PINK Veneers!

Pink Floyd

Pink Panther

Pretty in Pink.

Breast Cancer Awareness

Valentine's Day

Bret Hart.

And now.... Pink Skateboards!

For far too long, Pink coloured veneers have eluded board builders around the world. For the first (and likely only) time, the Roarockit Skateboard Company has gotten a very special order of Pink Maple Street Deck, and Longboard veneers.

The colour on these limited edition veneers came out amazing! A vibrant, Magenta-like shade of Pink that has been described by some as 'Vivacious' and 'Pink Popsiclicious'! If the shade is a bit too dark for your liking, a thorough sanding will help to lighten it to more of a 'cotton candy' Pink.

Our builders for years have been asking about the possibility of Pink dyed veneers, and it has been a surprisingly difficult process to make this happen. After a few science lessons, a couple of long conversations and a bit of arm-twisting... we were finally able to get our standard high quality, 100% Canadian Maple, 1/16” veneers in Pink!

Quantities are limited, and we have 2 sizes available:

1/16” Street Deck Maple @ 10” x 35”

1/16” Longboard Maple @ 12” x 40”

We were able to get our standard Street Deck sizes veneers, but were only able to get Longboard stock at 40" in length.  Forunately, if you want to make a board using the Pink veneers, that is longer than 40", it is possible to join them to make a longer piece... this process can also make for some very unique board art! 

** Like our other Coloured veneers and RockitLam sheets, these must be ordered with another set of veneers or as a custom bundled order. This is done to ensure the veneers are not damaged in the shipping process.

If you need help putting together a custom order, feel free to contact us @

Toll Free 1-888-857-7790

email - chris@roarockit.com

Board Building in the Classroom

A big part of Roarockit's business is working closely with schools, after-school programs and non-profit organizations. There are many great programs/organizations around the world who have integrated board building using Roarockit Technologies into their students curriculum. It is such an amazing thing to see a full classroom of kids, walking away with a high quality, handmade board of their very own... not to mention some of the coolest graphic and design jobs we've seen in the skateboard industry!

While it is not a 'traditional' method of teaching by any means, instructors who have used the program have reported many benefits in their classrooms, including; 

• increase in attendance levels

• students are focused, attentive and apply themselves to complete their decks

• can work as an incentive for both 'under' and 'over-achieving' students

• teamwork and mentoring scenarios occur naturally during the build process

• students gain experience working with their hands

• the program can be applied to a wide range of subjects including Art & Design, Mathematics, Construction Technology, Business and Entrepreneurship, Physical and Environmental Sciences, and more

• students relate well to skateboards and its counter-culture aspects

• great opportunity to involve their community through fundraisers, art galleries, open-houses, etc.

Another great part about the Roarockit skateboard deck builds is that they do not require the use of power tools and can be done in any classroom, or even outdoors...we've even had classrooms set up on picnic benches in a park! There are also no harmful glues, paints or coatings required, and the Thin Air Press is considered to be the 'greenest' method of pressing skateboards in the world (it's all hand powered!).

As part of our push to see more and more schools/programs building boards with their kids, we work diligently to help build a scenario that matches your particular teaching needs in regards to time constraints, class size and budget.

Here are a few links that include more information about course curriculum, funding options, examples of successful programs that use our kits, tutorials and more!   

Curriculum and Lessons - http://www.roarockit.com/curriculums.php

Funding - http://www.roarockit.com/how_to.php

Downloadable Order/Estimate Form - http://www.roarockit.com/materials_resources.php

Tutorials - http://ministryofwood.com/764-2/

Oasis Skateboard Factory - A Toronto District School Board reengagement program that helps students earn high school credits by running a skate/longboard design business.

Stoked Mentoring - Stoked is an action sports, youth development agency based in New York and Los Angeles

Feel free to give us a call or email if you would like to get more information about how to integrate board building into your own programs.  

You can call us Toll Free at - 1-888-857-7790

or email - norah@roarockit.com

AM Wood Skateboard Company

One of our favourite, and most advanced builders is Alistair McCall – Owner/Operator of the AM Wood Skateboard Company.

Alistair started building boards out of his garage in Grey County, Ontario as a fun and profitable woodworking hobby. His first boards were all custom built for friends and local riders, which gave him an opportunity to work with a variety of materials and board styles. This experience led him to eventually launch the AM Wood Skateboard Company in early 2011.

