graphic by pushing the board 1 minute onto a piece of fabric.
Check of the graphic sticks well all around the board and wait till the glue is dried.
Remove the overlaying graphic with the help of a sanding sponge. Pull the sponge down the edges equally.
If you like, you can sand the edges afterwards again.
Push a needle or a drill bit through the bores from the upper side to get the holes trough the graphic.
To get the look from a real skateboard graphic, put on 2-3 layers of clear coat.
Use a piece of wire to hold the board while spraying.
Don´t forget to spray the edges.
The upper side of the board should be sprayed with clear coat as well.
As soon as the clear coat is dried, the griptape can be applied. Use something hard (e.g. a key) to push trough the outline of the board.
Now you can mount trucks and wheels on your board and start your first session.
If you need more of these graphics, you can download it here and print it by yourself. Just use a standard desktop printer and standard office paper and you can make as many of those boards as you want!
your finished board with graphic
