my wakeskate :D

afxsguy · Criminal Joined: 01 Jun 2004 Posts: 63 City: P-ville

well, my wakeskate is 3/4 done. it is formed, and cut out to shape. i just have to rout chamfers on the edges, then put a few more coats of fibreglass, sand, paint, clear coat, then grip tape. all the hard work is done though.

oh and the curvature of the jig, and the shape of the board were all drawn up on autocad, then printed to scale on a plotter. that white paper on the skate is a template i plotted and cut out, then stuck temporarily to the board. then i just cut and sanded to the edge of the paper.

here are a bunch of pics i took while doing it. tell me what you think.

http://www.aurorafxstudios.com/files/wakeskate/

i should almost put together a wakeskate building tutorial haha.

Metzy · Outlaw Joined: 03 Mar 2004 Posts: 177

ya send me info on how u formed it

liquidforce519 · Soul Rider Joined: 02 Oct 2003 Posts: 447

Looks good. Are you painting it?

jbt200 · Posted: Jun 11, 2004 12:02 pm Post subject:

that sweet... how much cash do you have into it now?

afxsguy · Criminal Joined: 01 Jun 2004 Posts: 63 City: P-ville

uhhh not sure exactly how much cash. the jig was all scrap wood, so that cost me nothing. i spent $14 on a 4x8 sheet of plywood (about 3/16" thick, and i cut it into four 2x4' sections). i have about $30 into cans of spray paint. i probably have around $40 into fibreglass resin. another $15 for fibreglass cloth. that's all... oh and i still need to buy foam or grip tape. this one i think will be grip tape. my next will be foam.

so about $100 (not including some of the tools i bought, but i like woodworking, so it was worth it). keep in mind im in canada, so thats around what... maybe $70 USD?

as far as how i formed it, there are pics of the jig in that link i gave u. i plotted out the curves on autocad, so i have a perfect rocker line. then i stuck the curves to pieces of plywood to make those 3 rails u see in the jig. the middle one is just for support. the two outter rails are to screw my layers of 3/16" plywood too.

so anyways, first i put a layer of fibreglass resin on the bottom of a sheet of plywood (careful to avoid where the board will be placed on the rails. you dont want to have to chisel the board off the jig haha. then i layed the board down and used drywall screws to fasten it to the shape of the curved rails (only screwing on the outside ones). now this next part you have to do quickly so the fibreglass doesn't dry on you. fibreglass the board you screwed down. roll fibreglass cloth on top. put anbother layer of fibreglass on top of the cloth. (lay it thickly so that you dont have your layers coming apart after!). then lay the next sheet of plywood down and screw it to the rails. i marked the side of the rails where-ever i screwed, that way i wouldnt screw in a screw on top of another screw. haha. yah then i repeated. my board will be about 3/4" thick when its done, i think. well see after i finish fibreglassing, sanding, painting, and clearcoating.

anyways, thats how i shaped it. ill show you when it's done, and i'll probably write out a tutorial of how i did it for everyone.

KBSmith88 · Outlaw Joined: 26 Sep 2003 Posts: 182 City: Jacksonville

That would be sweet if you did write one.

Bruky · Guest

How are you going to paint it? Do a nice mural or a single color...?

Massive Matt · Posted: Jun 13, 2004 1:23 pm Post subject:

looks great, the only thing that is holding me back from making one for myself is all the epoxy that is needed. It's expensive stuff. I'm not a wakeskater so I wouldn't want to spend 100$ on wood and everything if i only use it once or twice. I thought I would have to spend 20-30$ max.

afxsguy · Criminal Joined: 01 Jun 2004 Posts: 63 City: P-ville

that might be possible if you goot wood glue or somethin. it might not be as strong, and it will take a lot longer to dry and stuff. i'd have to look into it. ive only been into woodworking recently, so i dont know.

about painting... yah man, i'm going to try to put some graphics on the bottom and make it look nice, but we will see. that all depends on my artistic talent haha

Massive Matt · Posted: Jun 13, 2004 7:46 pm Post subject:

yeah it looks goo so far though. I hope to see some sweet graphics on it soon.

afxsguy · Criminal Joined: 01 Jun 2004 Posts: 63 City: P-ville

i tried looking for ladder grip tape at home depot. but i can only find strips, not sheets. i figured skateboard tape would be too expensive, so i would look for industrial grip tape used on the steps of ladders and such.

anybody know where i could get grip tape or foam cheap for my deck?

Metzy · Outlaw Joined: 03 Mar 2004 Posts: 177

naw i dont know but when are you gonna have your tutorial done with pics? looking forward to it!

afxsguy · Criminal Joined: 01 Jun 2004 Posts: 63 City: P-ville

maybe two weeks or so. i work full time and take night school courses, so i only get spare time to work on the skate and tutorial. i dont even want to start writing the tutorial until im done and have tried the skate. i wanna see if ive done anything wrong. anyways, it's cool to see you guys interested! i'll keep you posted!

-Jesse

Metzy · Outlaw Joined: 03 Mar 2004 Posts: 177

done yet?

afxsguy · Criminal Joined: 01 Jun 2004 Posts: 63 City: P-ville

almost, just painting now. im finishing school this week.... so it will get done fairly soon. i still am trying to find grip tape too.

HyperFries · Newbie Joined: 13 Jun 2003 Posts: 39

go to any place that sells skateboards, they'll most likely sell grip tape. one strip is about $5, you'll need to to cover the whole topside.

I made mine and it took a lot less for the board to keep it's shape/rocker. I even tried to take some of the rocker out any way I could and it just stayed. But as long as it works I guess.

afxsguy · Criminal Joined: 01 Jun 2004 Posts: 63 City: P-ville

my rocker is awsome... it will crack before it goes bnack to its original shape. theres not a lot of flex in it. but i used prolly a gallon of fibreglass resin. (maybe not quite a gallon). im actually afraid that i will break the board if i ever go to slide a rail... or if i stand on it on flat ground, i think it may crack and weaken. but i guess thats the same with all wakeskates... my next board im considering putting aluminum rods in it for strength.

anyways, thanks... ive been thinking about checking a skate shop... but i was told they sell strips only long enough for skateboards. but i guess some skate shops have to have rolls of the stuff

Massive Matt · Posted: Jun 23, 2004 9:23 pm Post subject:

Elevation · Posted: Jun 23, 2004 9:53 pm Post subject:

looks like an awesome skate. make sure you get some pictures up once you paint it and ride it

HyperFries · Newbie Joined: 13 Jun 2003 Posts: 39

Yeah with the aluminum if it doesn't sink it, it sure will at a lot of weight. And it it doesn't add too much weight, then it won't be any stronger than fiberglass or anything normally used in building a skate. The aluminium would also probably just bend and not break, all depends on the type/grade of it I guess. But just to let you know before you waste your time.

The skateshop here sold it of a roll so it was no biggie. Call around and ask some shops and you'll get some. Otherwise online, you can get griptape or foam.

afxsguy · Criminal Joined: 01 Jun 2004 Posts: 63 City: P-ville

good call. yah i dont wand it to be too heavy. i wont use enough aluminum to sink it... but maybe it's not worth the effort

yah i may go tonight and look for grip tape if i have time. for my next board i'd consider trying foam. other than "gator grip" what foam supplier would u guys recommend? im not too sure how many people have made a foam skate. it seems most home made skates are grip.

Metzy · Outlaw Joined: 03 Mar 2004 Posts: 177

you done yet?

Elevation · Posted: Jul 05, 2004 7:11 pm Post subject:

yes. we want pictures.