Handcrafting a Snowboard: an Intro to Board Building

Ever since my first time snowboarding at my local "mountain", I thought it would be sick to own a snowboard. The price tag to achieve that goal was just a few multiples away from what I was willing to spend, however, so I calmed my ambition and settled for watching YouTube videos of the pros. But before I knew it, the algorithms had gotten me into a whole 'nother mess, as Good Roads' snowboard building series (highly recommend) showed up at the top of my feed. "Wow!" I thought. "Who new you could build your own board?" I pondered.

So I was hooked. After a year of offseason busyness, I decided to dive headfirst into building my own first board, and you can do it in 3 weeks or fewer if you too spend every waking moment absorbed in the project. So here we go, and welcome to your inaugural board build 🤙!

As you may imagine, the list of supplies used to accomplish something like this can be quite large! Trying my hardest to make a project like this accessible to everyone, I will suggest some alternative materials and methods when possible throughout. I will also give helpful links to the items I used or would use.

Firstly, I will start with the supplies that are to be used in the board itself:

Base material (P-tex): Research whether sintered or extruded is best for you

Steel Edges: Any work

Super Glue: Liquid super glue

VDS Tape: Any works

Fiberglass: I chose angled biaxial, but research what is best for you

Urethane for Sidewalls: See the alternative sidewalls (Step 7)

Binding Inserts: I used 7mm

Wood(s) for Core: I used mostly Poplar and Maple and Aspen

Tip/Tail Fill: 2mm thick

Topsheet: Any work

Epoxy: Must be marine epoxy

On to additional materials:

Wood for Templates: Generally plywood or MDF is best

Rigid Foam: 1.5 inches thick is just enough

Spray Glue: Any works

And finally, tools:

Power Saw (table or circular saw): You will at least need some sort of saw with power to make this possible

A Jigsaw or Band Saw: You will need to cut curved shapes often

A Drill: Something to make holes of various sizes

Cutting tools (knife and tin snips): You can use just a knife, but if you want a cut-in base design (Step 3), you will struggle

Router: Not a must, but definitely helpful

Planer: You will need something that can reduce the wood to the right thickness

Metal Cutter (bolt cutters or rotary tool): Anything that can cut steel, preferably accurately

Sanders (belt and orbital sanders): One or both. Belt sander is more helpful.

The board that I created was based on the Greats Uninc, made by Yes. It's a funky, all-mountain board with a unique asymmetrical shape. That is half the reason I picked it. The second and more important reason is because it is one of the rare boards that has enough information listed online for me to model and make it. If you want to make a board you find online, make sure to take note of what information you will need (example in images). If you have a board at home that you want to replicate, you can get by with tracing the shape and profile and measuring thicknesses, etc.

I use Fusion by Autodesk for all of my modeling and template making, which you can access free for personal use.

Lay out your base and make a good center line down the length before proceeding. It is important, so make sure it is accurate and visible.

Below is the .pdf I made over some of the design dimensions that are hard to find answers for.

Templates, when an option, are almost always the way to go in woodworking, and that stands for building a board as well. I used Fusion to make a drawing of my board that I printed out at full scale, but after tracing that onto plywood I carefully jig sawed the shape so I would have a 3D template. Just as before, make sure you have a center line in your design that can line up with the one on the board. This allowed me to place the half-board template I made lined up exactly, at which point I clamped it and ran my router pattern bit around to cut the base to shape. Flipping it over and lining it up with the center line on the other side, I cut the other half.

Alt: If you do not have a router and/or a pattern bit, it can still be useful to make a wooden template that you can clamp to and sand the base back to after cutting it by hand. It is also possible to do the entire thing with a paper template, but it will be more tricky to get right and difficult to deal with.

