Since the first day that skateboard decks first appeared, they have gone through many phases of development and changes.
Most skateboard decks are made from Canadian and North American maple wood. The maple from this area, due to its slow growth, is particularly durable and robust.
HOW A DECK IS MADE
It is useful to know how a skateboard deck is made.
As you will see in the picture, the process is relatively simple and that is why we have seen over the years satisfactory attempts by individuals to build skateboards at home with great success. However, the process you see in the picture is a common process followed by the largest manufacturing plants in the world. So the production stages are:
- Wood Processing: The first step is to find and process wood for the board. As we mentioned most quality decks are made from North American Maple Wood. There are cheaper boards made of birch (Birch Wood) with less resistance, and boards made of maple from other regions such as (China, Russia, etc.).
- Cutting Wood into Sheets (Veneers): The most common thickness established in the skateboarding industry is around 1.5mm thick sheets – 7 sheets of wood are usually used for a skateboard. But there are also cases of 9 sheets where there is the production of hybrid boards with various woods or a combination of woods with other materials such as carbon fiber. Some companies choose to varnish the veneers for aesthetic reasons, and usually the colored ones are chosen for the middle, first and seventh ply.
- Gluing/Welding: The glues used in the production of skateboards are not the common wood glues that you will find easily in hardware or paint stores. They are special adhesives that are characterized by high strength, fast drying time and the ability to maintain their shape when the deck is removed from the mold. They are usually non-toxic water-based adhesives called PVA polyvinyl bonding adhesives. They are essentially two-component adhesives mixed with a catalyst (unfortunately a toxic material) that speeds up drying time.
- Moulding/Shaping: In specially made hydraulic presses, manufacturers insert the mold that will give the shape and size of the deck, with the corresponding concaves. Here the options are endless.
- Drilling/Forming: After the deck is removed from the mold, the manual process of final shaping of the board then begins (creating holes) to accept the screws of the trucks. The drilling also determines the wheelbase of each board (ie the distance between the 4 internal holes of the nose and the 4 internal holes of the tail of the board).
- Design: The designs are screen printed onto heat transfer papers and the heat is transferred to the skateboard decks. This allows the printed ink to print strongly into the wood fibers of the deck.
SHAPE
The most common shape is the classic Popsicle shape. This is the typical symmetrical shape that is rounded on both sides. In recent years, of course, skateboards have been released with various shapes such as the square, fishtail, diamond tail, and other designs with predominant old school shapes with strange oval cuts on the sides and with tapered to square edges. However in 90% of cases you will find Popsicle shape. The popsicle decks are also the ones that usually have a concave that we will cover in our guide below.
CONCAVE
A very important feature for a deck is the concave, which is the longitudinal curvature of the board or otherwise the hollow.
We can meet decks with low concave, medium concave and high concave.
- Mellow Concave: they have a small curvature and offer the skater stability but not flexibility and are a little more difficult in flips. A board with a mellow concave will feel flatter under your feet because it has less curve and more flat surface area to place your feet on. Also on these boards the center of gravity is kept low. So if you skate mainly on flat terrain then it is an ideal choice.
- Medium Concave: they offer an in-between situation and are the ideal choice when you are not sure what to choose. They are not as aggressive as steep concave decks but just because there is an easily noticeable concave, it helps to achieve flip tricks with more ease than a mellow concave and is quite bit more predictable than steep concave decks.
- Steep Concave: they have great curvature and offer great flexibility and easy flips, however they require good technical training because they are more unpredictable. When we have steep concave we have a more curved surface that responds very quickly to the skater's movements. That is why many skaters choose such boards because they give them a better feel. If you transition skate then the steep concave is for you.
Most skate companies use different molds for their boards that define the concave and it's usually something they keep as part of the overall brand identity. Of course, this is not a rule and one can easily get confused, because Powel Peralta or Santa Cruz boards produce both mellow and steep concave boards. The dwindle distribution boards have 4 different concave molds for their brands. That is why we recommend that you either contact our team to direct you or visit our store to see the decks in person.
Note: The goal is to find the board that will help you position your feet correctly and be comfortable to move. We always recommend starting with Mellow or Medium Concave
SIZES – WHICH IS THE MOST APPROPRIATE
Decks are almost always measured in US inches for their width. One inch corresponds to 2.54 cm.
In order to choose the deck that perfectly suits your style, you must have gained enough experience and gone through many trial and error phases. However, there are some general guidelines that we choose the deck according to the size of the shoe and the height of the skater.
DECK SIZE (WIDTH) vs SHOE NUMBER
In the image below, although it is not a rule but an indication and recommendation of our team, you can see the different deck sizes depending on your shoe size:
DECK SIZE (LENGTH) vs SKATER HEIGHT
In general, the shorter the skater, the shorter the length of the board he should use. It is much easier to handle and allows you to have better reactions to tricks. Below we suggest suitable board lengths in relation to height.
- <140 cm | 28″ – 30.5″
- 140-150 cm | 30.5″ – 31.5″
- 150-175 cm | 31.5″ – 31.875″
- 160-185 cm | 31.875″ – 32″
- 170-190 cm | 31.875″ – 32.25″
- >190 cm | 32.25″
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