1- Introduce yourself and your company, what is JF skateboard?
Hello, I’m Joel Meuwly, I’m 32 years old carpenter by trade and craftsman of skateboards/longboards and various furniture but, especially founder of the brand JF-skateboards (J.Family-Skateboards) and shop JF-Skatebaords (Skate & Tattoo) which are the subject of this article 😉 .
JF-skateoards is a brand born of a passion for the ride and wood that wants to represent the craft of skateboards / longboards Switzerland first and foremost, but also the promotion of various ride sports such as skate, freestyle scooter, longboards, Pow Surf, Snowscoot and I pass.
2- When did you start this project?
I think it all started in late 2015 with a buddy Frank who is passionate about drawing. We shared a common passion ” skateboarding ” and started thinking about different projects. That’s how the shop JF-Skateboards (Skate & Tattoo) was born in mid-2017 and then at the end of 2020 the brand ” JF-Skateboards ” that I launched with my brother Jérémie.
3- Why did you create JF skateboard?
About a year later (early 2017) with my buddy Frank who started to move nicely into the world of tattooing we
We said, but why not try to open a small store that mixes skateboarding and tattooing to end up with a handmade and unique product 100% handmade. Motivated by the idea, we were able to quickly find a commercial space and start our activity.
4- How did this idea of creating your own decks come about?
That’s when I started looking for boards on the internet and suddenly I came across a site that sold veneer, for me, with my training as a carpenter, it was a no-brainer, I was going to be able to put my ideas into practice.
At that time, I was already making solid wood longboards on my own.
At first it was hot, I was working in a large carpentry company and in the evening we were going to open the shop I had more than Sunday to make the boards.
Very quickly, I understood that I had to make a choice and there was no need to force me. My passion is first and foremost the world of riding.
I went for it.
I threw myself wholeheartedly into my goals, we couldn’t do things by halves if we wanted to see our projects succeed.
I quickly placed orders on this site, I started making my own boards for friends and myself.
It started to be known and I had my first orders in my circle of friends.
JF-skateboards was primed.
5- How did you hear about Roarockit?
My biggest problem when I started was that I couldn’t find a high quality maple supplier, but finally after some research, I came across the Roarockit website. What a relief, quality, reactivity and always good exchanges when I need information.
Roarockit Skateboard Europe
6- Where can we find you ? Where do you sell your products?
Currently, you can find all our products in our store JF-skateboards (skate and Tattoo) at Rue du Marché 16, 1820 Montreux Switzerland.
As well as on our e-shop JF-skateboard in which we deliver on order in all Europe. For more information, we also have an Instagram JF_skateboards.
7- What are your future projects?
My brother Jeremie joined the adventure in mid-2020 we are developing a sport store side, a visibility on the web and we have just registered the brand JF-Skateboards, the future projects for us would be to evolve this brand that will always remain handcrafted products regarding the wood and at the same time attack the whole universe of the ride. We are currently on a project of Pow surf we already offer the possibility of pyrography and customize all our decks and in a short time you may see a world premiere, we do not say more for the moment, but 2021 reserves beautiful surprises.
1- Can you introduce yourself? What do you do for a living?
My name is Enji Wadel and I am 44 years old. I am currently in ” reconversion ” as they say. Circassian acrobat since I was a kid, I rolled my hump a little bit everywhere with our circus ” La Compagnie Le Filet d’Air ” created with Isa my wife in 1999.
Funambulist, tent erector, Gypsy jazz musician, mechanic sometimes, this job allowed me to touch a little bit of everything and especially to develop the sense of ” bidouille ” when there is a problem… The show must go on !
2- When did you start making skateboards?
Mino I was a real daredevil, everything went bmx, rollerblading, skateboarding… As long as there was big slope, I was up for it !
Then time passed and it was through the wire that I channeled that need for adrenaline.
Living in the Alps and tired of the increasingly short snow seasons, we started longboarding with my son Nino.
One thing leading to another, we started to tinker with boards, to recover some, to cut CP to test different Shapes …. It was gone, we were taken by the passion of skate !
3- How did you learn to make a skateboard?
