Homemade Devon Shred Sticks

There is a great vibe in croyde.. alot of people skate. Here are just some of the local rippers out for a  regular night skate.
 

The Wood Shop 

The woodshop started in the garden.. but we found it too wet and windy. 

We then started shaping boards in the old Barn which lies on Ali's land.. but this became structurally unstable and is due for demolition.

We moved the woodshop into the greenhouse.. seemed like a great idea. There is lots of natural light, great views.. but actually its fricking hot and steamy. When the sun is out, working shirtless is a matter of function. 

Cruisers

Mudge has been making shorter skateboards for years and has skated little 70's style skateboards since his early teens. It is safe to say the guy shreds on those little boards... fearlessly bombing hills, skitching off cars and weaving through seemingly unmakable gaps to avoid traffic. Larch is his wood of choice... he gets it from a saw mill in East Devon. If you need a cruiser... a proper cruiser... not some plastic 'Penny' w*nkstain.. this guy will make you a board that will last you for years... he prefers to trade rather than sell.. It is a great sentiment that seems to work out well in North Devon.

Long Boarding

Ive started shaping up boards that you can bomb a hill on without any of the technical bullshit. The are no 'drop through' trucks, there are no specific widths or legths or measurments. Many of the boards I produce have come from humble beginnings, starting life as a shelf or a bookcase or a floorboard. But after lots of sawing, shaping, sanding and drilling they are turned into skateboards that are designed to be ridden wrecklessly, at speed and without pads. 

Inspiration came last year from this tandem board made by Gavin at Surrey Skates whilst he was in Canada.. 

This was the first hill bomber... it has no flex, it is quite narrow and long is as hell... big wheels that just about slide. Just so much fun.

Starting Production

It makes me so happy when a friend asks me to make them a board. Every board seems to be a little better than the one which preceeded it. There are always little tweaks here and there which means that no board ever comes out the same. I love the whole process and get so much out of creating something which i know someone will enjoy. If you start making boards for people because you think its a lucrative business..it isn't.. if you dont love skateboarding for skateboarding then stop now... 

Steve's Board

I was so suprised when my supervisor at work, Steve, asked me to make him a board. I didnt know skateboarding was his thing at all, in fact I always felt an uneasy sense of disapproval when I swanned around the pub distracting the waitresses and causing mischief. 

I shaped him up a medium sized deck with 7" trucks, 65mm wheels, Abec 7s and burnt a 'Gnar Whale' as a graphic. He loves it, and now we get on like a house on fire.

Sean's Board

The Thatched Barn Pub in Croyde is full of great people, and Sean is one of them. A stocky irish Gentleman who knows his beer, ales and whiskies better than any man I know. He was one of the first people to see and appreciate what he refers to as 'the plank boards' and showed genuine interest as to how they were put together. One evening he asked me to make him a board... we drew up some rough shapes and dimensions and that was that. I managed to source some wood and got to work.

Pre-varnished solder designs.. a four leaf clover and a pint of guiness should adhere to the appropriate racial stereotypes... This is the first board on which i used colour... Im quite happy with the results.

Another happy customer :)

Onwards and Upwards

I had heard of a boy they call 'Albi' long before i met him... in fact, i have only been hanging in the same circles for a few weeks... ever since he set up his canvas bell-tent at the the top of the garden. Albi is a character to have around for sure... I have never ever seen him wearing a pair of shoes aside from one accasion when he wore some wellington boots for a hour or so...  you can only start the motor on his car by snapping wires together beneath the bonnet...He has a shotgun licence and owns a fully trained gun dog called Milly. He has had some interesting jobs in the 5 years since he left school.. most recently he worked in Surrey breaking in young horses to be used for Polo. All of the above is rad. 

Albi told me of a friend of his, Tom, who along with his father, owns a saw mill and 300 acres of land about 40 minutes drive from Croyde. After a morning of shaping boards we set off in the late afternoon to visit and buy timber. Tom was nice enough to give us a guided tour of the place.. we saw the wood from literal growing trees to finished planks. I learnt alot in such a small space of time.

Ash, Oak, Tiger oak, Chesnut, Cherry... wood, wood and more wood.

The proud new owner of a lovely sheet of local Ash and a plank of Oak

Working with Ash

Ash is the king of woods and much easier to work with in comparison to Pine. I've shaped up 6 boards from this sheet all of which have been sold already. Time to return to the mill to get more wood :)