Board Builders

No problems with the questions Dan.  I've had the bag for over 2 years now and it's still in great condition.  I've probably made about 20 boards in it (some great, some crap, but that's not the bag's fault!) and so long as you give it a clean every now and then and look after it as far as storage when you're not using it (I just roll mine up and put it back in the box it came in) - it'll go for a long time.

I got my foam here in Melb at https://secure.solidsolutions.com.au/view_products.php?cat=65 - google is your friend - it's pretty easy to find if you look. 

@Adam - yeah - I just generally stay with the layers as they are delivered.  I have varied it depending on what I'm making - I've done 8 and 9 layer decks as well as a 5 layer (2 glass layers - 1 inside, 1 roadside) - just depends on how stiff you want to make the deck - the issue I would have with 3 layers of glass as you suggest is the added weight of the epoxy - it'll be strong as, but you're adding quite a bit of weight...  The maple is strong as...  t doesn't need that much reinforcing.

My first build! 
I made a giant list of mistakes but the second one should be 10 times better. My man error was not using anywhere near enough epoxy. Having never used any type of epoxy before I didn't realise how much the wood would soak it in. The wheel flares at the front worked though.

Woops wrong picture. Here's the full deck.
33.75" long
24" and 25" wheelbases
7 ply maple, 4 glass

Well done with the wheel flare , have seen this done as part of the concave foot well area, of some Five mile proto and some IDF spec buttboards looks great got any pics of the mold area for the front

This pic is crap but heres my second build!
9 ply maple 
38.25" long
28" wheelbase 
10" wide at front 9" wide at back

setup: ronins 40/40 and rad advantage 78a

nice work adam, they look sweet, how do you apply on the graphic?

anyone know what to use as cheap wood for my second build, don't want to spend to much?

Does anyone know any wood veneer suppliers in SA?

Looking for, hoop pine or baltic birch and im open to any other cheaper wood suggestions.

Why not try bamboo veneer? We supply directly from China.

It is cost effectively and elegant. Also, bamboo decks are stronger than wood.

@Ben Rainford and Toby Hampson

Cost wise the best solution I have found is thin sheets of ply, from a local supplier I can get 1.5mm thick BC sheets of hoop pine ply (which in reality has pretty much AA quality faces) for about ~$70 for a sheet and it's surprising how much shape and curve you can get from this ply. If the curves in your deck are less radical you can also get 3mm or 4mm BC hoop pine ply sheets for ~$40 a sheet. Personally I prefer the exterior or structural grades as the glue line will last longer.

Interestingly you can make decks out of any timber species, even solid (eg. not made from veneers), it just takes a little more research and design effort. If your interested in what is possible check out this board, it is a flat deck but it is solid timber, flexible, thinner and lighter than most decks; D&F Boards - Bendy Flexy I helped out with the design on this deck and I have to say that the ride is sick!

If anyone is after help with the calcs, etc for a non-standard deck then hit me up I'd be happy to help!

thaaanks @A Dalrymple yesterday i picked up a piece of solid pine and I'm now building a nice cruiser, I'm really excited and can't wait to cut it all out!!!!!!

HEY EVERYONE!!!!!
Ok, so like i said i was building a nice cruiser and its turned out pretty cool, to be honest I'm more in to downhill, but i thought it would be cool to have one around, I'm still not sure what trucks to use though. I just gave it a clear coat with a dark stripe on the bottom, will post some pictures when its all done!!!!!

Just letting everyone know that it doesn't have clear coat on in the pic... :)

Geez this place is ghost town these days...

I have heaps of board building materials still left over which I would love to see being used for boards.

Im even of thinking of doing board building packs which would include all the necessary materials to construct a board exactly the same as an FP, including some extruded polystyrene foam to make a mold with. All you would need is your own epoxy. I havent worked it out just yet but it would most likely be around the $100 mark shipped to your door

Would anyone be interested in something like this? I Would need to have at least 5 people interested to make it worth me doing.

Other than that if you want some other materials hit me up

I'd be interested.. how much is the wood only though?

Ditto Steve - I was thinking the same thing a couple of months back - what happened to all the enterprising young lads turning their hands to board building?!

You cant make a board with the timber only, its not strong enough, stiff enough or impact resistant enough...

Dunno Deeks, board building, its too hard....

I am definitely interested Steve!!
Also I am still attempting builds/projects. 
Currently in the throws of making my Rayne Amazon a foam core. 
Pics will be up upon completion.
Got plenty more planned for the year.