Let me tell you that adding a custom "die cut" base design was a pain. In the factories, this is done with metal dies that cut the pieces exactly to shape to fit together perfectly every time. In my factory, not so much. I cut and laid out the lettering I wanted (2RLM for Second Realm Woodworks 😊) with some tin snips and used a sharp knife to carefully trace around the letters on the base, creating a thin score. I then used my utility knife after drilling a hole in the middle of the space that needed to be cut and pushed into the p-tex base, cutting slowly along the desired path. After a few hours and a lot of test fitting, trimming, and repeating, I had all my letters to where they could fit tightly. I will address any gaps (yes, there likely will be a few gaps) later. I also left the letters out of the base for the next steps until I needed to place them in.

Alt: Donek Snowboards has custom base printing capabilities that can make for an easy, professional, and one of a kind board.

The steel edges of a snowboard (as well on skis) are very important in order to cut into the snow, especially in hardpack or such. While attaching them is easy, they can be tricky to bend to the correct curves, especially on a funky, sharp board shape like I chose. While I did simply bend the pieces by hand with some thick leather gloves, you can also make a cheap pair of edge benders with some metal end cutters. Use one piece of metal per side, and once the curves of the metal match the shape of the base, tape or clamp them where they need to be and super glue the tabs. Don't worry, the super glue is not the final holding strength, but only allows the metal to stay in place. At the tips of the board where the two pieces meet, try to cut them to where they touch perfectly, as I had a 1/8 inch gap that caused a few problems.

The core gives the snowboard many defining characteristics, so choosing the right wood can be important. Professionally, poplar and bamboo are some of the most popular options. For my board, starting from center, I had poplar, maple, poplar, aspen, and pine (only to widen the board to the necessary thickness). Research the materials you want to use for your preferred ride.

Once you have the materials you want, it is best to cut them into strips that you will glue back together. This is done so that after you cut the strips you can flip and rotate some of them, because wood has natural tension to bend in a certain direction. When the strips are not oriented the same, the tensions are generally cancelled out. Another thing to remember is that it is better for the binding mounts to be in a hard strip of wood (like maple) rather than the soft stuff (like poplar). Because most boards include a set of firmer stringers (strips), I recommend spacing the stringers you use 4 centimeters apart on center, that way your binding inserts will be embedded in them.

The board should be thicknessed after gluing the strips together, but only so far as is necessary to make both sides of the blank flat. Because I own a 12 inch planer and made a 12.5 inch board, I had to leave my two halves of the blank separate to plane them down. Try to end the process with a blank of around half an inch or 1.25 centimeters thick.

Alt: You could definitely use a hand plane or an electric hand planer (or even a router on a sled) to flatten the blank, but it will take some time to get right. Try to ensure a really flat glue-up if you go this route. Also, check the design pdf or your designs for final thickness so you do not make a super thick blank and struggle to thin it down.

Aligning with your center line or center strip on the blank, lay your base (with the steel edges attached!) down and make sure everything lines up. Once you are satisfied, pencil out the shape of your board onto the blank and cut it out with a jigsaw, or however you see fit. Read ahead to know if you want to pour or attach a sidewall; if you are pouring a sidewall, keep the off cuts from cutting the shape.

The sidewalls are both for impact protection to the core and to keep the core from being exposed to moisture and the problems it would cause. This was the process I used to make my sidewalls, but I am leaning toward the alternate option (below) for next time. Starting here, however, I went around after my core shape was made and measured in half and inch around the entire edge, drawing a line. I then cut that half inch of the board off completely, and since I kept my off cuts from Step 6, I had created a channel. Flipping everything over, I taped the bottom of the channel to make a place where I could pour the liquid urethane. When using liquid urethane, prep must be done to the wood to allow for proper adhesion. I used the method of applying two layers of polyurethane to the entire inside of the channel (that way the wood was prepped and the channel sealed from leaks), heating each layer with a gentle flame to pop bubbles and promote proper bonding. After that, I mixed my urethane, added color into the 2 parts before I mixed them, and poured the plastic to around 1 centimeter or a bit over 3/8 of an inch.

