Tomiboi's shop and random projects

[tomiboi78]

Hey guys! Most of you know me as tomiboi. Some of you know me as Thom. I wanted to put together a shop thread with some of my random projects. Here it goes.

Tomiboiesk8 is a crusty old skateboarder and his two dogs hanging out in a detached two-car garage making skateboards. I get a laugh when prospective customers contact me and ask questions as though I have a warehouse and staff. I wish. The reality is far smaller, less sophisticated and certainly more depraved.

I worked as a chef for almost two decades and started making skateboards about seven years ago as a hobby. I was getting into woodworking and when I started looking at projects, there were things like birdhouses and end-tables and such. Which is cool and all, but then I stumbled upon homemade skateboards and it was on. Skate-making became an obsession.

It just so happened that ESK8 and technology like the VESC were really getting off the ground around that time as well. It seemed like the ultimate toy to me. Making ESK8s was a logical progression.

I made three-wheelers for a while and then got into making skateboards specifically for ESK8. It’s not making me rich, but I like being my own boss and kickin’ it with my dogs all day, so it’s working out.

Anyhow, here’s some pics of the shop. I’ve got some cool toys and last year I put in some windows, a skylight, a heater and a cooler. This means that I can work naked year-round now and my neighbors can see.

I have a CNC table router that has been serving me well as well as two vacuum bagging systems. I’ve been using Vacu-press pumps with heavyweight bags and I’ve really liked the results.

Here’s my mold collection and drop-deck rig.

I do all the shaping and sanding in my backyard with help from my assistants.

I need a low-dust environment for doing finish work and my shop is the opposite of that. So I do all my stain/paint and fiberglass in my kitchen and living room. You may have figured this out by now, but I’m not married

That’s the shop. I’ve got a lot of projects in the works right now. I’ll get to posting about them soon. I’m happy to be a part of the community. I’d like to show off some of my early-dev projects here before I unleash them on the masses. Happy riding

[glyphiks]

Fuck yes dude! Can’t wait to see what you’ve got cooking! Thanks for sharing

[BillGordon]

Great to see you throw up a workshop! As if I needed to be any more thirsty for your gear.

[tomiboi78]

This is one of my primary projects right now. I have ten integrated decks in my collection at the moment. I wanted to work my way through them and create deck + enclosure designs. With the way I made my decks I can actually cover 9/10 of them with three enclosures. I’m starting with my three longest decks because they allow for the most excessive builds and everyone loves excess

The decks will still be bamboo/fiberglass decks with customizable stain, frit and flex. For the enclosures I made some CAD designs that fit my decks like a glove. I made one enclosure intended to work with premade battery packs. It can also fit single stack 21700 and a double 18650 custom packs. I made a second design that can hold a custom double-stack 21700 or triple-stack 18650 battery pack. Additionally there is enough room above the ribs for a 32mm thick premade pack. I also designed a molded rubber gasket to make the enclosures super water-tight.

I’m getting quotes at the moment for injection molded nylon and ABS. Molds for a big ass enclosure will cost as much as a new compact car, but the parts are dirt cheap. The gasket will require another mold, but that one isn’t nearly as expensive and I think it will be a nice professional upgrade from standard DIY weather stripping.

These decks are a lot easier and less expensive for me to make (after the molds are paid for) than my integrated decks. I’m hoping to be able to sell a customized bamboo/fiberglass deck with inserts that are installed really pretty and a fitted, 6mm-thick nylon enclosure for less than $300.

[glyphiks]

@tomiboi78

less than $300

Holy shit that wouldn’t even cover my beer bill in the time it would take me to build all that

Looking the goods dude! When you say nylon enclosure, are you talking printed or injection molded or… other!?

[tomiboi78]

Thanks man. I’m looking at injection molding. I’ve been quotes for the project. They’re all over the place, and expensive. Anywhere from $10-20k US for molds, but the unit price is dirt cheap, about $15 for an enclosure with a molded rubber gasket.

[glyphiks]

Fuuuck yeah you gotta be keen. Your design suits it well being able to transfer across multiple decks

Good luck with it dude, super keen to watch this project grow!

[Benjamin]

@tomiboi78

This means that I can work naked year-round now and my neighbors can see.

Fucking legend.

[tomiboi78]

Here’s something I’ve been working on for a while. It’s gone through several iterations now. Four or five years ago I picked up a set of Freeboard bindings. They seemed like a practical way to keep your feet on your board. They’re a little more than a rubber foot-stop and less confining than MTB bindings. I kind of like them, but I’ve always wanted to redesign them and make some small changes

For one, Freeboard bindings could be more ergonomic. They aren’t non-ergonomic, but I feel like they could be better. I downloaded a scaled, size 11, model of a Vans Sk8-hi (a personal fav) and imported it into Fusion 360 to use for molding the foot-hook. Using the model and some trial and error I made it properly ergonomic IMO.

Second, I thought it would be really cool if it ratcheted down onto my foot. The on-the-fly adjustability would be convenient. Additionally, it’s fun to click-in and then pop it open. I put a lot of thought into making a robust ratchet and hinge system. It would be nice to have metal involved, but I wanted to be able to print everything. There is a lot of material in the hinge and ratchet. It feels sturdy. Hopefully, They will work out.

I might see if I can design a “press-to-fit” hinge. Something that wouldn’t be incremental like a ratchet. That would be more customizable, but there would be no fulfilling ratcheting-noise

[glyphiks]

Damn that’s nice.

[tomiboi78]

Thanks, I hope the 3D printed model works.

[Kilow]

That’s some nice CAD work

[tomiboi78]

[Benjamin]

If these work out as well as they look, you could have them made in MJF nylon like the PPB shells and sell them for a pretty penny.

[tomiboi78]

I’m excited to give these a shot. The parts for the build that I’m testing them on are coming together.

I’ve started to look into manufacturing. Do you happen to have an MJF service that you could recommend? The big prototyping sites like xometry are really pricey.

I’m looking at injection molding as well. It’s a big up front investment, but the unit price would be really reasonable.

[Benjamin]

@tomiboi78

Do you happen to have an MJF service that you could recommend?

I dont, but maybe @Andrew might be able to point you to his preferred services.

[Cfelzien]

Definitely jealous of those. So cool man

[tomiboi78]

I’ll share the files and send out some hardware kits if anybody wants to try them out.

[tomiboi78]

A multi-jet fusion prototype made from glass-filled nylon would cost about $325. That’s certainly not a good manufacturing price, but for prototyping that isn’t too bad.

[Cfelzien]

Is there such thing as like a 3d printer fax machine? Just keep the filament full and wait for random lizarddicks or bindings. I dunno. That would be awesome