It was meeting two years ago with Christophe Stagnetto of Made in Alpes Skateboardthat was a revelation for me.
I hosted him as a stage manager on the festivalFesti’Streetorganized by our Trièves teens and Christophe was demoing Shape with Made in Alpes.
We spent the day chatting about skateboarding, he showed me the TAP, took the time to explain everything.
I’ve never taken an internship or anything, I’m observant and mostly a stubborn !
I search a lot, I make mistakes, beautiful discoveries and little by little I find myself making more and more boards of better quality…. It’s progressing continuously, just don’t let go !
4- What do you make them with?
This happens in three steps:
1 – Designing a prototype with the TAP technique and polystyrene mold.
2 – Once the concave and camber are found, make a wooden mold.
3 – Production, using a mechanical flange press, of a micro series of up to 10 boards.
I am currently working on a hydraulic concrete mold press that will see the light of day in early 2021 and should speed up the manufacturing process. It currently takes about 1 month from design to completion of a new model.
I also make knives that I mount with recycled skateboard pads or better with my wood scraps. I especially make a derivative model of grafting that I called ” The Gripper ” a tool that makes it easy to put the grip on and also works great for pizz’s during sessions !
5- How does Roarockit help you with his boards?
The TAP is an indispensable tool for making protos easily.
From its simplicity of use, one can quickly modify molds, search for the right shapes, size ect…
I also use the TAP a lot to press different objects I make with wood scraps (insert for knife mounts, guitar picks, wooden games ect…)
I use Roarockit’s Canadian maple for all my work, which is super quality. It’s a real pleasure to work on super clean materials. I love the color folds and the different shade changes the wood takes on depending on the stages of work ( rough, sanding, varnishing…)
7- What are your future plans?
To get back to roaming by being present on skate-parks, contests, sports events etc… With a Caravane-scene that we used to use for our shows that I’m going to refurbish this winter to make it a Mobile Skateshop.
The idea would be to distribute only boards from Independent Shapers and to have a workshop ” dépanne ” where the riders could rework the breakage of the day with material recovered here and there. I’m not sure how to do that.
By the way, if anyone is into this, feel free to contact me, the more the merrier…
9- You have free card for your last question. (thanks, sayings ….?)
Thanks to Béber for the old Kity, to Bernard for his sanding roller and his advice in woodworking, to the LET workshop and Laurenz for the knives assembly, to phil for the log, to polo for the future site to my neighbors for some illustrations and especially to the Riders who trust me.
A big big up to the family, buddies, and people in my village who support me.
It’s amazing to see that when you scratch a little, poke around, take an interest in others, a lot of doors open. You just have to be patient…
1-Peux-tu te présenter ? Que fais-tu dans la vie ?
Ma passion tient en un mot “Fabriquer des trucs”
Fabriquer des skateboards, et t’apprendre à construire le tien.
Créer des enseignes en bois et en métal. Faire des Tshirts sérigraphiés pour une asso.
Démonter des trucs et des bidules pour les transformer. Imprimer et découper des stickers pour ton groupe de rock, j’aime faire absolument de tout!
J’ai commencé la construction comme décoratrice et accessoiriste pour le cinéma, et je me suis formée en parallèle sur des machines de fabrication numérique. (découpe laser, impression 3D, CNC…)
Entrepreneuse et « makeuse » en montage de projets hybrides, culturels ou en lien avec l’économie sociale et solidaire. Mon parcours est axé sur la recherche de l’innovation et l’envie d’apprendre à faire sans craindre l’erreur ou la complexité.
2- Quand as-tu commencé et pourquoi ?
Créé en 2016, l’atelier Bye Bye est un atelier de fabrication numérique et artisanal.
Ses activités principales : fabrication de skateboards, découpe et gravure laser pour la signalétique et sérigraphie.
Le projet a débuté à l’Ile d’Yeu, puis est devenu mobile en organisant des stages de fabrication de skateboards à Nantes et à Paris.
J’ai commencé à fabriquer des skateboards sur mesure à la demande de certains de mes clients, et finalement, je me suis aperçue que beaucoup souhaitaient pouvoir fabriquer leur propre planche.
