WWW.TOOTHLESS.BE.

TF

Longboard Construction Instructions

After searching the net for a good longboard-building site, I found out that there was no simple to the point info available
Hugh Regalados site did get me going though, the only problem was the wet technique that was used...and a press to
mould wet plywood into a deck...
I needed some kind of dry system...no soaking plywood in your bathtub...no press and clamps...no huge workshop...as
cheap as possible so its affordable for everyone...and so on...
After some severe thinking, beer drinking, sleepless nights and a couple of hefty discussions with the girlfriend, I came up
with some kind of technique that suited all my needs...so... Here it is...
Enjoy...
Ive Vandewalle

Disclaimer:
This instruction is made with the intention to stimulate everyone who's into longboarding or would like to start this
fantastic hobby. The name Toothless was taken just as a gimmick...If you go down...there might be some teeth
missing !!! euh...I've still got them all....
This instruction is still as experimental as my skates...I am not responsible for any injuries caused by making and
using these skates you've made yourself...
Thanx!

What do you need:

-First of all:

Try to find a shop that is selling Birch-plywood. Search on the net,that's how I found it...
Other plywood's could do as well,but I never checked it out...Try to find a first grade ply,which is not patched up...It
will make your boards even look more than ultra professional !!!
I could only find second grade ply,and the result is fine...

-Look for:
-Birch-plywood: -6mm thick -5 layers [!] Doesnt have to be waterproof [!]
I think that airplane-plywood,which has more layers might make your board to stiff...someone called Robert from the
Heartland of the USA...will use it...I don't know any results yet...I found ply in panels of a standard size, 5 by 5
feet...enough for 2 boards and 1/2...
Let everything be cut in panels of 30cm by +/-150cm (that's a good size to start your construction...or adjust to your
own size you want to make).You will need 2 pieces of that size...
[!] The longest side of your plywood panels is cut along the grain of the outer layers (lengthwise) [!]

-2 component wood glue:

My first deck was glued with AERODUX 185 wood glue...its the stuff they use to make waterproof plywood with..The best
glue I ever used actually...a bit hard to find...
Check boatbuilders, furniture builders, wooden air plane builders, woodworkers, DIY stores...

Next Ive used 2 component POLYURETHANE wood glue...good stuff, needs about 72 hours to set
completely, sticky stuff...Commonly find-able in DIY stores

=What else:
- A box of cheap wood screws (+/- 100 per board you want to make,small one's 15mm long)
- A screw-bit that fits into a electric/battery drilling-machine or a matching screwdriver
- A electric/battery drilling-machine (get hold of one)
- A drill that has the size of your screws (with this I mean the same diameter of the thread)
- A pencil and something to measure with
- Some cardboard or paper (to make a template with,same length as your plywood pieces...half the with,could also be
done with some computer drawing programs)
- Any kind of reasonably flexible ruler or piece of wood,plastic,steel (to draw your super slick shape with,at least
half the length of your board)
- A paint brush (to apply varnish)
- A scale (to measure glue components)
- Some weights(anything will do)
- A plastic pot to mix glue in + some stick to stir the stuff
- Safety goggles and gloves
- Some default workshop gear is also needed
- Sand paper (in different grades,"P"number...ex: P60, P120 and P200)
- Siscors
- And more needed stuff you'll bump into while building...

The shape-template:
-Which shape?
Well,it's easy...don't overdo it on the first board you'll make...keep it simple...check this:
- The front of your board is very important because that's the place where you put
your "control foot",all steering comes 70% from there...so make it wide!!!...you'll
need that base!!!
- Take a simple stretched oval-like shape to begin with...easy to finish...nice
shape...easy to cut out later in the process...
- Make your board not to long...but keep it about 120 cm..
Here you see some simple shapes based on a stretched ellipse or oval...As you
can see,the front 1/3 of the deck is kept wide enough...the other 2/3 is less
important,but has a influence on the flexibility or flex of the deck...The 1st shape on
top is the one I like best..

-Dimensions:

This will give you a nice,usable longboard...

Length: 120 cm
With : 22 cm (at 1/3rd from the nose)
Thickness: 12mm (2 times 6mm plywood)
Wheelbase: 96 cm (between the axels)

And how to draw it:

Although all this can be done easier with a computer,I still want to show how it's done without one:-)
Take your piece of paper (that will become your template) and draw a straight line on one side (lengthwise),this resembles
the center line of the board...measure out the length of your board on that line...chose one or the other side of that line as
starting point (being nose or tale).
The widest place of your board is somewhere about 1/3 from the nose...measure out and mark it on the template
(remember:you are actually drawing half a board [lengthwise],so...wanted with,divided in half!

Starting point...

1/3 mark...

The end...tail...

Start drawing the beginning of the nose curve...this is done just by hand...from there on you draw a nice curved line using
that flexible ruler that was mentioned in the "what else" list...
Use some weights to hold that flexible thing in place and shape to your needs....very simple isn't it...draw along it to get
that funky curve...(these plastic curly drawing-aids are also handy)....

