Lib Tech’s DIY Custom Snowboard Blanks. Build your own snowboard!
Here is a quick rundown on some tools needed to do the job right along with some helpful hints.
TOOLS:
- Steel ruler
- Tape measure
- Sharpie pen
- 1/4″ – 1/2″ tape for laying down the side cut curves, or a long piece of thin metal. Even tracing your old boards sidecut will work here.
- Jigsaw with Perma-Grit and or Metal cutting blades for cutting composites.
- Skill saw, professional framing saw with power
- Japanese brands, think kerf 7″ saw blades. Brands like Matsushita or Tenryu. Used for cutting the sidecut. I learned this from building wooden skateboard bowls. The thin kerf blade will bend and allow you to rip a perfect sidecut in your board.
- Clamps and vises
- Work bench
- Sand paper and sanding block
- Loctite brand Super glue, with application brush, or epoxy, or something to finish and seal the sidewalls to your liking.
- Old snowboards to measure sidecuts and widths
- Random bowls and other shapes objects for tail and nose designs
- Citrus base cleaner, to clean off sharpie marks on the blank
- Gloves
- Dust mask
INSTRUCTIONS:
- First decide what you want this new snowboard shape to do. Look crazy or work in deep pow, shallow pow or everything.
- Consider your height, weight, and boot size. (all of which are important in how your board rides under you)
- If you have a favorite snowboard, grab it and measure it’s widths, nose, tail, waist, length and contact areas. You can even trace it’s sidecut to get the exact same thing on your blank.
- Decide how long you want your board and how large of a nose and tail.
- Decide how wide you want the blank in the waist area somewhere between the inserts and the nose and tail area.
- Decide where the sidecut of the board is the narrowest.
- Decide if you want your sidecut centered in your stance or back a couple inches. Back from center will help keep the nose up a little in deep snow.
- Use old some plates, bowls, or old boards to make nose and tail curves.
- Mark all the measurement needed and finalize your lines to cut the blank out.
- Clamp the board down firmly to a bench for cutting.
- .Take a practice cut on the corners to get the feel
- Carefully slide in your blade at FULL speed and perfectly cut out your shape.
- I SUGGEST TO FIRST CUT OUT YOUR SIDE CUT WITH THE SKILL SAW a Japanese, thin kerf blade on it.
- Using the jigsaw, cut your nose and tail.
- Sand the cut areas, leaving the sidewall sharp on towards the base.
- Seal the edges
- Hot wax the base and sidewalls with ONEBALL wax
- Shred Epic Pow on your own stick and be proud of your hard work!
Enjoy!