Building a Skate Box, Part 2

Welcome to Part 2 of building a box. Hopefully you've already built the top, maybe skated it a little as a manny pad. Well, now we're gonna lift that little box we made off the ground and put some rails on it.

Start off by going to Home Depot and getting 2"x2"x6' angle iron. Its over in the hardware section. Hopefully you can find some angle iron with holes for screws pre-drilled. If not, don't fret, Liquid Nails works just as well. Pick some of the stuff up while you're in Home Depot. Put this stuff aside. We're starting with the box that goes underneath what you've already built.


Cut some 2x4 to the same dimensions as the box. You've already made this cut before, and can draw your lines to cut by holding your 2x4 right up again the box. Once you've made all the cuts, lay the wood out like the picture above and screw it all together.



Next, its time to decide the final height you want your box to be. I made mine at 15" high. Cut four pieces of 2x4 and screw them from both sides onto the box you just made, like the picture above.



Next, flip the older box you made upside down. Put the new box on top of it like shown in the picture. You may have to hammer it in to get it all the way down. Make sure its flush all the way around, so it sits well on the floor when its finally time to skate. Screw it in from both sides on every riser, 2 screws for each side. Also, ignore the rails already on the box in the picture. Yours shouldn't be on yet.



Finally, flip your assembled box over. Yes, its looks a whole lot like a box at this point. Time for the final step, putting your rails on. Take your 2"x2"x6' angle iron you bought earlier and wipe it down with either alcohol or mineral spirits. This cleans off all the gunk on the rail and makes sure the Liquid Nails really take hold. Smear Liquid Nails all the way across the rail, and lay the rail in place. Do the same for the other side and let the liquid nails set for a few hours.

Skate it up on your new box! My box was a little under 6 feet long, and that's why my rails hang over the edge a little bit. Yours shouldn't, if you made it 6 feet long like I said. I've still got to cut the ends of my rails, but you're all ready to skate. So why are you still reading this? GO SKATE.