| Hi Irene and Claudine,
I have recently made a lot of contacts that are Industrial Designers, Mechanical Engineers etc. It looks like you both know your stuff, but I am sure if you have any design questions that I could forward them on to the people I know. I am slowly starting to understand the process of product development, which is way beyong the scope of making some custom stuff, but I would be happy to ask some folks about it. I would never know what to ask, but I am sure if you pass along any questions I could get a good answer. It has only been three months, but I am a recruiter for the Action Sports Industy and currenty am working with footware designers, engineers, etc. I know that building a product for a company is very complex, but I am sure I could get some valuable advice for you, if I know what to ask. I will fish around a bit and see what I can come up with. I am sure these people would be more than happy to help, since I spend all day long trying to find them jobs designing shoes, snowboard boots, bindings etc.
: : This is what I had in mind for my new setup. Not sure how it will work, but it's the lightest design so far. Easy on materials, just need long bolts, extra nuts, flat metal plate (for support) goes under the skateboard rails cut to fit, recessed nuts to attach rails. I will try stacking bearing spacers over the long bolts for added support. Thoughts, comments, snide remarks?
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: Thanks Irene, glad its not just ME thats slider obsessed. (nice illustrator job!) I think mine is going to add 1/4 lb to each skate :-( bringing it to about 4 1/4 lbs each. My skates are apart, holes are filled, and my knee is feeling stable so I'm in a hurry for ideas!
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: Mine will be like yours but the bolts will be covered in the plastic, the plastic is 3/4" wide and I will make a 2 inch wide v that goes down 1/4" between the bolts. I might have to stick with this now, if so I will post the weight and design.
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: My concern on your design would be the nuts would crack. I dont know enough yet to have any real knowledge or experience with this or if spacers would solve the problem without much added weight. If you do it and they dont, LET ME KNOW! I'm super light but I seem to burn through rubber nonetheless and I smashed those jump bars in in no time.
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: Is wood lighter then plastic? I can post another idea if so. I thought those rails being hollow that I posted might be light. I thought I could cut some short and stack them up the bolts. They have plastic pieces to elevate trucks which you could stack up the center and add sliders too. I donno lol. Just throwing out ideas hoping for input. If I had MONEY, I would buy everything, figure out weights/strength and test stuff out til something worked. I think I'll continue at the gym so my skates feel like feathers on my feet lol.
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: Sorry Irene, hope others have better input then me. Thanks for posting tho!
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