3- Explique-nous ton concept en quelques mots ?
L’atelier Bye Bye organise des stages de fabrication numérique : découpe laser, impression 3D, découpe vinyle, électronique et des ateliers d’initiations aux techniques artisanales : menuiserie, sérigraphie, métal…
En parallèle, je vends quelques modèles sur ma boutique en ligne et dans mon atelier à Nantes. J’aborde la fabrication de skateboards en misant sur la qualité et la longévité. L’accent est mis sur le choix des matériaux et sur la durabilité.
En chêne, en noyer, en bambou, en érable, elles ont chacune un petit quelque chose qui les rend uniques.
Je suis en train de développer une série de cruiser garantis à vie, en prenant en compte que le bois est une matière vivante.
Au lieu de le vernir, ce qui bloque la respiration de la matière, on peut aussi l’entretenir, comme on le ferait pour un beau meuble d’ébéniste qui se patine avec le temps. Je teste le processus d’entretien en ce moment, avant de mettre cette série en vente courant 2021.
4- Comment as-tu appris tout ce que tu enseignes ?
Je suis autodidacte dans toutes les techniques qui font aujourd’hui mon métier, j’ai plaisir à partager mes connaissances et permettre à chacun de fabriquer par soi-même à peu près tout et n’importe quoi.
Mon précédent métier dans le décor et la construction pour le cinéma m’a beaucoup appris dans toutes les techniques que j’utilise aujourd’hui.
Je fais aussi beaucoup d’échange de connaissances avec des amis ou des pros, souvent je leur apprends une autre technique en échange. On fait du troc de connaissances, quoi !
5- Quelle est ta meilleure réalisation ?
Aucune idée, je ne l’ai pas encore réalisée !
Si on parle skateboard, je pense que c’est l’association « skate with refugees » que je suis en train de créer avec des copains skateurs.
On part du principe que le skateboard est un vecteur d’intégration et permet de s’affranchir de la barrière culturelle. L’idée est de leur changer les idées en leur apprenant une technique pour la plupart inconnue et de leur permettre de rencontrer d’autres enfants qui partagent cette passion. Créer du lien entre eux, une amitié forte entre les jeunes sur la base d’un sport porteur de sens et de fraternité.
6- Comment Roarockit t’aide à la réalisation de tes projets ?
La technique Roarockit m’a permis de devenir mobile et de proposer des stages en dehors de mon atelier. La facilité de construction et la légèreté du matériel permettent de se déplacer facilement d’un lieu à l’autre pour proposer des ateliers de construction.
En 2020, l’atelier déménage dans un lieu aussi improbable qu’atypique : une péniche en plein centre-ville de Nantes.
L’atelier sera partagé avec différents acteurs œuvrant autour des low-techs et de la fabrication avec la volonté de faire de la péniche un lieu de recherche et d’expérimentation.
LIEU COLLABORATIF
Espace de coworking et atelier partagé de fabrication numérique et artisanale axé sur les low-techs et la fabrication locale. Dans le jargon, on appelle ça “makerspace”
LIEU APPRENANT
L’atelier Bye Bye organise des stages de fabrication : skateboard, découpe laser, impression 3D, découpe vinyle, électronique et initiation aux techniques artisanales : menuiserie, sérigraphie, métal.
LIEU CULTUREL
L’atelier ouvre ses portes aux artisans locaux pour des expositions et des workshops, aux artistes pour des spectacles et des concerts à bord de la péniche le Sémaphore.
L’objectif ? Réfléchir et expérimenter sur notre façon de consommer, travailler, fabriquer, nous déplacer, nous cultiver dans le monde de demain.
8- Comment fait-on si on veut réserver un atelier ?
Vous pouvez directement cliquer sur les liens des photos pour y accéder.
A few months ago, Martijn Janssen contacted us with the intention of starting up a “Build Your Own Skateboard” workshop at the Grafisch Lyceum in Rotterdam, Holland. We were more than happy to get him sorted with what was needed and only a little while later we were over the moon, when the first photos of the boards being built in class and then the finished decks were put up on facebook. The result is amazing.
