Experiment with Nature » diy

Cruiser Skateboard Decks

Steve Ebert — Thu, 02 Jul 2015 20:32:18 +0000

After hand-shaping and raffling off a custom axe at last year’s Agenda Show Long Beach, we knew it was going to be difficult to come up with something even more impressive for this year’s show. In the process of brainstorming and talking over a few options and ideas, someone threw out the possibility of making something out of the same materials we use for our glasses. After making snowboards at the beginning of winter last year (check out that post HERE) skateboards seemed like a logical next step. The problem arose, however, that we wouldn’t be able to use power tools in the middle of a bustling tradeshow. So we set out to explore the possibility of making a few decks almost entirely with hand-tools.

To start the process, we selected material combinations from some of our most popular sunglasses options, and designed a few different shapes of decks. The plies were then cut to shape on the laser and arranged for pressing.

Each ply was coated with glue and arranged to be molded by the form above. Once arranged, the plies were placed against the form and inserted into this vacuum bag, which is operated by a small, quiet generator and vacuum pump.

After the plies are pressed and dried, the resulting planks are then cut to shape using a coping saw and ready for finishing.

After a good amount of sanding, once the edges were rounded and smooth, the deck was ready to have the holes drilled. Using the holes cut on the laser as guides, we created the hardware holes using this old-time styled hand-drill.

Once that was done a light coat of shellac was applied to protect and beautify the decks, and they are ready for assembly. See below for a few shots of the finished product!

Our founder, Eric Singer, will be hand-shaping another deck during the two days of Agenda Long Beach, and then we will be raffling one of the beauties off! If you are planning on attending stop by booth No. F35 to check out the process in person and enter for your chance to win!

DIY Snowboards

Steve Ebert — Wed, 25 Jun 2014 16:27:04 +0000

Winters in Portland are long, cold, and wet– but not quite cold enough to see any significant amount of snow in the city. Mt. Hood is close and accessible– if you’re willing to make the hour and a half drive and deal with the sometimes heavy traffic and often dangerous road conditions. The combination of these factors make for very dedicated skiers and snowboarders, including some of our crew here at Shwood.

Our founder and designer, Eric Singer, teamed up with Joe Blecha (who formerly has shaped boards for Burton) to lead a few friends in making snowboards 2 winters ago and learned a lot about the process. This past winter, with an even larger crew, they put the knowledge gained from the first experiment to the test.

The first stage of the process involved everyone sitting down together to design their custom topsheet. We worked in Adobe Illustrator to set up the file for the laser engraver. At this point we also placed the order for materials, enough to make six boards total.

Once the raw lumber arrived, we set to work on the table saw cutting down the bamboo and poplar into strips that would later but joined together to create the cores of the boards. The slats were then milled down to a consistent and specific thickness. Bamboo was placed at the center and edges of the core due to its water resistance, rigidity, and flex. Poplar placed in between the bamboo reduced the weight while maintaining strength and pop.

Wax paper was used to prevent the glue from sticking to the clamp and press system. We stepped up our game this time around on the pressing portion of the process after having less than stellar results previously when driving a car on top of the press to provide the necessary pressure.

Once the cores were glued together, they were sanded down and fitted with hardware. The topsheet designs were applied and covered in fiberglass and resin to seal everything together. At this point they were vacuum-sealed and pressed.

Once pressed the boards were cut to their final shape, they were sanded to a clean edge and coated in walnut oil to bring out the natural wood color. Four coats of marine boat deck finish were applied to the top and sidewalls to provide a clean, waterproof seal.

Finally, after a long and intricate process, we were ready to hit the hill. The crew made their way up to Mt. Hood Meadows for a little late season shred.

DIY ROCKING CHAIR

Joe — Thu, 02 Jan 2014 23:25:16 +0000

Here at the Shwood shop there is always someone staying late to work on a new side project. With the high standards for wood selection that go into production there is a constant stockpile of scrap materials that didn’t make the cut. Always on the lookout to build something interesting Shwood founder, Eric Singer, recently took advantage of this resource while constructing a custom rocking chair for his home in Portland, OR. See photos of the build process below:

SELECTING WOOD FROM STOCKPILE

OAK WAS CHOSEN FOR IT’S DENSE PROPERTIES

BUILDING SKIDS

DIY PRESS WAS MADE TO BEND THE SKIDS. SIMILAR PROCESS TO MAKING A SKATEBOARD.

PRE-DRILL SCREW HOLES AND COUNTER SYNC FOR WOOD CAPS

HAND SANDING TO SMOOTH ALL JOINTS

STITCHING TWIN 3″ FOAM CUSHIONS WITH AN EXTRA LAYER OF MEMORY FOAM (BECAUSE WHY NOT) INTO SEAT AND BACKREST

FINAL PRODUCT READY FOR COLD WINTER NIGHTS IN FRONT OF THE FIREPLACE