Building boards and brands

Unless Design is in the process of developing a sustainable skateboard deck product line with an innovative design and distribution strategy – “π skateboards “.  I’ve been a skateboarder for almost 15 years – it’s been a huge part of my life, and still is – but I’m totally new to making skateboard decks.  So, why am I spending time and money right now trying to build my own skateboards rather than sourcing a manufacturer?  Building boards myself is about education and branding.  I wanted to share what I’ve learned so far from this venture, give you an opportunity to share your questions and comments, and give you an idea of where π skateboards is headed.

My educational and professional background is in mechanical engineering and product development – how could I not attempt to make my own skateboards?  But seriously, I really believe the best way to learn something is to learn by doing.  The standard for “street” style skateboards is 7 sheets of maple veneer glued together.  Sure, there are other guys incorporating bamboo and composites, but most of the skateboards I’ve ridden (and I have ridden many) have been all maple.  I have lots of experience regarding what to look for in replicating a high-quality maple skateboard, so this is where I wanted to start.

Through research on skateboard manufacturing, I found that most skateboards are made by the following process (and I excluded many details here to keep this brief):

• Take a tree and turn it into veneer – this is a whole process in itself, dealing with different ways of cutting logs, maintaining a specific moisture content of logs, differences in where the logs are grown, etc. Most skateboard veneers are about 1/16” thick (which is not a common veneer thickness, and is actually thicker than most standard veneer offerings – this makes finding skateboard veneers a little tricky).
• Cut the veneer to rectangular sheets about the size of a skateboard.
• Quickly apply adhesive to 7 sheets, stacking each sheet on the other.
• Quickly (before the adhesive dries) get the layered veneers into a mold, and use a press that pushes the mold together, and thus forces the layered veneers to conform to the shape of the mold.
• Once the adhesive dries, remove the glued sheets and let them sit for a bit before doing anything else to them.
• Next, cut out the shape of the skateboard from the glued sheets. Round off the edges.
• Drill the 8 bolt holes for the trucks.
• Finish with sealer and/or paint.

Sounds simple enough, right?

The key is getting everything just right – from starting with the best possible trees to using the best glues with the right amount of pressure, to having the finesse (or elegant equipment) to create a precise board.  When you really start to understand all the variables by working with them yourself, you learn how something seemingly simple is actually complex.  Thankfully, there are some very nice people out there that have shared what they’ve learned in making skateboards, which include http://www.diyskate.com/ and http://www.roarockit.com/. If you have any interest in making skateboards, I strongly recommend checking out these sites.

I’m trying to understand this process and learn what goes into making a high-quality skateboard for when π skateboards scales up.  But also, this learning process is tied into branding as well.  This is part of the story.

π skateboards.  This is the name, the brand, the image.  It’s more than just a skateboard – it represents something.  It fills a void in the skateboarding world.  Skaters are independents and artists.  We take risks and we learn to commit.  We aren’t afraid of failure.  Our mentality gives us a different perspective.  We are a community that not only supports, but places an emphasis on, the individual.  π skateboards represents the same perspectives of skaters.

The name π skateboards comes from my background in science and math.  π represents the beauty of nature and its patterns, showing us that things aren’t always as random as they seem.  This all relates to the brand:

• π skateboards embraces innovation and engineering to try and improve skateboard deck technology – while maple is the starting point, it is by no means the ending point.  π skateboards is and will be a continuous experiment.
• π skateboards are sustainable and natural – the FSC-certification helps ensure this, as well as non-toxic glues that help to minimize a skateboard’s environmental and health impact.
• π skateboards are not geometrically random, but rather promote shaping metrics that will enable skateboarders to further enhance their skills.

This is the vision – the “right side of the equation” for all you engineers.  Now I’m working on the left side.  I know some of the variables.  I know some of the operators.  And I know the general order of operation.  Now it’s time to use research and testing to figure out the equation.

If you go to our garage right now (time of posting this blog), this is what you’ll see – my homemade 5-ton hydraulic press and wood mold – both computer-designed. I was able to incorporate some reclaimed hardware and steel into the press, lessening its environmental impact a little bit.

 

I made a few as-built changes that are not reflected in the original model.

 

Molds will eventually need to be CNC-milled for greater precision. For the first testing, I tried to make it by hand to test the basic shape more economically and do a little proof of concept testing for another unique idea.

 

Sometimes you need a spacer and all you have is PVC tubing. 🙂

 

Attempt #1 – I successfully learned how to not make a hydraulic press and skateboard mold, and how to not glue together skateboard veneer. My notes: press was not sufficiently supported for required force (I underestimated how much force was needed to compress the veneers – the top bars started deforming before the mold was fully compressed), not enough glue, poor mold match-up (not smooth or a tight-fit).

 

Please post any questions or comments you may have!

From the labs at Unless Design, LLC

Unless Design’s first internally-generated product is currently in the development pipeline, and saying that it’s going to be pretty cool might be an understatement. A brand-new concept for skateboard manufacturing is being developed that could have a revolutionary impact on the sport and culture of skateboarding. Without giving too much away, I’ll say that it’s going to open up opportunities to improve skateboarders’ skills, spark more organized innovation in the art and science of board building, and, of course, be as environmentally and socially responsible as possible.

Right now we’re hard at work trying to source suppliers, doing our own R&D, and learning to ensure we deliver a top-quality result. We’re super excited about this idea and the positive impact it can have, so be sure to stay tuned for more updates!

