How to Make a PVC Pipe Longboard

FIRST EVER!!! PVC Pipe Longboard!!!

I have recently found an interest in skateboarding and wanted to make a longboard. But not just any longboard, I wanted something truly unique. So I created the first ever PVC Pipe Longboard.

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Items Needed:

- 1-inch PVC Pipe (Schedule 40) (14+ feet long)

- [16] 45-degree elbows (1-inch)

- [4] 90-degree elbows

- 1/4 inch treaded rod (40+ inches)

- Longboard trucks and wheels Kit

- [8] 2-inch Machine Screws and Locking nuts

- PVC cement

- Grip tape

Tools Needed:

- PVC cutters

- Drill

- 1/4 inch bit

- Wrenches sized to your locking nuts

- Screwdriver

- Marker

- Sharp knife or blade

- Metal saw

In this Instructable, I will show you how I made a Longboard using PVC pipe.

I first did some checking on the lengths of many longboards and they built in several sizes. So I decided to build this version to about 40 inches long.

I also wanted this board to be a low-rider to offset the thickness of the PVC pipe and to give it a little more stability.

So I did a little measuring and testing and decided to pick up some 1-inch Schedule40 PVC pipe.

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Just remember that PVC is only a form of hard plastic. It can and will break if too much weight or force is applied and injuries can occur. Please use caution when using anything made from PVC. Use of content for personal projects is at your own risk.

Cutting the Pipes

For the main part of the board, I measured out 22 inches and made a mark. Using PVC cutters, I cut out 6 of these pipes.

The body of this board is going to be almost 10 inches wide.

I next cut out 4 more pieces of pipe at 1.5 inches long. These will hold some of the elbows together.

I then cut out 4 more pipes at 5 inches long. These will be pipes that hold the trucks.

Inner Pipes Assembly

Using the 1.5 inch pipes, I connected up eight 45-degree elbows. They need to be facing in opposite directions for this setup to work. (See picture.)

I then connected those fittings to the inner pipes of the board. Both ends need to be facing in the same direction and level with each other. (See picture.) I have found that by laying them on a flat surface and giving them a quick smack can help.

I then added a 90-degree elbow to each of the 5-inch pipes before adding them to the 45-degree elbows.

While I was checking the pipes, I decided to test out the alignment of the trucks at the same time.

For this build, I purchased a trucks and wheel set from Amazon. They were only $25. I am sure there are much better sets available, but these work great for my purposes.

Everything looked great.

Now that everything was inline, I took a marker and made a line across all of the connecting joints. This will allow me to reconnect everything correctly.

I then took the center pipes outside to be disassembled and glued together. The PVC cement adheres quickly, so I had less than 5 seconds to get each piece back together. Though it was challenging, I was able to fit all of it together in time.

Outer Pipes Assembly

Next, I added 45-degree elbows to the ends of the other 4 pipes. These elbows help space out the pipes to add width and prevent my feet from sliding off the edges.

While the inner pipes needed time to dry, I used a couple of substitute pipes for the next step.

At this point, I laid all of the pipes in order to make sure they lined up. There were a few small size differences, but that is to be expected when working with this material.

I did not glue any of these fittings because they will be held together with a metal rod.

Adding Metal Rod Supports

To help hold all 6 pipes together, I needed to install 2 threaded metal rods through all of them. The rods needed to be a little wider than the board, so I cut both of them to 11 inches.

I also needed 4 more additional rods for some extra support on the inner pipes, so I cut them to 4.5 inches long.

I then used a grinding wheel to remove any burrs from each rod and make them easier to add the nuts.

I will be using Locking nuts to prevent any of the rods from coming loose.

I then laid the rod across the pipes and used a marker to lineup the location of where I needed to drill. I also marked where each of the pipes touched, to know the location of each hole.

I first made a pilot hole with a small bit, and then use a 1/4 inch bit to make each hole.

It was time to test fit the 11 inch rods and all of the pipes went together perfectly, so I proceeded to mark the other side of the pipes and drill them as well.

I then added the second rod and all of the pipes fit nice and level.

The next step was to reinforce the inner pipes on both sides of the truck mounting location.

So I used the smaller rods to make the needed marks and proceeded to drill the holes. The holes ended up being slightly offset, so I had to slightly widen the holes for the rods to fit.

I then added locking nuts to all of the threaded rods for support.

Adding Trucks

It was now time to find the location for the trucks. I lined everything up and made a mark for each of the holes.

I continued to use a 1/4 inch bit for these holes. This could be considered a little oversized for the screws, but it worked well for this build.

The screws that came with the trucks were not long enough, so I had to pick up some 2 inch machine screws to make this work. Test fitting the trucks and new screws showed almost a perfect fit.

I then installed the bearings and wheels onto the trucks and was ready to take it for a test ride.

Adding Grip Tape

The longboard did great, but I was a little concerned how slippery the pipes would be if they got wet.

So I purchased some grip tape and attached it to the top of the pipes.

It looked good, but I wanted the pipe to standout, so I cut the grip tape between each pipe and rolled it around the sides.

The final measurements were 41 inches long and 9.75 inches wide.

I love this longboard and plan to ride it a lot more.

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Just remember that PVC is only a form of hard plastic. It can and will break if too much weight or force is applied and injuries can occur. Please use caution when using anything made from PVC. Use of video content for personal projects is at your own risk.