How is a skateboard deck made?
Skateboarding is much more than a sport or pastime. For those who love it, it's a way of life! But have you ever thought about how the boards you use for tricks or just getting around are made? In this article, we'll discover together how a skateboard deck is made, step by step. You'll see — it's fascinating!
Max Cherarak (Mon Coach Skate) is a professional skateboard coach he takes you on a guided tour of Europe's largest skateboard factory!
Step 1: Raw Material – Maple Wood
The first thing to know is that most skateboard decks are made from maple. Why maple? Because it's strong, flexible and light: ideal for withstanding the most extreme tricks while still feeling good to handle. The best maple often comes from Canada, where the climate lets the trees grow slowly, making the wood even stronger.
A skateboard deck isn't made from a single layer of wood, but from several very thin layers. These layers, called plies, are piled and glued together.
Step 2: Gluing and pressing
Each board is made of 7 layers (plies) of wood. Ces plis sont collés avec une colle spéciale qui les rend encore plus résistants. Après avoir été collées, les couches sont pressées dans une forme incurvée grâce à une presse hydraulique. Cette forme, qu’on appelle le concave, is very important to the board's performance. Concave improves manoeuvrability, whether for tricks or tight turns.
The gluing and pressing of the plies must be precise. Poor pressing or misaligned layers could weaken the deck or affect its durability. Pressing times can vary, but decks generally need to dry for 6 to 12 hours, sometimes longer.
Step 3: Cutting
After pressing and drying, the deck is cut to the desired shape. Skateboards come in several shapes: the a standard skateboard (or street), the longboard (for speed and descent), or cruiser (to move around town). It is with a large saw that artisans cut the shape, following a predefined model.
Then they smooth the edges so they're rounded and pleasant to touch. This also helps prevent the deck from splintering over time.
Step 4: Sanding and drilling
Now that the deck has taken shape, it's time to make it as smooth as possible. It moves on to sanding. Sanding smooths the deck's surface to remove rough patches and leave the wood nice and smooth.
Then we drill holes for the trucks. Les trucks, ce sont les pièces métalliques qui soutiennent les roues et permettent de tourner. Ces trous doivent être percés avec précision, sinon le skateboard sera déséquilibré.
Step 5: Decoration
This is one of skaters’ favorite stages: the Customization ! The underside of the deck is decorated with patterns, logos or colourful artwork. Some artists create incredible works especially for skateboard decks. This decoration is often applied using screen printing, a technique that allows to print images on the wood surface.
The top face of the board, on the other hand, is covered with a grip tape. Le grip, c’est cette feuille rugueuse qui te permet d’avoir une meilleure accroche avec tes chaussures pour ne pas glisser en faisant des figures.
Step 6: Assembly
Finally, once the deck is ready, all that's left is to assemble the skateboard! The trucks, wheels and bearings are fitted. The bearings are also essential to keeping your skateboard rolling smoothly and easy to manoeuvre. Once the wheels are on, the board is ready to ride!
Why Choose a Good Skateboard?
When you want learn skateboarding, the quality of your deck matters hugely. A poorly made deck could break sooner or prevent you from doing tricks properly. That’s why pressed maple decks are so popular with professionals and beginners alike.
In the skateboard lessons, coaches often insist on the importance of know your equipment. Plus tu es à l’aise avec ta planche, mieux tu apprends à la contrôler.
In summary: How is a skateboard deck made?
- Choice of wood : Canadian maple is used for its robustness.
- Gluing and pressing : The layers of wood are glued and pressed together to form the board.
- Cutting : The board is cut and sanded to obtain a perfect shape.
- Drilling : Holes are drilled for the trucks.
- Decoration : The board is decorated with patterns or logos.
- Assembly : Wheels, trucks and bearings are mounted.
Now that you know how a deck is made, you can better understand the passion behind an object that looks so simple but takes so much technical skill to produce.
If you want to know more about skateboarding, or if you want to take some skateboard lessons with a professional coach, do not hesitate to consult our website. Max, My skate coach is here to help you progress and have fun while learning the basics of skateboarding!
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