How to Form a Skateboard From Shredded Newspaper

Just about every kid (or kid at heart) has wanted to try riding a skateboard. Maybe it’s the thrill of using your momentum as a driving force or the fact that the darn thing comes without brakes; the bottom line is anyone who gets on a skateboard is in for a good time (or at the very least some broken bones).

While it’s dang cool to shred down sidewalks and back alleys on an electric skateboard or a vintage “banana board”, nothing quite compares to shredding on a board you made yourself—particularly if said board is made out of (literal) shredded newspaper. YouTube creator The Q took this “shredded” figure of speech to heart and recently crafted himself a skateboard made from old newspapers.

Using blocks of wood and plywood to create a mold for the skateboard’s curve, he begins to set the base of the skateboard. To do this, he mixes a combination of hardener and resin and slathers the mixture over half-cut newspapers placed on the plastic-covered curved mold.

He repeats this process a few more times while coating each newspaper layer in the same resin/hardener mixture. Once the final layer has been applied, he covers the entire board in plastic wrap before adding weight and leaving it to harden.

With the newspaper hardened, he can now work on shaping the body like a skateboard. He traces a skateboard outline onto the newspaper and cuts through 120 layers of paper using an electric saw.

It wouldn’t be much of a skateboard if it didn’t have wheels, so The Q rectifies this by marking dots toward the skateboard wheels and drilling through them.

Before adding the wheels, however, he makes it a point to smoot the sharp edges of the board using a sander. He also applies some finish to the body to keep the newspapers from tearing apart mid-kickflip.

The Q finishes off his build by attaching the wheels and taking his creation out for a spin. Just like any other skateboard, this baby shifts according to the rider’s weight distribution and propels them forward. It would have been cool to see The Q do some tricks, but I suppose grinding down a narrow pipe with a paper skateboard might rip it right in half.

Find more of The Q’s ingenious DIY projects over at his YouTube channel.

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