The Handmade Skateboard

by Matt Berger

In this book, a renowned California longboard maker shares his expertise. He traces the history of the skateboard, from early homemade creations to today’s refined, innovative styles, before examining the design factors, materials and components to consider when custom-building a board. He gives detailed instructions for making five different skateboards, covering kits as well as building from scratch.

Each project includes plenty of sound woodworking instruction, from advice on using hand and power tools, vacuum presses, glues and finish, to applying stencils, woodburning, marquetry and other graphic techniques. Supplemented with color photos, drawings, a supplier directory and tips from professional makers, the book also includes in-depth profiles of five North American workshops at the cutting edge of skateboard design. If you long to pass your love of woodworking on to your teens or tweens, but the prospect of building a birdhouse or spice rack fails to tempt them, this book is sure to catch their interest.

Softcover, 8" × 10", 153 pages, 2014.