Let Paul's skate shop hook you up! We have all the parts you need to build a complete board, because professional skateboards are made piece by piece by the skater. But before we can build a complete board we need to know what the parts are and what they do.

        Construction

        The actual board or deck of the skateboard is made of several layers of maple, which is cellulose. The layers are usually laid down so that every other layer is facing a different direction. This helps keep the deck strong and prevent it from breaking under pressure.

        		 Seven layers of maple ready to be glued.
        © www.skateboard.com

        The layers are glued together and pressed so that they curve up at both ends. The decks are then drilled so that trucks can be screwed on later. Then the deck is cut by hand and sanded. Next at least two layers of polyurethane are added to seal the deck. Finally the decks are screen printed, set aside to dry and then boxed and shipped to skate shops around the world.
        the glue machine board being pressed board being hand cut board being sanded by hand board being coated with polyurethane board being screen printed
        all photos © www.skateboard.com

        Trucks
        close up of a truck Now that our deck is done we can add the other parts. First we need to select our trucks. Trucks are made from cast metal and allow the skater to turn the board. They accomplish this by pivoting about the kingpin. The kingpin is a giant bolt running through the middle of the truck. The kingpin has rubber bushings on it that allow for different resistances when pivoting. So the softer the bushing the easier and quicker it is to turn the skateboard.
        © www.skateboard.com

        Wheels
        wheels in various colors and sizes
        © www.skateboard.com
        Skateboard wheels are made from a urethane. This allows the wheel to be firm and durable. Wheels are given ratings based on how hard the urethane is. The durameter of the wheel is how hard or soft that wheel is.

        A bearing must be inserted between the wheels and the axle of the truck. The bearing controls the speed at which the wheel will spin.

        Grip Tape
        A layer of adhesive sand paper needs to be applied to the top of the deck before attaching the trucks. The grip tape helps give the skater traction while riding and doing tricks. Finally we need to put a plastic spacer between the truck and the deck. The spacer allows the skater to vary the height of the board from the ground

        Below is a diagram of a skateboard. Roll over the different parts to see what they are.
        photo © www.skateboard.com
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