Tip fill is used on the tip and tail of the snowboard where the core becomes too thin to provide real support. You will want to do this after Step 8: Core Profile, but it is easier to talk about here. Using tip fill material, lay it out and see how far in the board needs to be cut. For me, this was about 4 inches that I cut straight across the end of the board. You can see the proper shape for tip fill in the images above, but I ran out of material 😔. Once you have cut the core and tip fill plastic to fit together, go ahead and leave them separate until layup. After tip fill and sidewalls, there should be no wood from the core reaching the outside edge of the future board to preserve it.

Recommended Alt: Many will buy ABS sidewalls or rot resistant ironwood, which come as sticks that you glue on to the board. This is a better route to go if you want to, but it adds a slight amount of effort to the shape. You will have to shape the board with the sidewall sections cut in the width of the sidewall stick so that when you add them it has its final shape. Since the sticks cannot be bent around the tight curves of the tip and tail, you will have to add a tip fill.

The most important dimension of the snowboard shape is not the length or the width, but the thickness. This all becomes based on the thickness of the core you make. However, you likely know that the board's thickness is not the same in every area. Giving the core this important varying thickness can be tricky, so take your time to get it right. For me, I planned to run the core blank through my planer, but I then realized that I had disastrously made too wide of a board for my 12 inch planer. As a result, I made the hard choice to cut my core down the middle and profile the two halves separately.

My preferred method to achieve a thinner tip and tail from a thicker under-binding area was to run the blank through the planer with the tip/tail raised. I did this, lowering the planer until the tip was about 1.5 to 2 millimeters thick. In order to raise the ends of the board, however, I had to make a ramp-shaped sled on which the blank would sit. This is achievable with as simple as a block hot glued on one end to as advanced as a 3D printed ramp, but I went for the middle ground. I ran a piece of scrap wood through the planer on a sled with a block hot-glued under one end. Once the scrap wood was a ramp, I pulled it off and glued it to the sled in place of the block. Once the ramps were in place, I layed the blank on the sled with the tip of the board at the tip of the ramp, gluing it down with hot glue. I ran it through the planer until the tip was 2mm, flipped it and did the same on the tail, then got the other piece and profiled it the same way.

Note: If you do not create a ramp and only wedge a block under the tip of the snowboard, the final thickness at the tip will be correct, but the board will have flexed going through the planer and not have a uniform reduction in thickness.

The ramp or block used should be as thick as the difference between the thickest point in the core and the tip thickness. For instance, if you have a 7mm thick core with a 2mm thick tip, make a 5mm tall ramp. The length of the ramp should be a little longer than the listed length of the snowboard's tip online, or the distance from the tip of the board to the closest binding hole (see next step) minus about 3 inches or 8 cm. Research what is best for your board, but mainly make both sides the same.

And yes, after doing all of this on two halves of my blank, I glued them back together with a piece the thickness of my sawblade in the middle to get the correct width. The final step of profiling is to make the center of the board between the bindings slightly thinner to give extra flex. I used a belt sander to make a gentle 1mm dip in between the bindings.

Alt: You may have to be creative if you do not have a planer in order to get the correct profile. This likely will involve a belt sander, a hand plane, or a CNC if you are lucky. Whatever you choose, remember that there are a billion ways to get there as long as you measure to check yourself often.

Finally moving on from the above madness, binding inserts are easy to do. Looking up the width between the bindings for your snowboard, drill sets of holes at the proper distances from the center of the board. The holes must be spaced 4 cm apart exactly (2mm on each side of the center line), but can be spaced 2 or 4 cm apart down the length of the board. Mine needed to be drilled with a 3/8 inch or just larger drill bit in order to hammer in tightly, but check yours as this varies. Where the flange of the insert goes on the bottom of the board will need to be inset. I did this with my router set a millimeter or two deep, but you could do this with a large drill bit as well; use whatever allows the flange to sit coplanar or lower than the bottom surface of the core.

Note: The blue tape was leftover from gluing the halves together and it was later removed.

And now we are done with the guts of the snowboard, and moving on to the final stages!

