Rinse and Repeat

This all started fairly quick once we started making skateboards.  We found that making skateboards in America was a challenge due to the hard manual labor involved with making a skateboard.  Not to many people would stick around long enough to get real good at every aspect of the process.  Most would take some time to get a good grasp of just one step.  This made it difficult to have a top-level experienced person making decks.  It did not take a genius to figure out that we needed to take some of the boring repetitive labor out that most did not want to do.  I had a dream of automating the way boards were made.  Most I told it to would just say I was crazy and it could not be done.  After years of visualizing it in my head I came up with a solution for just one step in the process.  The sanding of the rails was the most back breaking work, so I figured I would start there.  Every time I would come up with a solution I would visualize it till I can find a reason why it would not work.  Back to the drawing board.  Start over until I found something that I was not able to see any reason why it would not work.  This was a rinse and repeat process that went on for years.

Trial and Error

Even with the clear vision of it working I had to actually make the dream / vision a reality.  It was not long before I started building a list of materials and supplies I would need in order to have it appear before my eyes.  Even with the years of visualizing it in my head I knew there were going to be some big challenges.  I love a challenge so bring it on.  Every package that came in the mail made me feel like it was the holiday season on a daily basis.  Once I had a majority of the parts needed I started constructing what would be the most valuable thing I have ever created in all my life.  As a kid I was the boy in the track that fixed all the kids toys that broke down.  I loved helping others with my knowledge of how things worked.  Tearing apart my toys and other toys as a boy to see how they worked was like I was in school even before I was in school.  Taking what I learned as a child defiantly helped me avoid lots of failure setting up this dream I had.  With all the new parts arriving on a daily basis I started to assemble my masterpiece.  Let me remind you that all of this was done for the love of skateboarding.  The reason why I make custom skateboards is for you to have a skateboard with what you have dreamed up to be printed on the bottom.   I had to ensure that we can continue to do so for as long as I can and eventually pass it down to someone else.

Second Attempt

First time around I had build something that was ready to test and it was not more then a few min before it broke down.  Back to the drawing board with the version 2.0 that would end up being the staple in our manufacturing process.   Once I had broken most of it down and started rebuilding I had a strong feeling it would be a success.  Don't forget that it was years of trial and error in my head before I even attempted a real life version to work for all of you.  

Power UP

Wiring up all the components was the road downhill.  All was in place ready to go and with a flick of the switch it was time to start programming.  The first programming took days and it was not the best but it did do its job.  After a few hundred boards I noticed that there were some issues with the mechanical parts that held the board in place.  It took a good few months of dealing with it at the same time trying to improve it.  Back to lying in bed late at night dreaming up a solution to a problem.  It was almost a year before I was able to dream up a solution to the problem.  Another reminder it was at least 2 years of dreaming up this process that became a reality that worked but had a minor flaw that was randomly occurring.   A board would get kicked out or ejected from the fixture and at that point we had to finish it by hand.  Not a huge deal but all was good because the board was still perfect and just needed to be sanded by hand other then what the machine did for us already.  

Passing the savings to you!

Over the years of making skateboards the cost of materials has gone up on a regular basis.  The improvement we made in the process has allowed us to absorb the price increases that have been put on us.  Dedicated to you having a fair price and avoid doing what others have done.  While others shut down and decide to buy imported decks we kept our promise to the love of skateboarding by continuing to offer Made IN USA boards.