This was my best result in sandboard making, as in the sandboard actually worked. So it might be worthwhile if you are interested in making a sandboard to try a variation of this method.

To see more pictures, check out the pics in Attempt 3 as most of it is fairly similar - unfortunately I didn't have a digital camera when I made this board.

Ingredients;

• 6 individual pieces of 1 ply wood, about 70cm wide x 130cm long
• Lots of bricks and other stuff that weighs a lot
• Jigsaw or hacksaw
• Drill
• Piece of laminate, about 70cm wide x 130cm long - you need this to be as smooth as possible
• Large bottle of wood glue
• Laminate glue
• Skateboard Griptape
• Thick rubber strip (for the foot bindings)
• Cushy rubber (the same sort of thing that wetsuits are made out of) - this goes around the foot bindings to make them more comfortable
• Thick Elastic (Goes around the back of your ankles in the foot bindings)
• Clamps
• Small screws that are no longer then the board
• Washers
• Sewing machine (or needle and thread)
• Scissors or Laminate Cutter
• "Bender"

Instructions;

1. Design the layout of the sandboard, I went with a similar design to my first attempt. Straight middle with rounded ends.
2. Get the 6 pieces of plywood and place the first piece in the "Bender". It should just fit in, so the ends are curved up when you place weight on the middle part.
3. Using your wood glue place generous amounts on the ply wood that is currently in the Bender, place the second piece of plywood on top of the first piece so it is stuck down.
4. Repeat gluing each piece on top of each other so that all 6 pieces are glued together in the binder.
5. Cover the plywood with a sheet so that it won't get scratched.
6. Place clamps around the edge of the plywood clamping all the pieces together.
7. Place bricks (or anything else that is heavy) on top of the middle of the plywood so that the middle sinks down and leaves the two ends sticking up, resting against the ends of the "Bender"
8. I left the whole thing for a week, but you probably don't need to leave it that long. I would recommend leaving it for 48hrs at the minimum
9. After the glue is set (or 1 week later) remove all the bricks and the clamps, your plywood should now be stuck together, so it's like 1 big bent piece of 6 ply.
10. Copy your sandboard plan onto the plywood, the ends should be on part of the plywood where it is bent up. The front should be the end which is bent up the most (this may or may not make a difference, depending on your plan.)
11. I cut the sandboard out using a hacksaw (I didn't have a jigsaw), But if you have a jigsaw I would recommend using that as it won't take as long or be as hard.
12. Once it's cut out you might find that a few of the edges have become a bit unglued, apply wood glue to these parts and clamp them (be careful you don't clamp it too hard or place something cushy in between the clamp and the wood so that you don't dint it)
13. Leave the wood glue to set for at least 48hrs, then remove the clamps.
14. Sand the edges of the board and top so that the whole thing is nice and smooth.
15. Figure out where on the board you'll place you're feet when using it, I drew around my feet while standing on the board so I knew the exact spot.
16. I decided on having my back foot at a 90 degree angle to the front and my front foot at a 45 degree angle.

17. Cut out two pieces of the skateboard griptape that are slightly large then your feet and stick them on the board where you will be standing (so you will be standing on them)
18. Drill two holes on either side of the grip tape for both feet, this is were the bindings will be attached to the board, so check exactly where you want the bindings positioned on your feet. It doesn't matter if you drill all the way through the board, just make sure you drill deep enough for the screws to go in.
19. Take the piece of thick rubber and cut a piece off, so that it will fit tightly on top of your foot and have a little bit extra so that it can be screwed into the board. Repeat for the other foot.
20. Using the wetsuit material, cut out two pieces piece that will wrap nicely around the thick rubber and add some cushioning for your feet so that the thick rubber doesn't dig in.
21. Sew the wetsuit material in a circle so that it can be slid onto the thick rubber.
22. Take the thick rubber by itself and poke 2 holes in either end of both pieces so that you can place the screws through it.
23. Slide the wetsuit material onto the think rubber.
24. Place one end of the thick rubber on the board with the holes in the rubber and holes in the board are lined up. Screw the rubber to the board with the washers between the top of the screw and the thick rubber. Repeat for all holes and both feet.
25. Make sure that the screws don't stick through the bottom of the board, if they do, get smaller screws - This is really important.
26. Once they are all screwed on, check that your feet fit in comfortably, the bindings should be fairly tight.
27. Turn the board upside down and prop it up on something so that it can sit up, a pile of bricks at either end works nicely.
28. Take you piece of laminate and the laminate glue and glue the laminate to the bottom of the board, you may want to trim it up a little before gluing but leave it with plenty of overhang so that you are sure to get the whole bottom of the board covered.
29. Leave the glue to set - I think this takes about 24hrs, but read the glue instructions
30. Once it's set, trim up the laminate to the shape of the board, you can get a laminate cutter to do this, but I found that a pair of scissors works just as good.
31. Once it's all trimmed up, give the board and sides a final sanding so that they are all nice and smooth.
32. Paint the top of the board however you like.
33. Once the paint is dry, loop the elastic around the back of the bindings, so that it holds your feet in nice and tightly.
34. Now take it out for a test ride.

What I Learnt From This / How It May Have been improved upon

• Gluing the plywood together worked great, the board had a nice bend in it and all the pieces stayed together real well
• The Laminate that I used was a little bit rough on the bottom, you need this to be as smooth as possible. After riding it for a bit the laminate did become smoother (I think it was being sanded).
• I would also be worthwhile using some sort of sandboard wax on the bottom of the board, you can buy wax from Ocean Culture.
• Definitely use a jigsaw when you are cutting out the shape of the board, it took me hours to cut it out by hand.
• I found after a while that the screws were coming further through the bottom of the wood, they didn't quite crack the laminate, but they did leave bumps on the bottom.
• With my front foot at a 45 degree angle it was pretty hard to do any jumps, but it was good for going down steep hills.

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