The Handmade Skateboard (book by Matt Berger)

The Handmade Skateboard

The Handmade Skateboard is the definitive book on building custom skate decks of all shapes and sizes, from the high-performance street deck to the classic longboard to a vintage pinstripe cruisers that will turn heads everywhere you go. 

When you make your own skateboard from scratch you have the opportunity to create something that is perfectly tailored to you: a deck that matches your height, your weight, your center of balance, your skill level and your intended use. More importantly, making your own skate deck allows you to design a perfect deck to fit your personal style, making a statement about who you are. There's nothing wrong with choosing off-the-shelf and mass produced, but who doesn't prefer to stand out. Be different. Be one of a kind. That's what you get with a custom handmade skateboard.

Whether you are an accomplished woodworker or an absolute beginner, The Handmade Skateboard guides you step-by-step through building five skateboard designs; from a simple Hack Board built in a few spare hours to a high-performance street deck pressed from seven layers of high-quality Maple veneers. A design guide covers everything you need to know about sizing and shaping your deck and choosing the right trucks and hardware. And detailed photos, illustrations and clear written instruction throughout provide all the information and motivation you need to make your own skateboard from scratch.

This book makes a great school textbook, as it covers the history, current trends and encourages aspiring builders to experiment with their own board building ideas.

We worked closely with Matt for an extended period of time, sharing our experiences and board building methods to help contribute to this incredible project. Not only does he extensively cover our Thin Air Press vacuum bag method of board building (Chapters 6 and 7), but it goes over the history of skateboard making and has lots of great interviews and features of people in the industry.