Unnecessary?

One thing that you do not see at thrift stores very often is a skateboard. Bicycles, roller skates, skis, roller blades, snowboards, and scooters are all common finds, but skateboards are elusive. Even poor quality boards are rare.

Maybe it's because a lot of used boards get re-purposed. I did a search for "recycled skateboard" on Etsy, and there are 3,029 results.

One Etsy shop is selling used decks for $50 a pop, and they only have one left.

I suppose that's why I have a couple of junky skateboards in my garage. I bought them because they were all I could find. I went through a skateboard phase about eight years ago, and now I don't remember where they came from.

One of these skateboards is a clunky Kryptonics that probably came from Walmart in 2005. The deck is thick, unwieldy, and slightly warped. Also, the artwork isn't cool enough to display. I decided the Kryptonics was a perfect candidate for a short-long board. 

I've mentioned these before. A short-long board is a standard skateboard that mimics the feel of longboarding by relocating the trucks to the far ends of the deck. This lowers the deck, and it adds more flexibility. Wedge (angled) risers are placed beneath the trucks to aid with turning. Some people add longboard trucks and wheels as well.

This project is completely unnecessary. I just wanted to do something with my hands and then write about it.

My method of marking the board for new bolt holes is far from a scientific process, but it's better than just eyeballing it - I think. I run a long strip of painters tape directly across the middle of two bolt holes and extend the tape to the edge of the board. I try to keep the tape as flat and straight as possible.

The next step is to place the truck in place and see if the tape strips cut through the middle of the truck's holes. If one strip of tape doesn't bisect both holes, then peal it off and try again.

I placed the truck 3/4 of an inch from the end of the deck. Using the truck holes as a guide, I marked the edge of the tape with a black Sharpie.

I like to use a nail, an awl, or better yet, a center punch tool to make a dimple in the wood. That keeps the drill bit from wandering off when I drill my hole. I also use a small drill bit to make the pilot holes first.

When a drill bit goes all the way through, it often splinters the wood as it exits. A scrap of wood clamped to the bottom of the deck keeps the exit holes in the skateboard looking clean. I had to move the c-clamp around as I drilled each hole.

The scrap of wood takes all the damage. The skateboard's grip tape just tore a little bit.

I like to countersink the holes so the bolts sit flush with the grip tape. You could just crank the bolts really tight, I suppose, but why overstress the wood?

The holes look okay to me.

Once the holes are done, reassembly is easy.

The bolts look flush.

Both trucks are installed.

Here's the Kryptonics' new stance. It's low, and unfortunately slow. I had to clean the rusty bearings.

The board didn't turn at all, either. Since I didn't have angled risers on hand, I replaced the plastic bushings with soft rubber bushings.

These blue bushing are way too soft for me to use on a regular skateboard set-up. They are meant for a much lighter rider (like Charlotte). They seem to work well in this application, though.

I had an idea while I was testing the blue bushings last night. A board that doesn't turn well could be perfect as a "trainer" skateboard for Charlotte. If I put the plastic bushings back, then the board will just go forwards (or backwards.) All Char will have to worry about is keeping her balance as she stands on it. Maybe a low board will feel safer and be a confidence builder for her? It's worth a shot.

Okay, maybe this project won't be completely unnecessary.