Types of Skateboarders Components of a Skateboard
How to build a Skateboard
Protective Gear
Types of Skateboarders
Street Skaters Skateboarders that like to do flip tricks, skate handrails, street gaps, benches, stairs and other objects on the streets are considered street skaters. Pro Skaters like Paul Rodriguez and Erik Koston have taken street skating to whole new level, influencing kids around the world to go out and skate. These street skaters usually prefer to skate a more narrow deck in the 7.5 to 8 inch range. They also use smaller wheels ranging from 50mm to 56mm so they don't get wheel bite when landing their tricks. (Wheel bite is when you stand on the edge of your board and the wheel touches the bottom of the deck causing the wheel to stop moving.)  Vert Skaters  Street/Vert Skaters (combining both styles) If you are not sure which type of skateboarding you will enjoy, you may split the difference. Your deck size should probably be about an 8 inch deck, while your wheels should be around 54 or 55mm. You can even consider getting both styles of skateboards, one to skate with your vert friends and want to skate with your street friends. Longboarders A longboard is a longer version of a skateboard. Longboards are most commonly used for either, downhill racing, slalom, or transportation. Due to its longer and wider base, a longboard is more stable, making the ride generally safer and more comfortable than on a short board, although it may be hard for beginners to ride down hills at high speeds. Their greater weight makes them less suitable for many tricks, but contributes to a fluid motion by giving more momentum. Thus, a longboard will roll further with a single push of the foot. Many people therefore prefer longboards to normal skateboards for cruising on streets and sidewalks. 
Components of a Skateboard
Grip tape – Tape you affix to the top of the deck that resembles sandpaper with a sticky side. It attaches to the deck so you don’t slip off the deck.
Deck - The deck forms the body of the skateboard and provides a place to stand. It is covered with grip tape, which adds friction to its surface. Decks were originally a single piece of wood but are now usually made from seven to nine plies of Canadian Hard Rock Maple glued together. The plies of maple are cross-laminated, meaning the direction of the wood grain alternates between plies. This is what gives the deck its strength. Sometimes other composite materials, such as fiberglass and Kevlar, are incorporated into deck construction, usually to lighten the board or increase its strength or rigidity. The deck is normally 7 1/2 to 8 1/2 inches wide. The width of a deck depends on the personal preference of the person who uses it. Skateboard decks are usually between 28 and 32.5 inches long. The longboard, a common variant of the skateboard, has a longer deck.
Trucks - Attached to the deck are two metal (usually aluminum) trucks, which connect to the wheels. The trucks are further composed of two parts. The top part of the truck is screwed to the deck and is called the base plate, and beneath it is the hanger. Between the base plate and the hanger are bushings, which provide the cushion mechanism for turning the skateboard. The bushings cushion the truck when it turns. The stiffer the bushings, the more stable the skateboard. The softer the bushings, the easier it is to turn. A bolt called a kingpin holds these parts together and fits inside the bushings. Thus by tightening or loosening the kingpin nut, the trucks can be adjusted for each skaters specific turning preference.
Wheels - The wheels attach to each hanger. The wheels, usually made of polyurethane, come in many different sizes to suit different types of skating. Larger sizes like 60-90mm roll faster and also move more easily over small cracks in pavement without getting stuck. Smaller sizes like 50-59mm keep the board closer to the ground and require less force to accelerate but also make for a slower top speed. Wheels also are available in a variety of hardnesses measured on the durometer 'A' scale. Usually, wheels range from the very soft (78a) to the very hard (99a). As the scale stops at 100a, any wheel marketed as '101a' can be rejected as a false claim.
Bearings - Inside each wheel are two precision ball bearings of the type '608' (8mm internal bore). Many skateboard bearings are graded according to the Abec Scale, which goes from 1-9, in odd numbers. It is a common misconception that higher numbers are better for skateboarding. The ABEC scale was designed for the likes of electric motors where the bearings undergo very high rotation speeds. Riding on a set of ABEC 1 bearings, you would have to be traveling at over 50Mph before the ABEC rating would be reached. For the highest ABEC ratings, this figure is close to 200Mph. In addition to this common misconception, most skate bearing manufacturers flat out lie about the ABEC ratings of their bearings and the ABEC rating has become little more than a marketing ploy within the skateboard industry.
Bones Swiss bearings are regarded among skaters as the some of the best precision bearings available, they are used by countless professional skaters although it must be remembered that professionals are paid to use the product.
