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 đ .
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.
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.
6- Where can we find you ? Where do you sell your products?
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 âŠ. 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 festivalFestiâStreetorganized by our TriĂšves 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 qualityâŠ. 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 ectâŠ
I also use the TAP a lot to press different objects I make with wood scraps (insert for knife mounts, guitar picks, wooden games ectâŠ)
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, varnishingâŠ)
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 European Custom Show event is a unique concept. Originally founded by the Chalk Custom Board Project collective and now with Roarockit Skateboard Europe as a partner of the event, this collective exhibition aims to bring together and showcase Europe’s most talented custom board artists
The first edition of the European Custom Board Show was born in Brussels in 2017 in partnership with the gallery The Art Project.
More than 20 European artists have been carefully selected to participate. Each of them exhibited up to 3 skates, cruisers or longboards, customized by hand. All unique pieces.
For this exhibit the Roarockit team made a hand-curved longboard board, which was then customized by member artist and Chalk creator, Mata7ik.
 The second edition of the European Custom Show took place in Darwin from June 5 to 26, 2019. In one of the cult places of urban culture in Bordeaux, experimental and artistic in the ultra-wide sense of the term.
More than 70 artists were present and no less than 240 custom boards were exhibited.
The 3rd edition was born in Brussels in an iconic building: the Halles Saint Gery. This year from July 2 to September 7, 2020, the exhibition welcomed no less than 50 artists from all over Europe and from a wide variety of backgrounds: tattooing, architecture, painting, graffiti, sculpture, graphics …
Over 150 custom boards were presented for the occasion.
For this occasion and because it is more important to us than ever, we made a piece, all of the profits from which will be donated to the NGO Skateistan (more details below).
In view of the circumstances and due to the security measures due to COVID-19 and their constant evolution, the exhibition is also available online on the European Custom Board Show website, making the virtual exhibition accessible to everyone.
It was a real pleasure to be a partner of this event once again. A success and an unforgettable moment of meeting and sharing!
Skate’N Chair :
The Skate Nâ Chair is a project made by Roarockit Skateboard Europe in order to raise funds for NGO Skateistan.
This handmade chair takes its name from its design : 10 curved and assembled skateboards decks whose flexibility provides a natural rocking sensation, similar to that we can find when sitting in a traditional rocking chair.
In detail, this chair is composed of 4 street decks, 3 pintail longboards and 3 mini-cruisers for a total of 70 sheets of Canadian maple wood. Each top sheet of these boards has been selected for their wavy and birds eye effects. The rarity and aesthetics of these maple sheets add a unique side to this chair.
It took a little over a month to complete this project. The pressing of the boards required a particular technique to obtain these curves. An ultra-resistant glossy varnish has been chosen to highlight each board providing a velvety impression. Wheel-truck set-ups have been installed on all three legs to accentuate the rocking sensation and also makes this chair easily mobile.
100% of funds raised by the sale of this piece will be donated to SKATEISTAN.
Design and production: Sarah Jackson & Nicolas Alix
Skateistan is a non-governmental organization, which empowers children through skateboarding and education in Afghanistan, Cambodia and South Africa.
By combining skateboarding with a creative and artistic education, they give children the opportunity to become leaders for a better world. They focus on groups that are often excluded from sports and educational activities, especially girls, children with disabilities and those from low-income backgrounds.
They provide safe spaces where children can have fun, build skills and confidence, and break down social barriers by making new friends.
In the words of its founders, it is about: “creating a better future for these young people and their communities, through innovative programs that aim to develop the experiences and skills of each of them”.
If like us you want to support this NGO, you can directly donate by clicking on the button below or buy the chair that we have made.
We would like to thank Chalk Custom Board Project and all the artists for creating and making the European Custom Board Show what it is today! A amazing experience, a moment of sharing and new encounters, art, talent and much much more.