# homemade box



## mrjimyjohn (Dec 18, 2010)

sorry if im posting this in the wrong section or if theres already a thread for this, but i was hoping to build a little box to hit in my backyard (around 2x8ft and around 2 feet tall) as far as the actual box goes i have a bit of experience with building things like that (ive made a few skateboard ramps for the summer :thumbsup: ) but im not sure hat to use for a top  most people ive talked to say puckboard but im not sure where i could get that... Ive also heard of atuff like ultra high density blah blah blah but that stuffs way too expensive for my budget (as low as possible, but definetly under $100 for the top)
any help would be great thanks guys!!


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## Brett_1115 (Dec 14, 2010)

Hey, I made my own box this past winter. I went the more expensive route and got the good stuff overall so it would last. I could send you some pics if you would want those for reference. Anyways, I would just like to say first of all 8ft long is really short... You don't think so when building it but when riding on them it doesnt last long. Mines 16 ft long which consists of two 8ft boxes one after the other... and the first 8 ft ends really fast. I highly suggest at least 12 ft. Next thing I can help you with is the top sheet. Lairds plastics has shops all over canada/ usa so look them up and find local shop. They sell a plastic called hdpe which is like puckboard. This runs a lot more expensive than your 100 dollars but well worth it. This plastic is basically identical to that used in parks at resorts. For cheaper alternatives theres plexi glass which generally cracks. This or cheaper plastics at home depot


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## david_z (Dec 14, 2009)

i agree with everything Bret_1115 says. If you're on a shoestring budget you can use PVC pipe for the sliding surface just mount 4 or 5 pipes side by side, get something like 1.5" O.D. PVC and that should do the trick. If you google it or look on youtube for backyard snowboarding you'll see what I'm talking about.

But yeah, 8 feet is short. I have a skateboard rail that's _maybe_ 7 feet long and it's just barely long enough to practice on. I'd also say go with 12ft minimum even if you ahve to build it as two boxes and put them against one another, you should be able to hinge them or fasten them pretty cheaply if you're worried about them coming apart.


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## john doe (Nov 6, 2009)

I used a PVC trim board found at Lowes to make a nice box. It is $50 for a 3/4"x9.5" 12ft long piece.


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## MSH (Feb 6, 2010)

Hey Brett, do you think you could send me the pictures? My mail is [email protected]


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

Or just put 'em up in this thread. I think you'll find people are interested.

I did what Brett said and contacted Lairds for a price (Canada). I'll post the results if and when I get them as no-one seems to ever talk actuals.


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## Karasene (Oct 20, 2010)

High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) Sheeting | U.S. Plastic Corp.

HDPE^ online store. I looked into making my own box past fall. I've heard plexiglass / acrylic will crack out in the cold. And make sure you get it thick enough. 2/3" to 1/2" to be able to counter sink and keep those nails below the suface.

Don't know about pvc.. I might be wrong but I'm pretty sure someone told me the ends of the pipes chip after use in the cold. I'd spend the extra to do it right.


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

Karasene said:


> High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) Sheeting | U.S. Plastic Corp.
> 
> HDPE^ online store. I looked into making my own box past fall. I've heard plexiglass / acrylic will crack out in the cold. And make sure you get it thick enough. 2/3" to 1/2" to be able to counter sink and keep those nails below the suface.


Woo! Not cheap, and those are US$. I notice that it tops out at 8' long. Do you just butt two or more pieces together to get a long box? Or do you put them together with an angle cut? Maybe a 45 degree butt joint or something?


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

Lairds just got back to me. The best alternative is a 4x10 sheet of UHMW, which is denser than HDPE. Goes for $210 Cdn. At the other end is stress-relieved HDPE, 4x8, at $96 Cdn. Thickness is 1/4", which would be ok if you glued it down instead of screwing it.

I eyeballed a box at about 10" width, but I could be off. What's the range of widths?


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## david_z (Dec 14, 2009)

Donutz said:


> I eyeballed a box at about 10" width, but I could be off. What's the range of widths?


I would do 45 degree butt joint to connect two segments. 

10" will be plenty. The narrower you make it; the better you're going to be. If you learn how to ride a 4" or 6" box you'll have no trouble stomping the same moves in the park. 