Organic and Fair Trade – Same Principles, Different Applications

Another chunk of time, gone. I felt like I wasn’t productive at all, just floundering around in Google’s sea of information, but getting nowhere. After hopping back and forth between options a few times, I reluctantly entered my credit card information, as if I was admitting defeat. You see, I just purchased an electric stepper motor for my project for $20. You probably think I’m paranoid. You’re right. But let me explain why.

                I am obsessed with trying to be a responsible consumer – don’t get me wrong, I’m quite far from perfect. But I try to buy local, support vendors and manufacturers doing the right thing, and don’t mind paying a little more for that.

                Now, one thing I learned from this printer project – it’s hard to find information on electronic component manufacturers. The vendors I’ve dealt with so far have been great – Adafruit, MakerFarm, Home Depot, etc. But man, trying to learn about the products themselves and how they’re made is tough. The electronic components industry, I’ve learned, seems to use a lot of cool, yet sketchy, materials and chemicals in the manufacturing process. Thankfully we’ve got things like RoHS certification and California Proposition 65 to help support responsible suppliers (these things basically let us know how safe materials are) – but the trick is to find those suppliers at the general consumer level!

                All that time I spent searching, I was looking for manufacturer information – I wanted to verify that at least the manufacturer tried to show they cared about social and environmental responsibility, and also that there were no toxic chemicals like lead in the motor. (If you think that’s ridiculous – I just purchased polyethylene tube that had a “lead-free” claim on it. Am I missing something here? Is there leaded polyethylene somewhere out there? I was confused.) I ended up just finding two motors that really qualified for what I needed in terms of size, voltage, and current, and, despite the lack of information and other options, chose the more “local” supplier (who is in Colorado, rather than the other in New York).

                What do you think – is there a market and opportunity for responsibly-sourced and environmentally-friendly electrical components like the market for organic and non-GMO foods? Is this already being done somewhere? (If so, please let me know!)

Rethink about lawn

Think about lawns for a minute.  By lawn, I mean the dictionary.com meaning of the word, that is, “a stretch of open, grass-covered land, especially one closely mowed, as near a house, on an estate, or in a park”.  Are lawns really an efficient use of land?  Aren’t they just perceived assets that add minimal, if any, real value?

Lawns seem to be wasteful consumers of resources and energy.  For example:

1. Fresh, drinkable water is a limited resource, especially out here in California.  To me, this means we should be as efficient as possible in terms of water usage, saving it for only necessary tasks like hydration, sanitation, and agriculture.  Yet, I still see lawns getting watered, which I would think is being done for aesthetics.  Now, I get that a “nice” lawn can add value to a house looking to be sold, but it’s only perceived value founded upon the premise that a “nice”/valuable property has a “nice” lawn, and that a “nice” lawn is a green one.  But where’s the real value?  What if we respected the natural landscape, and perceived that as nice?  If we didn’t need to pump an unnatural amount of water to an area, just to grow grass for aesthetics?  Could we implement something that doesn’t need extra water, or maybe even produces water?

2. Lawn maintenance is full of expenses, and it really doesn’t seem like the expenses have any real valuable return, only perceived valuable return.  Typically, fossil-fuel consuming machinery is used to mow and maintain the lawn through landscaping.  It seems like we’re just putting energy into the lawn to take more energy out of it by cutting it down again.  For what?  Just the perceived value that a green, fresh-cut lawn has?  Is this more valuable than our health and our environment?

In brief, I basically see a lawn as an inefficient land expense.  I want to see more land turned into assets that generate real value, not perceived value.

Land has a huge potential.  It is space.  In the U.S., it is space that you can get creative with if you’re able to afford your own land.  You could grow food, generate power, collect and treat water, etc.  Think about it:

1. If you start an organic garden or raise animals naturally, you can save money on food, improve your health by eating better and being more active (which would come naturally with either of these options), reduce the demand for non-local foods being shipped to your area (again, another waste of energy), and even learn something new – and knowledge always opens up more opportunities.

2. If you generate your own power (for example, through solar panels, wind turbine, or hydro turbine), you could save money, maybe even make money from your local utility, and again, reduce wasted energy lost in power transmission via powerlines.  Also, it’s another opportunity to learn something new.

3. If you collect and treat water, you’d get similar benefits as from generating your own power.

These are just a couple of suggestions and ideas.  How will you get creative with your lawn?  Post your responses and ideas in the comments for this post.

Here’s my response, at the apartment I’m currently living in:

Planting some vegetables:

Barrel planter – tomatoes, basil, jalapenos.

Cilantro (?) sprouts.

First iteration of thermal-mass condensation irrigation system prototype:

Conceptually, this is a system that extracts water from the air by using coldness to condense that water. This was inspired by Edward Linacre’s Airdrop Irrigation System, which won the 2011 James Dyson Award.

Cheap prototype.

 

Functionality.  Sorry about the image – I’m not sure why it’s all cut-up… if you click on the picture it’s clear.

 

Observed condensation.

 

This prototype was NOT designed for efficiency – there is hardly any surface area and I’m unsure of PVC’s effectiveness in collecting condensation.  I’d like to try a copper coil next (a coil will provide more surface area and better heat transfer than the PVC – in other words, the air will have more opportunity to condense by being in the pipe longer (a coiled piece is longer than a straight piece) and may condense better if the coldness is transmitted to it better via copper.

This first iteration produced an encouraging 1.75 tsp of water over the course of 4 hours while the humidity was around 50-60%.  We’ll see how that improves!

Questions and suggestions are always welcome.

Note that this post is not just about lawns.  Think about the concepts raised here and where else they apply.

Continue the discussion in the comments, below!