Be precise...1000%....any mistake or error will show up in the end result...so take care of
that...and that counts for everything you do in life!!!I
I had used everything I had at hand to hold my flexible ruler...a bare foot also :-)...
That metal lump you see in the second picture is a small caliber cannonball from about the year
1600...It was made by the Spanish when they sieged the town called Oostende...I was born
there...Oostende hasnt got any preservation policy...
Thats why I could save artifacts from being buried under a house-building project...
If you want to support me in a problem I have with Oostende...
NEVER VISIT IT...
You are NOT ALLOWED to Skate in OSTEND !!!
Ridiculous city policy actually :o))...On with the job now !!!

If curves don't match...correct it by hand...

When ready, it should look a bit like this...cutting out the template is next...
The pictures I've used were not taken in sequence...don't be astonished when my hair is
shorter in the next episode :-)
Start cutting that centerline towards the shape...follow it from there towards the other
end...and back onto the centerline at the other side...
Indeed...this is where Eva comes in play...she's the trusty personal assistant in crime :-)
She's the one that keeps stalking me about making decks and more
decks...Another one in the plot to haunt me is Romeo
a.k.a." Den dikken" meaning: The Fat One...this
doesn't reflect on size...but on his behavior...He's the
artistic dude that did my deck nr10... he's also capable
of taking 600+ useless pictures per hour...
Nice friends to have !!!

After cutting out your template:

Choose one of the plywood panels that you want to have as underside of your deck...Take that side of the panel that looks
the best because it will be visible when the deck is finished...Second grade plywood normally has a smooth, well finished
side and a side that is patched up...the patched up side is were we will put glue...Trace a line in the center of the well
finisched panel...(lengthwise)...and place your template on it so
that both centerline's match...
Now it's time to trace out your template onto the panel with a
pencil...I use a soft pencil because you can erase it in a later
stadium of the construction...
Trace all the way and flip over the template to the other side of
the centerline to do the same thing...You should now end up
with a panel on which is a centerline and the complete shape
of your deck...
If there's any small thing that is not right in your
opinion...size/shape-wise correct it NOW by making another
template or drawing some small corrections...The shape you
see is the final one...

Some info about the "dry" technique:

There are several ways to build decks...
-Commercial companies build or buy those presses to press layers of veneer into a plywood with the help of a mould to
get the right curve (or "rocker") and concave (side to side curve) if needed...by this you can get really wicked sharp bends
and curves into a deck...tails, noses, you name it...add some kevlar-,glass- or carbon fiber to it and it's top notch stuff !!!
but there's a price tag attached...that's why a brand clothing line is also made at the same time...t-shirts, jackets...the
lot...It's difficult to survive on selling decks only...
I could make a simple press myself and start making small batches of lets say 5 to 10 decks a month...could try to sell
them...but that would ruin a nice hobby...friends blame for that !!! lol...
-Next you have a "wet" technique that uses waterproof plywood, soaked in (hot) water for some time until it's soft and
more bendable...you need some kind of mold to clamp the soaked plywood panel onto...It's a simple technique that gives
you good results...Only thing is...your deck could flex back to original position after some time...I never tried it...
-Last but not least,the "dry" technique that I use...it's a bit comparable with the commercial process...except for the press
and the separate veneer that they use...When you glue 2 panels on top of each other in a curved way, they will stay like
that, even after taking excessive loads...Never had problems with it...drawback: less sharp bending possible...

Drilling holes:
Why drilling holes into this panel?...well..as mentioned above...we'll be glueing 2 panels on top of each other...
By using screws to "clamp" them together you get a nearly even pressure around the whole deck...and it's a cheaper trick
compared to using real clamps...
We want that screw to tighten up the gap between both panels...so...we drill holes in one panel so that the screw slips
trough and will bite into the other panel when tightened...simple as that...
[!] Only drill holes in that panel where you've been drawing your template on [!] Stay about 12mm on the outside of
your traced shape and drill a hole about every 15mm to 20mm...It will take some time but it's worth it...

Putting things together:

-How much Curve:
The biggest question on everyone's mind is the amount of curve or rocker ( in surfing' slang )that should be given to the
deck...
Rohan Moresi mailed me some simple mathematical principles that should work...it must do for sure...never tried it
though...
Here's Rohans explication on beam-bending stress theory:
"The basic crux is that deflection is inversely proportional to a beams width and to the cube of the beams thickness...
So for a given force a beam which is say 100mm wide, will deflect twice as much as beam which is twice as wide
(200mm). But a beam which is 10mm thick will deflect 2X2X2 (8) times as much as a beam which is twice as thick
(20mm). So if 10kg bends a beam of 10mm thickness by say 1mm then 80kg (10kg X 8) is required to bend a beam of
double the thickness (20mm) by the same amount (1mm)..."
The last deck I've made is curved 20mm above level...and bends horizontal when I stand on it (65 Kg)...When doing some
backward reasoning on Rohans explanation...1 panel of my new deck would have bend the same amount under 65 Kg / 8
= 8,125 Kg...Pity I couldn't try it because I received the mail after the build...
This is plain physics...
How do we incorporate all this into our deck;
First,place the panel, which has no holes in it, on a flat surface, with the cleanest side downwards...put something
underneath both ends of it...I use some leftover wood for that...Place this wood about where the trucks will be
mounted...Now this panel will be able to bend under the weight you put on it...
Step 1: Measure the curve after you've placed 1/8 th of your bodyweight,at the 1/3 mark from the decks nose, on the
panel...
Step 2: Now remove the weight and add the second panel on-top of the first one and keep adding weight until it curves
the same amount as you measured in step 1
This should give you some idea about the amount of weight to add when glueing both panels together...
- What I've used:
I've placed both panels on-top of each other...first the hole-less one...then the traced and drilled one...
Placed some wood at both ends and I've bent it about 30 mm when glueing them together...when removing the weights
after the glue is set and after cutting out the deck...it curves back a bit to 25 to 20 mm

Prepare the panels and glue:

Place the 2 panels next to each other with the surfaces that have to get glue
pointing towards you...as if you would open a book...Have everything ready at
hand...screws,weights,safety gear,drilling machine with bit...Clean the panels
with some dry cloth to get rid of dust...
Take some plastic pot or the lower half of a plastic bottle and your scales...We'll
need about 200 to 250 grams of the stuff to glue a deck that is 120 cm by 22
cm...
Check the right dosage of resin and hardener of your 2 component glue... The
dosage has to be spot-on!!! Otherwise you might have some setting problems with the glue
stuff...Stir the glue for at least 2 minutes so that you get a even spreading of hardener and resin...it will make the bond
strong...

Apply the stuff:

Depending on the brand of 2 component you use...it will be mentioned if you have to add glue to one or both
panels...check this out before applying glue ...
Spread out the glue across the whole length and with of the panel but stay around the edge marked by the drilled
holes...

Continued:
Place both panels on-top of each other and screw in 1 screw at 1 end of you deck... Don't
screw anything at both sides of the panels...otherwise they can't move ...

Then add the weights at 1/3 distance from the nose... After
checking everything out for the last time...start adding more
screws from the nose onwards...alternate between left and right
side of the deck... Continue until you've reached the tail...
Don't do anything more for the moment...only some cleaning up
can be done now :-)
Wait for about 48 hours...even if it says "full strength in 24
hours"...

48 Hours later:
When you've glued in the dark...then it's dark again...
Eva's checking out some cutting work that has to be done... Remove those screws and sand
away any glue that lies on-top of your glued panels...Take care not to sand away the tracing
you've done with the template...you'll need that to cut out the deck...

The picture you see is taken while cutting out another experiment...the deck
with the tail actually...but all rules apply for the next episode...Here I use a
Jigsaw...in the "old days" I had to do this with a simple handsaw...Not so
anymore...try to get hold of one...
Start cutting in the middle of the panel and go towards the nose and or
tail...By doing this you'll avoid splinters coming of at the inside of the traced
deck outline...
Don't use extreme force...let the saw blade do it's work...

Shaping the edge:

After cutting out the deck you
should get the edges into
shape...It's more comfortable to grip
onto a smooth, round edge or rail
(you name it)...

Try to get hold of some transportbelt rubber...It's tough and bends into the decks shape...otherwise...use some leftover
wood to guide the sandpaper...

First use rough sandpaper to get rid of the saw blades

rough-cut...and make the edge smooth and angular...
The cat called Mark has a quick look of the work in
progress...I have a quick worried look at him...

Draw a pencil line all the way around the deck at about 2mm from
the edge...we need some reference for the sanding that has to be
done...
Trace both sides...

Here I use a angled disk-grinder to do the job...Just take away the

edge at 45 degrees until you reach the tracing...
Do the whole upper and under side...

Now use the sandpaper again to

shape the edge further until you
end up with a nice round sidesurface...

A last check and your ready for some varnish !!!

Varnish and graphics:

After sanding and shaping the deck it's time to add some varnsh...
The stuff I used is a water based acrylic varnish...it's a nice material to work with...apply 2 layers of it on the deck and
leave to dry...sand the deck with P600 sandpaper between layers

Choose the kind of graphics that you want to get onto the deck...here I've took a manipulated
photograph I printed out...
I've traced it onto the deck using some carbon
copy paper...

From here onwards I used some waterproof markers to fill in the tracing...
keep the original at hand to check out what you should fill in...

The finished result...neatly coloured

lookalike stuff...
Next was the striping I wanted to add...to do this I used some papertape...
take care to stick very well onto the deck...otherwise there will be paint running
underneeth it...

I never paint striping at the very end of the deck...here you see how I taped the
tail...and left a small edge with tape...just cut away what shouldn't be there...
The same trick does it for the nose

The deck taped and ready...

Orange...It's something different...

Some black next to the orange striping tops it off...

Spot-on looks...
Now you can add another layer of varnish to protect those graphics...
Enjoy...