Does the mold change as the wheelbase changes? Warning. Gear madness ahead.

[Bold]

Do deck manufacturers use different molds for each wheelbase or do they just drill the holes differently on decks from the same mold? I assumed each WB would have it's own mold to maintain a consistent pop angle. Watched prof Schmitt on the Nine club last night and a few things he said make me wonder.

[backinaction]

Do deck manufacturers use different molds for each wheelbase or do they just drill the holes differently on decks from the same mold? I assumed each WB would have it's own mold to maintain a consistent pop angle. Watched prof Schmitt on the Nine club last night and a few things he said make me wonder.

Most likely multiple molds - but not a mold per wheelbase.

Powell is the most transparent.  They tell you which mold the deck uses and you can go to their manufacturing page and see the wheelbases that are possible in that mold.  https://www.skateone.com/manufacturing/

For their 7.5-8.5 popsicles they use the same mold (K20) and those decks vary from 13.75" to 14.375".    I have skated 8, 8.25 and 8.5 with that mold and can confirm they all have different fingers of flat.

Their old K15 8.25 deck had a stupid amount of flat.  That deck had a 14.375 wheelbase and they used the concave up to 15.5" wheelbases. 

I have multiple DLX decks that seem to be using the same mold even though the wheelbase on one is 14.4 and the other is 14.75.

[Firebert]

Do deck manufacturers use different molds for each wheelbase?

Yes. For instance, flat as fuck boards by DOA use an old mold for vert boards and when I used to get boards made, had some pressed on a mold for a longer wb, just drilled normal.

[Woodshop]

Expand Quote

Do deck manufacturers use different molds for each wheelbase or do they just drill the holes differently on decks from the same mold? I assumed each WB would have it's own mold to maintain a consistent pop angle. Watched prof Schmitt on the Nine club last night and a few things he said make me wonder.

[close]

Most likely multiple molds - but not a mold per wheelbase.

Powell is the most transparent.  They tell you which mold the deck uses and you can go to their manufacturing page and see the wheelbases that are possible in that mold.  https://www.skateone.com/manufacturing/

For their 7.5-8.5 popsicles they use the same mold (K20) and those decks vary from 13.75" to 14.375".    I have skated 8, 8.25 and 8.5 with that mold and can confirm they all have different fingers of flat.

Their old K15 8.25 deck had a stupid amount of flat.  That deck had a 14.375 wheelbase and they used the concave up to 15.5" wheelbases. 

I have multiple DLX decks that seem to be using the same mold even though the wheelbase on one is 14.4 and the other is 14.75.

Interesting to hear that about the Powell molds and information.

But as to some PS Stix and the BBS / DLX boards I have, I found they are very different from one wheelbase to the next - the smallest fits on top / right inside the next and the next, from 8 sizes through up to 9, the only difference being one of the 8.5 shapes has a shorter wheelbase (14.25) so it actually sits on top of the 8.25 (14.38), then 8.38 (14.5), then 8.5 long (14.75) through to the orange eagle at 9.0 with a 15 wb.

They definitely have different molds because if I mix them up, they don't sit flat to each other.  There is also the place in the press to consider for the DLX boards, so a "I" will sit up a lot more than a "IV" from the same press / mold, which can make it look different too.


Some woodshops definitely have different molds for specific wheelbases, but others do seem to just have the same mold for whatever sizes, as the junior boards almost have no kicks and a hand of flat for their shorter wheelbases, from one brand, but their bigger boards have no fingers of flat at all on the longer wheelbases, which makes them weird to skate.