One of the great things about skateboarding is that you can build your own board to suit your needs as well as your aesthetics. Separate skateboard decks, grip tapes, trucks, wheels and wheel bearings are readily available from skateboard shops, by catalog or online and can all be mixed and matched to build a board from scratch. Assembling your skateboard is not difficult. With all the necessary parts and proper tools, you can be riding your new skateboard in about an hour.
Step 1
Measure the distance from the tip of the skateboard deck to the closest bolt holes to determine which end of the deck is the nose and which is the tail. The longer measurement identifies the nose. Place some of the masking tape on the bottom of the deck, and label the nose and the tail. Place the deck, top up, on a steady surface.
Step 2
Identify the nose grip tape, if the tape is pre-cut. Peel away two inches of the adhesive backing from the end. Align the tape's center to the deck's center; gently press to adhere the grip tape to the deck's nose. Slowly and carefully peel the adhesive backing from the tape, lightly tacking it to the board as you go. Once the backing is removed and the grip tape is properly in place, press out any bubbles under the tape. Trim off any excess tape, and smooth the edges down.
Step 3
Push one of the truck bolts into each of the holes in the bottom of the skateboard deck and through the grip tape. Remove the bolt. Position the trucks over the holes, and insert the bolts through the holes from the top side. Thread the bolts into the truck's bolt holes, and tighten the bolts with the screwdriver. Repeat this step with the other truck.
Step 4
Turn the skateboard on its side, and gather two sets of bearings, which are needed for each wheel. Place one of the skateboard bearings face down onto the axle. Place one of the wheels onto the axle and over the bearing. Press down steadily to seat the bearing into the wheel. Remove the wheel, and place another wheel bearing face down onto the axle. Turn the wheel over, and press the wheel down onto the bearing to seat it. Place the axle bolt onto the axle, and tighten it with the socket wrench. Repeat this step for each of the remaining wheels.
Things You'll Need
- Skateboard deck
- Grip tape
- Trucks
- Wheels
- Wheel bearings
- Socket wrench set
- Large flat-head screwdriver
- Heavy scissors
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