This being one of the first schools in Europe to have started up the program, after many years of successful workshops in Canada and the States, we asked if we could do an article to put forward the amazing work that has been put into this project and to find out how it went.
My name is Martijn Janssen and I am currently teaching Media Design at Grafisch Lyceum Rotterdam. Before I started teaching I ran my own company in interactive media design and animation. I was also one of the founders of eyesupply.tv, a VJ collective now responsible for the visual shows of Armin van Buuren and Afrojack, among others. I stopped VJ-ing when my son Kik was born and I could not combine the work at school, late night shifts in the weekends and being a dad.
Ever since I could hold a hammer and some basic tools I made a lot of my own toys. And I never really stopped “Making Stuff”. In the 90’s I studied Industrial Design. In the year 2000 I decided to built a snowboard with a friend, a one of project. A lot of different smaller and bigger projects followed and than in 2013 I wanted to build a hollow wood surfboard. I searched a lot on the internet and at one point I came across someone, a surfboard builder, who had built a skateboard just for fun. This seemed much less complex than building a surfboard and I decided to give it a go. And I’m hooked, it also got me picking up skateboarding again (after almost 20 years!).
I hadn’t worked with the Roarockit materials before, but was very interested in them. And once the plan for organising the workshop at my school found approval, I knew this system would work best to get the students to understand the process of building your own board.
The first board was a “mini” longboard for my son. The result was far better than I expected and in no time I made one for myself. The third board I did (“La Troisième”) was noticed by a friend of mine who asked me to build some more of “these gorgeous boards” and sell them at the Indie Kids Festival, a fair of independent brands in Amsterdam. I had one month to create the brand and about 15 (mini) skateboards. I teamed up with Henk de Bruin, fellow teacher and illustrator to make the first Superkik series.
This was a succes, we sold 5 boards and received quite some custom orders in the months after that.
I decided to name the brand Superkik because I registered superkik.nl in the past. My son Kik is a big super hero fan.
The boards had drawn the attention of students and colleagues and I started a few other collaborations. Some were even interested in designing and building their own boards. Than the opportunity came with the annual workshop week for our graduation students. Students can follow workshops and seminars of choice to gain some extra knowledge and skills in a fun way. So I submitted the idea of teaching 10 students to build their own board.
I told my bosses that the students were about to build the ultimate canvas for their artwork: A skateboard they could actually ride! Since skateboarding is closely related to the creative industry, it was not hard to convince them to invest in the materials and tools for this workshop.
Together with Niels de Bruin from Langplanck we put a program together. We did a short introduction of what to expect and started with shaping of the moulds. We helped out with the design and the students shaped the foam completely by hand. By the end of the morning we had to glue the boards together and put them in the presses. Than two weeks passed before we could get to part two of the workshop: designing and cutting the outline, finish the rails, top and bottom and drilling the holes. The finishing had to be done by hand again.
This concluded the official workshop, we only had 2 x 4 hours. In the unofficial part 3 of the workshop we will help some of the students with applying their design to the board.
Over all we can conclude that next time we need more time. We could have spent some more time on the design part. Also an extra session to finish the board with a design and coating is necessary.
Nevertheless the workshop was one big succes and there was a real buzz in the school. A lot of students asked where they could sign up for the next edition. I even had a prospective student asking me: “In what department do they teach you how to build a skateboard?”
The next workshop will be with colleagues, we will keep you posted on the results!
We are looking into possibilities to run the workshop at other schools and are finetuning the program at the moment. Working with the maple and the TAP-bags was a breeze. I expect to do a lot more with both! The maple is very easy to work with and the results in quality and expression are simply amazing!
I’m more or less teaming up with Niels from Langplack to develop some longboards and we are going to experiment with other materials like bamboo, birch and carbon. Besides that I’m also working on new designs and techniques for the artwork. And finally, in the next few weeks we expect to shoot some footage for a promo for Superkik and Langplanck (in 4k!!).
“Build Your Own Skateboard” workshop at the Grafisch Lyceum in Rotterdam, Holland. We were more than happy to get him sorted with what was needed and only a little while later we were over the moon, when the first photos of the boards being built in class and then the finished decks were put up on facebook. The result is amazing. 
