The InterWeb is cool, but print zines are cooler. Although it’s about hundred times easier to make a print zine in the digital age (especially with photos,) it’s still quite a bit of work. When you factor in the cost the project gets to be less appealing, especially if you want to distribute a lot of copies. Every once and a while I get the urge to make another print issue of Skate and Annoy. My biggest problem with print issues is that I’m always waiting for some event that I want to put in it, and I keep adding pages as I go along. – “Man, I gotta include this too!” Pretty soon they become these massive projects that approach the size of a phone book. And then it becomes a major expense to print them unless you know someone at a copy shop (I don’t) or you can go out and sell adverts (I don’t want to.) In the end they either don’t get made or else only a few copies are printed. I salute those of you who actually pull it off, but for the lazy, busy, and budget constrained, the micro zine is a viable alternative. I’m not…

This idea comes from a post originally found on SkatersForPublicSkateparks.org. As usual, we thought we’d poach it and see if we could squeeze a little extra info out in case anyone wanted to try it themselves. Basically, the idea is to make granite coping from leftover pieces of granite used in countertops, or really any place you can find it. You need to cut it to size first, glue them together with masonary glue if you need extra width, cut 45 degree angles off the corners to make shaping it easier, then grind away. Granted, (not granite) that’s not a lot of information, but it’s a start. The following information comes from Thomas who put the ramp together and Carmen Castaldo of Castaldo Stone & Tile, who was also involved in the project. Carmen also provided pictures.Thanks to Dan Hughes for the original post, some pictures,  and facilitating this page here.

By Kent Dahlgren Originally written 8/8/04. This article was originally posted on Sleestak.net, which closed it’s doors in spring of 2005. It may reappear on the Skaters For Public Skateparks (SPS) web site in the DIY forum, who knows. In any case, thanks to Kent Dahlgren and Bobcat at Sleestak for lettingthis article live on at Skate and Annoy. The pictures are all poached, byt the way. Some from HowStuffWorks.com. If anyone has some original pictures that we can use instead, by all means, send ’em in. Feel free to contact us and chip in with your own advice.    Swimming pools have plumbing. We skaters need to learn how to use this plumbing to free these pools of pesky water. Here’s a quick and dirty for those who haven’t yet learned. The pump and all those pipes function to keep the pool clean. Water is typically sucked through the deathboxes, into pipes, through the filter, and back into the pool. In many cases, the water is also pumped through a heater, on-roof pipes, or both. First, let’s identify the key components. Go to the pumphouse. If you are a skater…indeed, if you are a swimmer, you know what the pumphouse is. Go there. Be quiet and low key.…

By Stefan Hauser There are many possibilities for design when building your own skate terrain. A lot depends on your experience, expertise and preference. What we will cover here is concrete do-it-yourself “skatepark” construction. Just like wood ramps and steel rail construction, the more solid background you have in the materials the better off you are. First do your homework, investigate different obstacles, skateparks or terrain you would like to mimic. Find some good examples, be it a place you have been, a photograph in a magazine, or a video you have seen. Make sure it is something you would like to have and then something you would like to have in another three years. For that matter make it something that you can expand and build onto as your skills and enthusiasm kick in. There is the simple proverb: start small, think large, follow it. A major consideration to take into account when designing your skate spot is location. The location will ultimately decide the fate of your design and the longevity of your project. The best place to put your project is of course on private land of which you are the owner. This may not always be…

Original article by Carter Dennis This article originally existed somewhere on the web. On Feb 02, 2005 it was posted on the Skaters For Public Skateparks (SPS) web site in the DIY forum under the title “Pour Man’s Pool Coping”. We had originally planned on reposting it, but it disappeared before we could get our DIY section up. Then it reappeared on the SPS web site, and author Carter Dennis was kind enough to let us publish it. Carter also happens to be a Southwest Regional Director of Skaters for Public Skateparks. Why re-post the same article? Well, for one thing, you need to register to view the SPS forms. Also, we have a hard time letting go. We figure, the more links this article gets, the more pool coping you are likely to end up skating. Don’t forget to check out the Skaters For Public Skateparks web site, and feel free to contact us with your own advice. Pool coping blocks are hard to find. Most of our modern pools now use bull nose brick instead of the 2 ft pool coping blocks we all love. There are a few places throughout the country that still manufacture big pool…