SKATEBOARD VENEER
Skateboard decks are made by layering thin pieces of wood called veneer on top of one another. Veneer is available in many different species, grades and thicknesses.
Acer Saccharum (hard maple) is the preferred species for skateboards because of it's hardness, resistance to shock and pop or rebound among other things.
Hard maple veneer, also known as sugar maple and hard rock maple, grows in south east Canada and north east United States. The most sought after of this species is located in the great lakes regions.
The most commonly used thickness of veneer in the skateboard manufacturing industry today are, 1/17th of an inch (.058 / 1.47mm) for the face and core layers and 1/20th of an inch (.050 / 1.27mm) for the cross band layers of veneer. They are called cross band layers because their grain runs from side to side, opposed to end to end.
Different combinations and order of veneer layers are common, however most decks have a total thickness of approximately 10mm. You can deviate from this but thinner skateboard decks tend to break easier and thicker skateboard decks seem to be too heavy.
The moisture content of the skateboard veneer should be near 8 percent humidity but depends greatly on where you are located and what time of the year it is.
Other woods such as birch and bamboo have been used in the construction of skateboards and may arguably work well. In the past they could not take the abuse Sugar Maple could, nor did they have the same feel. These woods were more suited to longboard construction which they were often used.
ROAROCKIT.com
I recently spoke with the folks at Roarockit.com and they seriously have their stuff together. They eat, sleep and breathe skateboard deck construction and therefore know exactly what they are doing.
I highly recommend getting in touch with them if you need veneer. They carry kits, standard sized veneer and even pre-cut sheets which eliminate the need to shape the deck. That and they are just all around good people... check them out.
Roarockit.com - Tell them Jason @ DIYskate.com sent you.
SNOWBOARDMATERIALS.com
SnowboardMaterials.com will sell you the veneer, the glue, the mold and more if you have the money. They are truly one stop shopping and aren't too expensive to boot. I have never bought from them personally, but I've been in contact with them a few times and they seem legit.
This is not a definitive list of veneer suppliers. There are other companies that sell the veneer for skateboards and even more that sell 1/16" veneer online. I didn't list either because the order minimums or price was just too high or the tolerances were not precise enough for skateboard use.
Also note, buying veneer and making the skateboard deck on your own or for a business is usually more expensive than buying the decks pre-made, wholesale. The veneer manufactures just can not sell veneer in such small quantities (under a truckload - 11,000 decks worth of veneer) without charging a higher premium for their time involved in the sale. The whole reason you buy the veneer and make the deck yourself is for the gratification of "I made this myself" and you did it the way you wanted to. Or you are just getting you're feet wet in the business of deck manufacturing.