Risers - Hard Plastic pads to help raise the board away from the trucks and the ground. Risers, also called Riser Pads are placed in between the underside of the deck and the truck. This raises the deck from the ground slightly, helping to avoid "wheel-bite". They range in height from 1/8 inch (Standard on most modern setups) to 1/2 inch. Risers are not always used.
Shock Pads - Shock pads are softer than Risers, and serve to evenly distribute impact force from the trucks to the deck, meaning less chance of dreaded pressure cracks. These days Shock pads have become predominant, because they have all the functionality of Riser pads and also lessen pressure cracks. As a result of this most young skaters use the term Risers to describe what are technically Shock pads.
Hardware - The hardware is a skater's term for the nuts and bolts on a skateboard. These hold the trucks to the board and the wheels/bearings to the trucks. Some people color a few bolts so they can easily tell which end of the board is the tail.
How to build a skateboard
Step 1. The First step and probably the most difficult step in assembling your skateboard is putting on the grip tape. You should find a clean soft surface to put your deck on before starting (if it is not soft like a carpet you may scratch the bottom of your deck). Grip tape comes in sheets 9 inches wide by 33 inches long, this is important to know so you can correctly center your grip tape on your deck. Without pulling the backing off the grip tape, lay your grip tape down on the deck to see how much extra grip tape you have on each side so you know where to start. You probably have about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch of overhang at the tip and tail of your deck and anywhere from a 1/2 inch or less on either side of the deck. To start you are going to peel about 6 inches of the backing off and starting at the tip or tail going in one direction pressing the grip down on the deck also making sure the grip is centered. Once you have started patting down the grip tape you may peel the rest of the backing off and apply the rest of the grip in that same direction. To eliminate bubbles in your grip tape you want to start pressing the grip tape from the center outward towards the edges which will push the air out. Now the grip tape is on the board we must define the edges of the deck to make a clean cut. Take a file and score the edges of the deck to clearly show all of the edges. The next step includes using a safety knife so be very cautious and always be under adult supervision. Put your deck on the edge of a table or bench making sure the surface is soft. Starting with the safety knife under the deck at the center of the tip or tail start cutting the excess grip tape off of one side of the deck, following the outline we made with the file. Once you have done one side flip the deck a round and complete the other side. Once you have cut all the excess off, you want to file down the edges of the grip tape to prevent from peeling easily. 
Step 2. We need to put the bearings and wheels on the trucks. Put one bearing on the truck axle followed by a wheel. Press firmly down on the wheel so the bearing sits properly inside the wheel. Take the wheel off the truck axle and put another bearing on it. Flip the wheel over and repeat the previous step. If your trucks came with washers they will need to be put on either side of the wheel to reduce friction. Now you should have a wheel with two bearings flush on either side of it. Now you can put the wheel on and finish it off with an axle nut. Don't tighten the axle nut too much otherwise the wheel won't spin. You want the axle nut to fit all the way onto the axle so the rubber on the end of the nut grips the axle. If you can't get the nut all the way on it is probably because the bearings are not sitting in the wheel fully. Repeat this process for the next 3 wheels.
Step 3. Now we are ready to mount the trucks onto the deck. Take your deck and flip it over so that the grip tape is on the soft surface. Grab a bolt from your set of 8 and poke through the grip tape using the mounting holes on the bottom of your deck. Flip your deck over again and push each bolt into each hole you have made. Now flip your deck over again and slide each truck onto the bolts. Make sure your bushings are facing each other. Now use the nuts that came with the mounting bolts and hand tighten each of the eight. Next you will want to tighten each bolt with the appropriate tools whether it be a phillips head or allen wrench and preferably a skate tool for the nuts underneath. You want to make sure the heads of your mounting bolts are flush with the top of your deck. We're almost there!
Step 4. Make sure all of your hardware components are properly tightened. This includes your axle nuts, mounting hardware and your kingpins. Your kingpins are what make your truck flex for turning your skateboard. The tighter your kingpin the harder it will be to lean on your skateboard and make a tight turn. The looser your kingpin the easier it will be to lean and make tight turns on your skateboard. Congrats on finishing your skateboard, now go have some fun!
Protective Gear
Injury or death may result from improper use of a skateboard or longboard. Use Protective gear to help prevent injury or death from occurring. Protective gear used for skateboarding includes a helmet, elbow pads, knee pads, and wrist guards.
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