5-Minute Project: Drill-Powered Skateboard

Do you have a skateboard that is gathering dust in the corner of your garage? Breathe some new life into those wheels by zapping them with some volts. Specifically, attaching a battery-powered electric drill to the front of your skateboard will provide effortless nosegrinding and endless hours of fun.

Three factors will enhance your battery-powered skateboarding:

1. More Volts. Higher voltage battery-powered drills (at least 9.6V) will provide more minutes of skateboarding fun.

2. Greater Torque. Drills that can generate more torque will be able to move, ahem, heavier riders.

3. Big, Bad Rubber Wheel. The more rubber that meets the highway, the higher the performance.

5-minutes
Cost: $2.80
Very Easy

Parts List

• Skateboard (salvaged)
• Battery-Powered Drill; at least 9.6V (salvaged)
• 25-inches of 1/2-inch PVC Schedule 40 (1.00)
• (2) 90-degree Elbow PVC Schedule 40 (.90 each)
• Large Rubber Wheel (salvaged)
• Cable Ties

Remove the right front wheel from the skateboard's axle.

Open the chuck's jaws (those are the steel fingers inside the chuck that typically hold the drill bit) of the battery-powered drill to its maximum aperture. The chuck should fit easily and loosely over the skateboard's front right axle.

Slip the large rubber wheel over the drill's chuck. Use a rubber wheel that has a large enough diameter to lift the drill head up off of the ground. This wheel should also be a very snug fit over the chuck.

Build a support for the drill from the PVC Schedule 40 pieces. The lengths of these pieces will vary depending upon your make/model of drill. In this example, three pieces measuring 15 3/8-, 6 3/4-, and 2 1/2-inch were used. The longest piece is inserted into one of the elbows followed by the shortest piece and another elbow. Finally, the medium length piece is added to the second elbow. You shouldn't have to glue the PVC pieces together--a friction fit is good enough for this project.

Attach the completed support to the top of the skateboard deck with cable ties. A correctly attached support should hold the drill's handle off the ground. Tidy up your assembly and mount up.

Don your protective clothing, install a fresh battery, squeeze the drill's power trigger, and it's off to the races.

Notes:

• In right-wheel installations the drill's motor should be set for maximum torque and forward motion. If you opt for a goofy ride (aka left-wheel installation), be sure to switch the drill's motion to reverse.
• Install two electric drills for greater power. Make sure that you switch the left-hand drill to reverse motion (see above note).
• Lightweight riders can ride the SkateBored solely on battery power. Heavier riders will have to kneel on the deck and kick off with the other foot.
• The SkateBored will eat up rubber wheels. Use special off-road R/C truck tires for the best results.
• Alternatively, if you can't find any suitable rubber wheels, try wrapping the chuck with several layers of duct tape.