Bamboo Review

It has been a few weeks since first getting our shipment of 1/16” Bamboo veneers in at Roarockit. Not only have we been building boards with the new material, but the first orders have gone out and we have received some great feedback from other builders as well. In this edition of Rockit Talk, we wanted to share some of our experiences and feedback we have received about building boards with the Bamboo.

Let's get to it!

As we have mentioned before, the bamboo is somewhat fragile before it has been laminated into a deck. It is important to remember this when handling it, especially if you are using bamboo as a face (outside) layer. As you can see in the photo below, it can split along the preglued seams fairly easily; however, once glued it does not seem to affect the strength or look of the veneer.

If you are going to laminate a bamboo veneer as a face layer on the top or bottom, we have had good success with laying a strip of tape across the seams to help prevent any additional splitting while the board is being pressed.

We have pressed three unique decks with the bamboo stock, and all of them have come out great! It is very nice to work with and machines a lot better than we had anticipated. Each sheet comes pre-sanded and we found that it cuts very easily as well.  

Click on the photos below for futher information about these two bamboo builds on our Instructables page

Now, we would like to switch gears and show everyone what someone outside the shop has done with the Bamboo veneers. This build and review was posted by an incredible builder out of Florida called Jords Boards. In the post, not only does she document the amazing custom board that was pressed with the material, but she actually took a photo of the veneers fresh out of the box. This was one of the very first orders of the Bamboo veneer we shipped, and needless to say we were super stoked to see it arrive safely without damage! Extra big thanks to Jords Boards for that one :)

The quotes and photos below are from Jords Boards' post on Silverfish:

The bamboo splits really easily if you're not paying attention but is completely manageable overall. Roarockit speaks to this on the order page for the bamboo and I concur - if it splits, you can deal with it. Roarockit packs the veneer really really well, I had no splits from shipping, only handling after opening the package, and specifically, rolling glue onto it on a tarp that had a wrinkle in it. I rolled over the wrinkled part and *pop* - the veneer split from about 6 inches in to the end of the sheet. Definitely more sensitive than cross-grain veneer but once you get the hang of it it's not brain surgery.  

The bamboo is all face quality with a very clean, almost gloss, finish. I normally take 60 grit to my deck blanks after cutting them to clean up grain, burrs, glue mess, etc. and the bamboo as face to your decks just doesn't need it...220 is probably where you need to be otherwise a damp cloth with a mild detergent to clean up marks or greasy fingerprints is all you need before painting it or pre-sanding before clear coat.

I use a jigsaw to cut my blanks and I usually cut slightly wide of my mark and then orbit sand the excess. The bamboo cuts incredibly clean, and cleans up crisper than maple alone. Normally a jigsaw leaves that fuzz top and bottom, right? That stuff just zips right off leaving a knife's edge look without any real effort, it's pretty neat actually.

The Low-Fat Monkey (bamboo) next to the Mad Monkey Howler (maple)

We would like to thank Jords Boards for sharing her unique custom decks and taking the time to review the Bamboo material. It is always great to see people doing such creative work with our TAP bags and material! Make sure to give her a 'like' on facebook and check out her awesome build/riding videos on Youtube.

If you have any questions, comments or reviews of the new bamboo veneer, we would love to hear from you and see your boards! Feel free to email chris@roarockit.com 

2013 Year in Review

2013 was one heck of a year! After getting settled into our new warehouse facility in 2012, the team at Roarockit refocused their efforts onto some new and pretty exciting projects for the board building community. Here's a recap of what we were able to accomplish this past year...enjoy!

In the early months of 2013, we had two very special guests stay with us at Roarockit. Sarah Jackson and Nicolas Alix spent nearly two months in Toronto learning about the custom board building business and training to become our official European branch of Roarockit. By August, the two young entrepreneurs had officially launched Roarockit EU and have been supplying the UK/EU with high quality products and materials (including 1/16” Canadian Maple) ever since.

Visit Roarockit EU by clicking the photo above

One of the last things we did this year, was also one of our most exciting developments! Right before Christmas, we announced the launch of our 1/16” Bamboo veneer. This is a really big deal for us. Having focused for years on supplying the world with the infamous 1/16” Canadian Maple veneers (and proudly doing so), we decided that we wanted to expand our material choices for custom board builders... Bamboo was the logical next step! Now builders can mix and match Maple, Birch and Bamboo to find that perfect combination.

Click photo for more information about our Bamboo stock

Next we have everyone's favourite skateboard/street art/high school program, the Oasis Skateboard Factory (OSF). Now in their 5^th year of operation, the ever-expanding OSF program is starting to get some serious recognition for innovation in education! Working closely with the teachers and students of the program, we were able to collaborate on some amazing events this year.

OSF x Longboard Living Product Launch - click for more photos

Board N' School Skateboard Art Auction - click for more photos

Oasis Graduation at Roarockit - click for more photos

OSF x Anomaly - click for more photos

After launching the RockitRuler in 2012, we received a lot of great feedback and were able to make a small adjustment to help improve the versatility of the popular tool. By adding two new holes, we were able to give the builder the option to layout both their new school AND old school truck hole setups.

Some other great events we were apart of:

Hosted the 6th Annual Swap Meet - Click for more photos Had a great time at Maker Faire TO - click for more photos

Other notable developments for 2013:

• Creation of our Instructables online board building tutorials

• Relaunch of our DIY SK8 custom board building classes

• Rockit Talk being published to Concrete Wave (continuing in 2014)

• Growth of our social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram)

• Youtube channel broke the 1000 subscriber mark!   

