Building a diy basic balance board is a relatively simple project and can same you some money.

All you gota do is find a sheet of ply wood, cut it to shape, put some stoppers on the bottom of the board, put grip on the top and find a decent roller.

 

Choosing the right type of wood is the most important.

5 ply wood would be the best 

3 ply wood would be ok if you are a lighter weight.

Partial board or composite board should not be used it is not strong enough, it will eventually break.

One tip for finding cheap lumber is to go to a lumber supply shop they will probably have a scrap bin of odd shaped pieces of ply wood you could use for a balance board.

 

Should you go with stoppers or without them.

An important decision to make is if you want to put stoppers on the bottom of the board. It is safer to have stoppers because it helps prevent the board from flying out from under you.

Although advanced uses might prefer a balance board without stoppers because it is more challenging to use and allows a greater amount of tricks to be performed.

 

Options for adding grip to the top of the balance board.

Another option you have is if you want to add grip to the top. You can get away with out using it if you use the balance board with your shoes on but having extra grip on the board can be helpful for beginners or advanced users learning complex tricks.

Some options for adding grip to the top of a  balance board are,

Use skateboard grip tape- keep in mind that the entire board does not have to be covered in grip tape check out the board you are trying to build and copy the grip pattern on it. 

Use skateboard spray on grip.

An epoxy coat with sand sprinkled in while drying.

 

 

Choosing the right roller.

Finally choosing the type of roller can be the hardest part because different rollers will make the balance board behave differently.

Furthermore most mass produced balance boards come with a specially built roller that is going to be hard to replicate with parts that are easily obtained so you are going to be left trying to find something to use as a roller that will be suitable for your application.   

Here are some of the different types of rollers i have personally tried using on diy balance boards and my experiences with them.

First off I felt using a larger roller slowed down the movement of the board and made it easier to use.  

2 inch black pipe- balance board was very twitchy,  the board slammed on the ground often, was very challenging to use and not very fun.

4 inch pvc pipe - Balance board reacted slower and moved slower, was fun to use but the balance board slid around on the pvc pipe.

4 inch Pvc pipe with duct tape wrapped around it in a few spots- The tape slowed the board down and prevented it from sliding around on the pvc pipe. It was fun for awhile until my skills improved and i wanted the balance board to react faster.

3 inch cardboard tube - (The tube is very thick so it is strong)  This is my personal favorite roller to use now because it is challenging but still fun to use . The balance board reacts and moves faster and doesn't slide around as much as using the 4 in pvc pipe. The down side is over time the tub starts to warp or fall apart.

 

One tip for finding strong cardboard tubes for free.

Go to a carpet store and ask them if they have any old tube they should have plenty of them that they are planing to trash or just check their dumpster. 

The tubes that carpet is wrapped around are perfect for a roller.They are very strong, come in different diameters and are usually between 10 to 20 feet long. So even though cardboard tube may only last you a few months you can get a few years supply of rollers out of one 20 ft long tube.

 

Dimensions of all of indo boards balance board.

The indo board original is one of the most popular balance board it would be the best one to build if your not sure of what balance board to make.

To see pictures and videos of all of indo boards balance boards check out my buyers guide to help you choose what size balance board you want to build.

Indo Board Buyers Guide

Indo board original size is 30 inches by 18 inches the rollers has a 6.5 inch diameter

Indo board mini original size is 28 inches by 16 inches the has a 5 inches diameter

Indo board  pro 45 inches by 15 inches the roller has a 8.5 inch diameter

Indo board pro mini  size is 39 inches by 12 inches and the roller has a diameter 8.5 in diameter.

Indo board rocker size is 33 inches by 15.5 inches and the roller has diameter is 6.5 inches.

Indo board kicktail pro 40 inches by 10 inches  and the roller has a 6.5 diameter.

Indo board yoga board is 69 inches by 16 inches and 1 in wide.

 

Dimensions of all the indo boards balance board in metric

 

Indo board original size is 76 Cm by 45.7 Cm the rollers has a 16.5 Cm diameter

Indo board mini original size is 71.1 Cm by 40.6 Cm  the has a 12.7 Cm diameter

Indo board  pro 114.3 Cm by 30.4 Cm the roller has a 21.5 diameter

Indo board pro mini  size is 99 Cm by 30.4 Cm and the roller has a diameter  21.5 Cm diameter.

Indo board rocker size is 83.8 Cm by 39.3 Cm and the roller has diameter is 16.5 Cm 

Indo board kicktail pro 101.6 Cm by 25.4 Cm and the roller has a 16.5 Cm diameter.

Indo board yoga board is 175.2 Cm by  40 Cm and 2.54 wide.

 

Dimensions of all of the Goofboard balance boards

 

The current balance board i am using now is a diy goofboard original . Goofboards are made for working on heel to toe balance because of thiswill theybenefit surfers or anyone into any board sport the most but they are also very fun and challenging to use so they can be good for anyone.    

To see pictures and videos of all of goofboards balance boards check out my buyers guide to help you choose what size balance board you want to build.

 

Goofboard  Classic size is 44 inches by 15 inches the roller is 37 inches long and has a diameter of 4 inches

Goofboard  freestyle size is 29.5 inches by 15 inches and the roller is 27 inches long and has a 5 inch diameter.

 

Dimensions of all of the Goofboard balance boards in metric.

 

Goofboard Classic size is 111.7 Cm by 38.1 Cm  the roller is 93.9 Cm long and has a diameter of 10.1 Cm

Goofboard  freestyle size is 74.9 Cm by  38.1 Cm and the roller is  68.5 Cm long and has a  12.7 Cm diameter.

 

 

Dimensions of VewDo boards balance boards

Vew-Do  balance boards are not really practical to build at home due to rail and roller system but i figured some people might want to know the size of the boards so i included them in the list.

To see pictures and videos of all of the vewdo balance boards check out my buyers guide

 

Vewdo Zippy size is 35 inches by 7 inches and uses a roller and rail system.

Vewdo Flow size is 35 inches by 7 inches and uses a roller and rail system with roller diameter 5 inches.

Vewdo Eldorado is 31 inches by 9 inches and uses a roller and rail system.

Vewdo Longboard - 38 inches by  9 inches and uses roller and rail system with roller diameter 6 inches

 

Dimensions of VewDo boards balance boards in metric

 

Vewdo Zippy size is 88.9 Cm by 17.7 Cm  and uses a roller and rail system.

Vewdo Flow size is 88.9 Cm  by 17.7 Cm and uses a roller and rail system.

Vewdo Eldorado is  78.7 Cm by 22.8 Cm and uses a roller and rail system with roller diameter 5 inches.

Vewdo Longboard -   96.5 Cm by 22.8 Cm and uses a roller and rail system with roller diameter 15.2 Cm

 

Dimensions of all the Revolution balance boards.

Revolution balance boards are a newer brand most of their boards are similar in size to other manufacturers balance boards

Revolution swell is 35.5inches longby 14.5 wide and is about 3/4" thick. The roller is about 29.5" long x 4.5" in diameter

Revolution 101 is 30 inches by 12 inches wide. The roller is 18 inches long with a 5 inch diameter

RevolutionFit is 32 inches by 13 1/2 inches wide. The roller is 18 inches long with a 5 inch diameter

Revolution Core 32is 32 inches long and 9 inches wide, The roller is 20 inches long and has a 5 inch diameter.

 

Additional resources

Learn how to build your own surf trainer balance board similar to the goofboard.

Learn how to build the most basic balance board.

 

 

Please tell me about your experience with diy balance boards below, i would love to hear the types of boards you made and what you use for a roller.

 

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