Making a mold for the snowboard is how I chose to accomplish giving the board its curve. I'll tell you how I did it, but I have a recommended alternative on this one. I used 1.5 inch thick XPS foam for my mold because it seems to be the cheapest material for this use. After cutting the 4x8 foot sheet of foam into 8 inch wide strips, I cut them all down to 6 feet and used the 6 offcuts I had to make two more 6 foot strips, 3 pieces each. I then printed a template from Fusion for the profile of my mold (see below for more details). Because others have had problems with the foam giving slightly under pressure and cupping, I first used the template to cut a piece of plywood that would run down the middle to add rigidity (this was a mistake). The good thing about that was that I could use that properly shaped plywood as a template for all of my other strips. Since I own a flush trim router bit, I ran every piece through the router with the plywood on top and cut them to the exact same shape, after which I glued them together with spray adhesive. I did this same process for the top of the mold. After sanding each side to get rid of the small imperfections in the foam, I had two pieces that could press together. I put a piece of wood on the top of the mold so the clamps would not dig into the foam and the pressure would be spread evenly.

Recommended Alt: Make the mold from 2x6 wood. Yes it will take more time, but even rigid foam is quite unrigid. If you have the few extra dollars, try and make a perfect mold from wood and it will ensure a smooth outcome.

If you do make a mold from foam, make it entirely from foam. You may end up with a slight cup, or maybe not. My problem was that my foam began to cup, but the wooden piece down the center stayed rigid, so it left a half inch divot down the length of the board, especially in the tip and tail. If you make a good mold, your board can even be taken to a shop for a professional base grind and ride like a $500+ board, so do that!

Note: The shape of the mold, and therefore the board, is very difficult to find explained in board building terms on the internet. Because of this, I have a .pdf below laying out including how to design the different aspects by my own trial and error. If you do not follow any of my other steps, this is something I wish I had access to before, so you should know it exists.

In order to get your core to line up correctly with your base during the layup, go ahead and drill some small holes in two points of the core. Lay the core down and line it up on the base, then hot glue small pins of dowel rod onto the base through those holes. When you go to do the layup, you will just press the core down onto these rods, just make sure they are not longer than the core is thick or they will stick up.

The layup is the point where all of the separate components on which you have worked so hard finally merge into a beautiful snowboard. It looks like a lot of words, but really the whole thing is just a sandwich of the various pieces you have made, one piece on top of another.

After laying wax paper down on the mold to prevent the epoxy from sticking to it, mark a centerline across the width and length of the mold. Lining the base of the board up with these marks, stick some tape on the bottom of the base, extending off the edge. You can then tape those pieces down, and the base should not be able to move. After this, mix up a batch of epoxy (do not mix all the epoxy you will need at once), and spread it in a layer on the base. Lay the VDS tape in the epoxy to saturate it before laying it down over the metal edges all around the perimeter of the board. Then, lay down the first piece of fiberglass, cut two holes for the alignment pins, and pour epoxy on top of the fiberglass. Spread the epoxy around until there is a layer over all of the fiberglass and it has made the fiberglass mostly transparent. At that point, lay the core upside down on the mold or a table and spread epoxy over the bottom before flipping it over and laying it on the fiberglass. Align it with the pins and place the tip fills in place. Now, wet out the top of the core and the tip fills with a layer of epoxy before placing another sheet of fiberglass on top. Pour epoxy over the top of that until it becomes mostly transparent like the first. Lay the topsheet out and pour a layer of epoxy on the bottom before flipping it over and lining it up how it should be.

Now that the sandwich is stacked, it is time to give it the squeeze. As layed out in the mold making section of the pdf, there should be a layer of foam to help evenly distribute the force of the mold top. After I layed the topsheet down, I then layed wax paper, 1/2 inch foam, a layer of cardboard, and the mold top. I went around and clamped the top to the bottom, laying wooden pieces across the mold for the clamps to press on.

