Check out this design for a simple DIY skateboard rack from Instructables. It’s super clean looking and pretty easy to make, I just wonder how sturdy it would be. I’m imagining my kids cracking it after a month or so. It’s pretty clever though. – Thanks to Kathleen Conahan for the tip. UPDATE: Well Crud. Posted the same concept 2 years ago.

A short video from Urban Skate Project about what inspires Clayton Graul. Motivational/inspirational videos about DIY are not in short supply, but this one is worth watching if only for the wealth of spots it shows.

As a sometime purveyor of and fan of hand screened skateboards, I’ve had Lovenskate on my radar before. Their new promo The Connoisseur of Quality really takes it to the next level. The next level of what? The next level of quality. Well done lads. [Source: Huck] – Thanks to MC for the tip.

I don’t know what’s been like in your neck of the woods, but it’s been an unseasonably hot summer here in Portland. Time to cool off. Check out these fishing lures made out of recycled skateboards from Maxximus Skateboards. Their main product is actually skateboards, pressed and hand screened (as they should be…) in Savannah, Georgia. I found out about them through an article on independent board manufacturers on the Ride Channel. Update: Seeing all the Confederate battle flag bullshit on that Facebook page makes me want to pull this post. I spent half my childhood life, and indeed my earliest memories are of living in Georgia. I will always have fond memories and a special place in my heart for Georgia and the south. But there’s no excuse for pride in a racist heritage or ignorance of the true meaning of the Confederate Battle flag. I guess you can be enlightened on some fronts and still be backwards and ignorant in others. And for the record, I think the General Lee car from the Dukes of Hazard should be left intact.

Noted photographer, skate/surf film and TV historian Scott Starr has been diagnosed with Menieres Disease. He’s also considered a friend of the site for sure. I have featured his digital transfers of archival footage her on S&A over the years under the banner of “Saturday Starrs” and I’ve bought a few comic books from him that have also graced the pages of S&A. I’ve never met him but he’s always been gracious enough to answer my questions via email. Skip your Starbucks for a day to help Scott out via a GoFundMe campaign that his sister set up.

No, X-Carve is not another alternative skateboard designed to simulate surfing and snowboarding. It’s a hobbyist or slightly better grade CNC machine made by Inventables, a company whose goal is to bring manufacturing capabilities to (very) small business owners and DIY designers/inventors. There are small commercial CNC machines available, but not at this price point, which is roughly $800-$1300, depending on the size you want. There are also open source DIY plans for making your own CNC machines, but those can end up costing about the same, and while there are communities out there, support and troubleshooting building your own machinery, sourcing materials and integrating the software can be a daunting task for some. I’ve been trolling DIY CNC machines on and off for years for use specifically in manufacturing skateboards, and I would be ready to pull the trigger on an X-Carve setup (or at least set up a Kickstarter! Gimme, gimme, gimme…) but even though the X-Carve is specifically advertised as being capable of making skateboards, the reality is that it isn’t quite big enough for actual skateboard manufacturing. I’ll explain why after the jump. [Photo (Top right): Skateboard cut out with X-carve – Blue Sky photos /…

Weapons of Mass Construction. This is a great graphic and shape from Wouldshop. These hand-crafted, screen printed boards are priced to sell, and available in other shapes too. – Via Clayton Graul

An update from Kevin Live on the pour at the DIY park in L’ile Perrot. Looks like the kids (and adults) had a fun and productive session. So I went big this year and blew my budget a bit for crete, I dipped into the cash for the contest this year, more crete means less prizes for the kids. So I let the word out and Vans gave me 5 pairs of shoes to raffle away for kids showing up and helping and some $ for the contest. I also emailed OG Tommy Guerrero at dlxsf and passed the message onto Damon Thornley. They were stoked on my diy and sent me a package to give away at the contest at the end of May.They filled the gaps for prizes. So really big thanks to Industry for backing up the scene. This day came together so good, no rain great weather, and a ton of kids just so stoked on building a park. One kid told me that I’m like a father to them, Respect. Just want to thank every body that helped and came to help make a really sick ass park that would stand ground in Portland Oregon…

New Orleans is the largest U.S. city without a skatepark! It’s been a long time since we’ve reported on the scene that gave birth to the now defunct Peach Orchard. Since then the park has a new name to go with a sanctioned location and some ramps donated by Spohn Ranch, leftover from the Mississippi Grind skatepark on a floating barge. The next step is to get back to their D.I.Y. roots by pouring their own transition, and they need your help. Parasite Park has one of the slickest incentive programs via kickstarter that I’ve seen. They’ve got some great looking gear that starts at just $7. Go help ’em out!

Having printed more than a handful of skateboards myself, and designed a few jigs, I’ve always considered the possibility of somehow adapting a textile press for printing skateboards. The crew at Jolly Roger Skateboards are actually producing them. So far each Skate Mate sold has been configured for Lawson and Ryonet presses, but they are built on demand and can be made to fit any commercial press, including table tops. The wheelbase is easily adjustable which is critical for printing the same design on multiple size boards. Even though it can fit on a multiple color press, you’re still going to want to print skateboards like flat stock, one color at a time. So what’s the point? It could help with keeping better registration, especially if you have side clamps. You won’t need a kickstand to hold the screen up when placing boards and it saves space if you work in tight confines and already own a textile press. It’s pretty spendy at $300, but the build quality looks very high and prices are expected to come down as they recoup some development costs. The Skate Mate isn’t going to be for everyone, for one thing, it’s not going to…