We always look forward to seeing what people are doing with our Roarockit Technology, and encourage builders around the world to contact us with any questions they may have about our tools and materials. 2014 should be a great year, so stay tuned and keep producing those high quality handmade goods! Happy New Year from the Roarockit Family :)

Holiday Skateboard Art Class

The Roarockit Skateboard Company will be offering a very special 'Holiday Skateboard Art Class' at our Professional Deck Making School in Toronto's Leaside neighbourhood. (880 Millwood Rd. Toronto, ON - M4G 1X1)

Click on photo above for the Facebook event page

880 Millwood Rd. "The World's First Professional Deck Making School"

This 5 hour class will run on December 20^th from 10am-3pm, and will include an introduction to skateboard art, layout and design of your own custom artwork and a hands-on demonstration of how to make your own custom skateboard using Roarockit's Thin Air Press vacuum bag technology.

**We will take a break at noon and there will be water and snacks provided (bagels, veggie sticks, Timbits) throughout the day. Bring yourself a lunch if you would like more than just a snack at this time. 

At the end of the class, you will leave with your 100% handmade, Canadian maple skateboard with your own custom graphic! Students will bring their designs to life using an array of different mediums and styles; Including, watercolour paints, acrylic paints, Sharpie markers, stencil art, graphite transfer paper and more.   

Price: $145.00 + HST = $163.85 

Class Breakdown

10am-10:30am: Introduction to Skateboard Art

10:30am-12pm: Art Application

12pm-12:45pm: Snack/Lunch Break + Skateboard Building Demo

12:45-3pm: Art Application

This is a one-time event with limited space available.

Please contact chris@roarockit.com if you have any questions regarding the class. You can also call Roarockit @ 1-416-422-5487 or visit our flagship location at 131 Sunrise Ave. UNIT 4A - Toronto, ON - M4A 1B2 to check out what we do! We are open Monday-Friday 9am-5pm. 

Roarockit Europe Q&A

Since getting back home to France and setting up the new Roarockit EU, Sarah and Nico have been busy with emails, phone calls, websites, shipping, translations and more! Still, they had time to do a little Q&A session about their time in Toronto and what to expect next.

What is your background in skateboarding?

Nico- I'm a keen street boarder, love riding half pipes, mini half pipes, cruising through the town centres and having fun in skate parks. I've never been an amazing skater, but often have my board with me; even while travelling around the world, I had a Penny attached to my back pack.

Sarah- I have never quite got the hang of a skateboarding, but enjoy watching others and have always read skateboarding magazines. I'm an athletic girl and have always been into sports and intrigued by extreme sports. On my recent travels I was introduced to the world of longboarding. Since I have built a few of them since then, I hope to spend more time riding one.

Nicolas designing his first custom mold at the Roarockit HQ in Toronto.

What made you want to get involved with Roarockit and bring it to Europe?

Sarah- Roarockit and its innovative technology has always been a fabulous product/concept in our eyes. However, partly due to high shipping costs, it has been hard to get in Europe and few people have had the chance to learn what it was all about and get involved with this amazing new invention. 

We realized that not only did we love the idea, but that there were a lot of other people who were asking for this sort of product this side of the Atlantic as well. So we asked whether there was a chance and a space for us to become involved with the Roarockit team, but in Europe. And, after much research, a trip to Canada to learn from the pros and several months of setting up, here we are. This is an opportunity of a life time and means that not only are we now the proud European team of Roarockit, we are also doing something we love and thoroughly believe in.

3) What is the skateboard community like in France/Europe?

Nico- There is a large skateboard community across the whole of Europe, for both street and longboarders. We have noticed that the communities of longboarders and mini cruisers have been expanding over the past few years and we believe the customization is a huge part of this growth.

Heading home to begin the new leg of their Roarockit adventure!

What was it like training here at Roarockit in Toronto?

Nico- An amazing experience! The whole team of the Roarockit Skateboard Company are great, always there to give advice and guide us with patience through the ins and outs of the concept.

Sarah- We learned a lot in the short period we were there, perhaps because their experience in board building is just incredible. Not only hard workers, the team knows how to turn the company into more: showing a high level of creativity, frequent new inventions and fun, people orientated events. The people, and the opportunity to contribute, makes the company something very special and well worth training to be a part of.

What has been the response so far in Europe?

Sarah- So far, more than positive. It seems people here in Europe have been quite keen to get their hands on the famous Canadian maple veneer and the Thin Air Press. It was a lot of work to try and make the product as affordable as possible, considering its high quality. Hopefully we have managed to succeed in this and sales so far have been very encouraging. Throughout the coming year, we aim to continue spreading the knowledge of our products and bringing something new to the European world of skateboarders.

What do you see in your future with Roarockit?

Nico- We plan to introduce Roarockit Thin Air Press Technology to as many board builders, schools, community organizations and individuals as possible. We aim to be creating and involved in local and national events, some similar to the Swap Meet that takes place in Toronto. 

Roarockit Europe

Introducing..... ROAROCKIT.EU!!

Click here to check out the Roarockit EU facebook page

Roarockit founders Ted Hunter and Norah Jackson are stoked to announce to our EU customers that our Roarockit skateboard building kits and materials are now available from within the EU!

Trained in Toronto and based in France, Sarah Jackson and Nicolas Alix operate the newest division of the Roarockit family. This means that you can order our quality building materials and receive orders free of any long shipping waits or import costs to get in the way of building that custom board.

You will be pleased to find our premium Canadian-grown Maple skateboard veneer is now easily available to you at a reasonable cost.

Contact Sarah and Nico via their website: www.roarockit.eu