BUYING THE STEEL

To find the steel, look up "steel yards", "structural steel" or "steel fabricators" and so on in the phone book.

Personally, I've begun buying my steel from MetalsDepot.com because of their very quick shipping and good prices. I'm not affiliated with them in any way, I just like them and their product.

The actual size of the pipe you are looking for will be 2 3/8" outside diameter with a 1/4" wall thickness. The same pipe that would be used as coping on any ramp.

This pipe is known by steel shops as...

• 2" OD, Schedule 80, black steel pipe. For the square steel tube, the dimensions are 2" by 2" square, with a 1/8" to 3/16" wall thickness.

This steel is known by shops as...

• 2" Sq. Tubing. You will have to designate the thickness.

If you plan on leaving your grind rail outside, you will want to use pressure treated wood, water sealant or paint on the wooden ones and at the very least a primer for the all steel rails. Personally I wouldn't leave either outside.

ALL STEEL GRIND RAIL

First let's start with the all steel version of the grind rail.

This style of rail requires that you have a welder or have access to someone who can weld.

If you have the opportunity to learn welding, by all means give it a shot. I'm not going to go into detail on how to weld, but I will say it's a lot easier than you would think and it's also a lot of fun.

ASSEMBLING THE GRIND RAIL

Decide whether you're going to use square or round tubing, gather your materials and assemble.

Let's say you wanted to make a square rail at about 6' long by 9" tall. You would cut two pieces of square tubing at 6 3/4" for the legs and one piece at 6' for the rail its self.

You also need two feet made from 3/16" x 4" x 1'-0 plate steel. The feet are always going to be as long as the rail is tall plus about 3 inches. 4 inches wide is plenty, unless you're building a mammoth rail.

Mark the center of the feet and weld the legs into place making sure they are perpendicular to the feet. Now lay the 6' tube on top of the legs, making sure everything is level and weld it together.

However tall the rail is, that's the distance in from the end of the grind rail that the legs are attached. In this case the legs are placed 9" in on each end.

Tip: If you feel creative, you can make one leg longer than the other for a slanted rail.

ASSEMBLING THE GRIND RAIL - CONTINUED

What's that? You would rather skate a round rail, no problem. As a matter of fact, I would too.

This rail is going to be 6' long by a foot tall. So that means you'll need to cut one piece at 6'-0 and two the legs at 9 5/8" long.

If you have a grinder, it is best that you cut the legs about an inch longer (10 1/2" or so) and grind a semi circle notch into the tops of the legs. This is not necessary but it will make it easier to weld.

Again you will also need two feet made from 3/16" x 4" x 1'-3 plate steel. Mark the center of the steel plate and weld the legs perpendicular to the feet.

Mark the center of the feet and weld the legs into place making sure they are perpendicular to the feet. Now lay the 6' tube on top of the legs, making sure everything is level and weld it together.

Place the steel pipe on the legs and weld them in place. Since this rail is 6' long, you will want to place the legs in about 6" from the end.

Steel fabricators will also weld the rail together for you if you provide them with the dimensions - and some money. This should still be cheaper than buying a rail.

WOOD AND STEEL GRIND RAIL

These are the same as the all steel rails except there's no welding involved. Regardless of whether you choose a round or square rail, these are made the same way.

ASSEMBLING THE GRIND RAIL

First, gather two 2x4's and one 2x6. Cut them the length of your rail.

Using 2 1/2" screws, center and attach one of the 2x4's on it's side on top of another 2x4 flat. Screw from the bottom of the flat 2x4 up into the 2x4 on it's side.

Now, using more 2 1/2" screws, center and attach the 2x6 flat under the 2x4's. Screw them together from the top down.

For stability, you'll need to place a 7" wide layer of 1/2" plywood to the outside of this structure with 1 5/8" screws.

If you chose to cover the ends with a piece of 1/2" plywood, cut your 2x4's and 2x6 an 1" shorter to compensate for the thickness of the plywood.

This rail is 6 1/2" tall. Add another flat 2x4 to make it 8" in height.

ATTACH THE RAIL

Now attach the rail. Drill a 3/8" hole, 2" in from each end, on each end, on the top of the rail.

Drill a 3/16" hole, below the 3/8" hole, on the inside. This is so you can thread a 1 5/8" screw through the top hole and into the bottom hole to attach the rail.



For every 4' the rail is in length, add another screw in the middle. For example, an 8' long rail would have four 1 5/8" screws holding it down. A 4 foot rail, only three screws.

Also add the ends now if you decided to use ends.

If you want to make the rail taller, add more 2x4's in the middle. You will need to make the base wider after the addition of an extra 2x4 though. Use a 2x8 to do that.

ATTACH THE RAIL

And that's how you make a grind rail.



This is not the only way to make a skateboard grind rail. Make what works for you, from what you have.

Good luck!