#7 - Steven's deck

In my humble opinion this is the best deck yet. Steven told me to go nuts and do whatever I like to his deck with the request that I give a little nod to architecture.

North arrow on top.

Elevation on the bottom.

Steven has not been on a skateboard in many years and he's not going to do anything crazy on this board so I made it a drop through. That gets the deck about 1/2" closer to the ground and easier to push.

I can't say it enough, I'm really pleased with this deck. The bottom will get a final coat tonight and then it'll be ready for delivery tomorrow.

#6 - the first of the forty2s

This is the firs deck to be finished since I decided on a name. It's two layers of carbonized bamboo and a 1/8" maple stringer.

forty2 on the top of course.

A good shot of the W concave, it's pretty mild and really comfortable, not at all like #4.

A better shot of the forty2.

#5 - Eddie's deck

Deck number four was originally intended for Eddie but after I screwed it up I decided it would be better to start fresh with a new build. I'm glad I did, this deck is a big improvement over the last one.

It was a little too flexy when I first pulled it out of the press so I added a purpleheart stringer to stiffen it up a little bit. Post stringer it was just right and under Eddie's weight it'll be perfect.

Eddie gave me full control over the design and construction of the deck and he stayed in the dark throughout the process.

I gave it a couple of NOLA touches to set it apart.

#4 - the failed deck

I built a new press for this deck and promptly started to learn from a string of small mistakes. The bamboo veneers really didn't want to conform to the shape without cracking along it's length. I've since devised a simple method to counter this and aid in making the bamboo form into more complex shapes.

Once pressed I went ahead and finished the deck with plenty of fiberglass to ensure that everything stays together. The W concave that I was going for came out a bit strong in the middle and the glass on the bottom is blemished due to very stupid mistake on my part.


Currently the deck is set up as a sample and is getting passed around amongst various riders. It's interesting to ride but makes my arches hurt after more than thirty minutes of riding it. I'm planning on selling it soon for not a whole lot of money.

#3 - the double drop

This board is my favorite for sure. It has approximately ten degrees of wedge in the front, zero in the back, and and inch of drop. Four layers of bamboo and and four layers of fiberglass make this a very stiff deck.

Being so low to the ground this board is really easy to push and foot brake. It also has a more hammocky feel than a topmount deck that I feel makes carving much better.

#2 - proof of concept

This deck was more of a proof of concept deck more than anything. I made it for someone that inquired about my first deck one day when I was riding around the lake. Construction is a combination of maple, baltic birch, and bamboo.

I'm afraid I don't have any more pictures than these of this board. It was out of my possession quite quickly and I haven't heard anything about it since.

#1 - the board that started it all.

I built this deck on a whim. I didn't use a press, just a bunch of clamps and a table with blocks to get the camber I was looking for.

I love the deck, it turned out really well and rode just the way I was hoping that it would. It's just a simple deck with no concave and good for just cruising around the lake.