Building It:
I have seen some of your box and rail plans in a web site (www.rampplans.org) and I would like to know if you would have any more of those plans. You see, I am high school teacher, and I am starting a snowboard club... and what you do is exactly what I am looking for. Thanks for your time.
-Christian Fradette
Christian, I just started a monthly column at my magazine/blog called "Building It". We'll be adding more plans over the coming months. Most of the plans that I make work great for both skateboard and snowboard applications... but, snowboard obstacles do require a few minor modifications to make them suitable for wintertime and snowboard use. Those include:
Countersinking all screw heads:
Screws should always be countersunk, anyway... screw heads are just as harsh and hazardous on skateboards as they are on snowboards. But with skateboards, a little scratch or chunk taken out of a deck isn't really that big of a deal. But that same chunk taken out of a snowboard base could be absolutely catastrophic.
Rounding off every edge of steel coping with a file:
Just like screw heads, the sharp edges of steel coping could do nightmarish things to the base of a snowboard. Invest a few minutes of time and effort with a long, coarse mill or bastard file to smooth things out.
Paint:
Any time you have a situation where a wooden skateboard obstacle is sitting out in the elements (in this case, snow) for an extended period of time, throwing a coat of exterior latex on will help extend the lifespan of that obstacle dramatically. Go to Lowe's or Home Depot, and see if they have any "Oops" paint in stock. "Oops" paint is paint that was custom-mixed for a customer, but came out slightly "wrong". "Oops" paint will almost always be some horridly ugly color... but it gets the job done, and can be bought for as little as $5.00 a gallon.
Fan Mail:
Just wanted to let you know - your blog fucking rules!!!!! I can't get enough of it!
xoxoxoxo
-Fatboy