Yes, PVC will chip and is prone to gouging if you're spinning on to it so if you're working on 270 on, etc. you'll wreck the pipes. The good thing about PVC is that it's dirt cheap like $3 per 10ft length of 1.5" OD. But you ghould buy extra and be prepared for it to need replacing/fixing.


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## PanHandler (Dec 23, 2010)

i would just use 1/4 in plywood and lacquer the living crap out of the top


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

PanHandler said:


> i would just use 1/4 in plywood and lacquer the living crap out of the top


A hard wood, sanded, and finished with a good hard glazing of some kind sounds like it would work, but of course you have to experiment and get it wrong a few times...


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## Brett_1115 (Dec 14, 2010)

Ill post a couple pictures after my response to some concerns. I have approximately 20 of them from different stages of building it but Ill just a finished view. Now for the top sheet I've done research on different forums and tried a few different things.There's basically two ways of doing it. You can go cheap or you can pay for a box that'll last a long time. I went with the 2nd approach and got the hdpe plastic. A cheap alternative that ive used for boxes can be like pallets from warehouses just with snow on top or just wood... as long as theres some snow or ice on it doesnt ruin your board. As for cheaper alternatives to the hdpe in plastics. know no one should bother with plexiglass because in the cold it will just break you could spend 50 bucks for one run because in some cases they crack right away. As for other plastics HDPE is known to be the best... it's pricy I paid approximately 200 for mine and I highly recommend getting the 1/2 " thick. You need this thickness so you can pilot screws below surface of the plastic so you don't ruin your board and catch. As for the issue with them only coming in 4 feet by 8 feet sheets. I just asked them at lairds to cut it up the middle so I had two sheets that measured 2 feet by 8 feet. Hopefully that helps !

Now for pictures


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## Pyrofeed (Feb 4, 2010)

It doesn't have to be so difficult. If you go to mcmaster.com you can find polyethylene film. You can just lay that over a plywood box and nail it in on the sides so no worries about countersinking, and even easier still some of the films come with adhesive backing, so just stick it to some plywood and you are good to go. Its pretty cheap, so if you managed jto slice through the film (you should still be able to ride with a couple cuts in it a anyway) you can just get some more. Most of it comes in 25' rolls, so I think thats plenty.


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## Extremo (Nov 6, 2008)

Just for clarification...HDPE is not the best top sheet. Lexan and UHMW poly is the best to slide on. HDPE is less expensive but has a higher friction rating and it dents and impacts, where Lexan and UHMW do not.


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## Eightfingers (Feb 12, 2010)

http://www.snowboardingforum.com/tips-tricks-instructors/25756-how-build-your-own-box.html


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## Brett_1115 (Dec 14, 2010)

Extremo said:


> Just for clarification...HDPE is not the best top sheet. Lexan and UHMW poly is the best to slide on. HDPE is less expensive but has a higher friction rating and it dents and impacts, where Lexan and UHMW do not.


I agree this is true... but I am assuming if they want to make a homemade box not many people are going to pay 600-800 for just the top sheet. For that and wood you could just buy a park one off a site like this:Buy Ski & Snowboard Rails & Boxes For Home Use


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## Pyrofeed (Feb 4, 2010)

Well I followed through with my plan, ordered some hdpe sheets and had some wood lying around. I have two 8 ft boxes that i just line up. I actually decidd to velcro the hdpe to the wood. I did this because if the wooden part of the box got damaged it would be simple to salvage the hdpe and vice versa. It also allowed me to use a thinner sheet of hdpe because I did not have to worry about countersinking anything. Long story short it works pretty well, just was on it for the past two hrs initiating it. It was cheaper for me because I had some of the materials lying around but I think it could have easily been done for around $40.


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## slyder (Jan 18, 2010)

Extremo said:


> Just for clarification...HDPE is not the best top sheet. Lexan and UHMW poly is the best to slide on. HDPE is less expensive but has a higher friction rating and it dents and impacts, where Lexan and UHMW do not.


Do you think you could get away with 1/4" lexan ??? If not how thick would the minimum need to be do you guess???


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## dangerranger (Apr 8, 2011)

slyder said:


> Do you think you could get away with 1/4" lexan ??? If not how thick would the minimum need to be do you guess???


Yes, I used 1/4" UHMW and it worked fine


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