After waiting a nervous two days, I undid all of my clamps and pulled the square board out of the mold. It worked! Well, mostly. If you notice that the topsheet is missing in future steps, know that I tried to use a cheap alternative that did not adhere. This will not happen to you if you buy a real topsheet, but if you also do something silly like me, you can always buy a topsheet and throw the board back in the mold to press it back on. While arguably one of the least important features, you do want something to protect the insides from the sun, and the board looks bad without it. I later replaced mine.

The easiest way to go about returning the board to its original shape is to cut off the excess fiberglass with a jig saw before sanding the remaining excess down, all the way to the metal edge of the board. This is how I did it, using the belt sander to sand down until I barely hit the metal edge, which is hard enough not to be messed up by this.

The edge of a snowboard generally has about an 8 degree tilt from the base in toward the topsheet. If you have access to a router, 3D printer, and template bit, you can 3D print an 8 degree wedge that goes on the router base and run it around the edge of the board. I found it easier, however, just to use an orbital sander and gently sand the edge back at an angle. This will have no significant impact on your board's ride as long as there is some angle, so I did not find it to be a problem.

If I had to pick one part of the build that I hated the most, it would have to be the flattening. Unbeknownst to me, p-tex sands reaaaally slowly. I made the early mistake of not being patient, and it left me with gouges that I was never able to remove. So the keyword in this step is patience:

Take a belt sander, orbital sander, hand sander (good luck), or anything that you deem worth and start to flatten the base. If using a belt sander, you want to only run in the direction of the board, longways.

Alt: As I mentioned in the mold-making step, if you have a perfectly or close-to-perfectly flat base, you could take the board to a shop and have them stone grind the base. While my base worked, it was a pain to use a belt sander and made waxing difficult later.

Along my edges I had some gaps. It is unfortunate, but the best thing to do is deal with it instead of worry. Because these would be classified as "core shots", a cut into the base that reaches all the way to the core, I had to use something other than a normal p-tex candle. I bought Metal Grip which is made for that, and after widening and roughing and cleaning the gaps, I soldered the plastic down into the gaps. I then p-tex candled over the Metal Grip as recommended.

That final part is all you need to know for any minimal base scratches or normal damage. By lighting a p-tex candle and letting it drip into such gouges before scraping the excess off with a metal scraper, your base will look like new.

Just don't forget to clean the base with acetone before doing any plastic addition! You want to ensure it will stick.

Board tuning should not be any different for a homemade board, so if you are already a seasoned snowboarder who takes care of your own stuff, go crazy! For those of us who are new to the process entirely, here are the basics.

Tuning your board involves waxing the base and tuning (shaping) the metal edges. There are a variety of different ways to tune for what you are expecting, so I would turn to the experts for further instruction after this.

Always start with cleaning the base plastic with something like acetone. Continue by grabbing a waxing iron and a block of wax, heating the iron, and pressing the wax gently into the iron to where it drips onto the board's base below (the base should be upside down, if you haven't figured that out). Continue this dripping until there are drips dripped every few inches. At this point, place the iron on the base like you would to iron a shirt and start working in circles, being careful not to heat one spot too much and damage the p-tex. You will see the wax either absorb completely, partially, or stay pooled on the surface of the base. Once the base is not able to absorb all the wax and therefore has no dry spots, you can move on to scraping.

Take a plastic scraper and firmly scrape the excess wax into a pile, only moving long-ways down the board. Clear off the scraps and scrape the end where they were piled in the opposite direction, finishing the waxing with a consistent and smooth result.

Tuning the edges can be done simply with an angle file jig. Set the jig to its default position and run it along the edged until the entire metal edge running around the board has been filed shiny. You should have no dings or hiccups in brand new edges, so this is pretty simple.

And we are DONE! Congratulations on your first ever snowboard build, and if you are like me, it will not be your last. I completed my board right as the Winter Olympics in Milan were wrapping up and made it out for one day on the mountain with my new board, inspired to hit some tricks. Unfortunately, I sometimes forget that I am still a beginner, and I may not have landed that jump shown above...

Ultimately, I had a blast making the board and the joy of riding your own creation is unrivaled. So jump in, join the small percent, and Let There be Speed!