AM Wood's has since become one of the most prolific and recognized independent builders in North America, selling their boards to riders in over 10 countries (and counting). They have also helped build their name by being a part of some great events including the Toronto Board Meeting and the 2012 Stylus Awards.

They are also proud supporters of the Thin Air Press vacuum bag, and use them for all of their composite work and one-off custom boards. In his own words;

“It is 100% the best way to laminate composites. I have laminated in my big press before with mixed results. The best part about the tap is you can control the resin content through the use of peel plys, perforated films and pressure control. There is a reason all “real” composite parts are done with bags, aerospace, f1, boats etc…I also use the vac bags for all my custom shapes. Foam is a lot easier to work with than wood.”

The AM Wood Skateboard Company is expanding and moving its production facility later this year.  We look forward to seeing what the future of AM Wood's looks like, and will have a follow up post when they get set up... to be continued :)

You can keep up to date with AM Wood by checking them out at the links below.

AM Wood - Official Homepage

Facebook

Twitter

Brand New BIRCH Veneers Pt.3

Conclusion

From a board builder and riders perspective, we are quite pleased with the results of the 1/16” Solid Birch veneers. We found them very easy to work with, and the results were a nice contrast to our standard Maple veneers. Both are very strong/durable, and access to both now allows builders to further customize their rides. There is also the possibility of combining both materials on the same board to help create a unique weight and flex. The fact that Roarockit offers both at the same price allows builders to mix and match material with ease (contact us directly to order your own customized mix of veneers) .

Compared to other common board building materials on the market, our Birch veneers compare nicely to the popular bamboo/foam core alternatives. Especially for 'dancers' and boards meant to have a substantial amount of flex.

The durable, flexible and lightweight properties of the Birch are what lead us to making the Bamboo comparison in particular. It is also worth noting - for our North American builders who import bamboo from overseas, the fact that we have found a local source for our Birch veneers, helps reduce our carbon footprint and keeps cost down for everyone.

Through our research and testing, we concluded that the 1/16” Solid Birch was the most dynamic new material that wasn't readily available to board builders. It is no secret that the Birch Plywood found in most local lumber and hardware stores is not an ideal building material for skateboards. However, we chose to test this material because it is often used by beginners due to it's widespread availability.

Roarockit welcomes anyone who has tried our new Solid Birch veneers to send us their feedback and experiences working with the material. Also, if anyone feels like further breaking down the science behind some of our findings, any and all data or suggestions would be greatly appreciated... We may look great in our lab coats – but in reality, are much better skaters/woodworkers than we are scientists!

We would like to thank you all for your continued support of the Roarockit Skateboard Company. It brings us great joy when we see our hard work and dedication to classrooms/independent builders, pay off with positive comments and success stories from around the world.

Happy building!

Brand New BIRCH Veneers Pt.1

Here at the RockitLabs HQ, we have been working to find the next great material for our board builders around the world. After carefully weighing the pros and cons of various different materials, we came to the conclusion that one in particular really stood out... the choice was clear.

The Roarockit Skateboard Company is now fully stocked, and proud to offer our brand new - 1/16” Solid Birch Veneers! This locally sourced wood is strong, flexible and looks amazing!

There are over 40 species of Birch trees grown around the world, many of which are exclusive to North America. Birch trees can thrive in many different climates, which helps make it ones of the world's most popular building materials. The grain on birch is generally very straight and contains numerous small pores. The fine, straight nature of the grain makes it easy to cut, sand and accepts stain very well. You can stain Birch to match many different wood types.

When it comes to the strength of Birch as a material, it is considered to be one of the hardest and most durable of the common wood varieties. Like Maple, Birch can grow in extremely cold weather conditions. These extended periods of coldness allow the tree to mature slowly which results in tighter growth rings and a stronger final product. However, Birch contains 'flexier' properties than its Maple counterpart – something that is integral to certain types of boards.

Flexibilty is a function of the elastic and compressive values of a given material, and there are natural variances found within the complex structure of fibres and cells, that make Birch a 'flexier' building material. While we have done quite a bit of research to understand the science behind this, we do not claim to be expert Biologists. We look at this from a riders/builders perspective, and we know how different types of boards should feel. That being said, we are quite thrilled with the results!

For the next couple weeks, we will be releasing our test results, testimonials and opinions from board builders regarding the new Birch material.  Make sure to check back for Parts 2 and 3 of Roarockit's Birch Report.

PART 2 HERE!!