Yeah ok sweet Adam, Do you have the proper foam for that? I have some if you need some.

Ok well thats 2 people. Ill do a proper post on our facey page in the next few days with more details. If we get 5 people its happening!

Oh and all this stuff Im just selling for cost, not looking to make a profit, just wanna see it being used and recouping costs

I have got foam for it already just that extruded polystyrene stuff. Would you use something different?

Yes. That's not dense enough to distribute the forces from both sides. From memory it has a density around 25-30kg/m3. You want at least 80kg/m3.

You could try it but I would expect it to shear away from your skins pretty quick unfortunately. On the plus side that foam is great for making molds!

Oh ok 
There's a bump in the project haha 
How would I go about getting some of the proper foam off you if you have it?

send me a pm mate

Adam - not sure where you are but if you're trying to go for a foam core you need something like Divynicell - Nuplex stock it and are in most states.  It's a much more complicated build process over timber veneers...

count me in as keen on some kit too Steve.

Spot on Deeks, Yeah thats what I use, well used to use haha. Ok mate well thats 3 people.

On a side note I would cap the length of materials at 103/104 cm, this keeps it within the 107cm limit for aus post, just to keep the shipping costs as low as possible

sweet, thanks Steve.  hopefully we can drum up a couple more - maybe the Witch-Doctor would be interested in your space-age materials...? ;)

I would  be interested to steve :)

anyone got any feedback on my deck design i made? haven't made the actual board but made a design! Its 36 long and 9.7 wide

Looks sweet!

What size are you planning on for the wheelbase?
And what kind of concave?

It's a start Ben. As Adam says, what sort of features will the deck have?

Hey, thanks for the feedback...

I'm thinking around 25 - 27.5 for the wheelbase not sure yet though. I was thinking of putting some wheel wells in there too and probably a tub concave or maybe a bit of w if i can

Nice man 25 and 27 are my favourite wheelbases
what material are you using?

steve is selling a pack which includes the foam mould, wood etc. so Whatever he gives me i think.. I mitre just try out the shape first thought on a piece of ply just to see how i like the shape..

Made my first shape for foamie number 1 today. Sorry for it looking kind of similar to yours Ben I'm not the most creative person. It is 37" long  9.4" wide at front foot 9.25" wide at back foot. It shall have a 27" wheelbase and a flat bottom tub concave about 5/8" of an inch deep.

So I pulled my first foamie out of the bag this arves. I thought I would share the mistakes I made in case someone else is having a go. I watched a tutorial where a guy used a foam mold wrapped in tape and I did the same thing but the carbon showed every little groove at the joins of each bit of tape. 
The breather net I used also left a pattern on the bottom of the board but it isn't too bad. 
I should be cutting it out and doing a lot of sanding/attempting to save the board on Sunday. 
I am definitely going to be using a smoother mold for my next one. 
But yeah I was sort of expecting to make mistakes on the first one.

Really good first effort Adam - you're playing in the "deep end" of the pool with this technique, so it can be pretty unforgiving...  do you think it is salvageable?

I hope it is Deeks
There are several lumps and bumps that definitely wont come out 
But i think if i keep going with sanding and epoxy I may be able to make a smooth surface on the deck. I guess the only downside there is the added weight but its so light I'm not too fussed.
I will be riding it it feels super strong as it is. 

Good luck - look forward to seeing it finished.

I finished the build! Although there were a lot of mistakes (some were just plain stupidity from rushing like the uneven wheel wells) I am pretty stoked to have a carbon foamie that I can and will ride. The deck weighs in at just on 1kg and I have set it up with Rogue 43 degree precision trucks and some pink big zigs for now. Definitely learnt heaps with this build. I think my next one will be maple again but I will experiment with using less maple and more composites.

Anyway let me know what you all think!

Board specs again

Length: 37"
Width: 9.4" at front foot 9.25" at back foot.
Wheelbase: 27"
Concave: Deep tub

Nice result Adam.

Well done Adam

Some new Universal Code Spec Custom Boards going out to team riders Declan & Mic for the 2015 Luge season

Brakeboard Pty Ltd, the Australian company that has invented and produced the Brakeboard foot-brake for longboards, now has stock of their latest models. These are available from their St Kilda HQ and also from the Twelve Board Store in Richmond.
They are based on the successful Kickstarter project with many other
small improvements.

For background history check out Brakeboard on Wikipedia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brakeboard