Choosing the victim: Finding the perfect wheels was the first challenge of this project. The wheels (and their size) would determine the final scale of the entire project. In this case, I found a tough childs ride-on toy.
soundtrack of the moment : aesop rock - labor days
		Making the "nuts & bolts" Cutting and drilling several different sized dowels to make the 'nuts and bolts'. They will become the bolts that hold on the trucks, the wheels, and the kingpin. A much larger dowel will become the main part of the axle.
soundtrack of the moment : iron maiden - live after death
		The trucks begin to take shape The many sized dowels are measured, cut and drilled. The riser pads, truck block, bushings, axle and nuts / bolts are created in 170% scale, as well. The final pieces will be painted silver and orange to match the original logo.
soundtrack of the moment : system of a down - mesmerize
		Lots of cutting, drilling, sanding Each piece of the main truck assembly is carefully measured and cut. The 13 pieces of each truck are made from 6 different kinds of wood (Aspen, Basswood, White pine, White Oak, Red Oak, and Poplar).
soundtrack of the moment : mastodon - life's blood & remission
		The final dry fit All the pieces are now "dry-fit" using double-stick tape. This is a last chance opportunity to tweak the joints a little. The piece will now be dowelled and glued, and wheels attached to complete the truck assembly process.
soundtrack of the moment : johnny cash - original golden hits
		Chiseling and glue I now use a small hand chisel to tweak the parts so they fit snug, and glue as I go. The orange bands are a silicon "tape clamp" -- it only sticks to itself, and allows clamping of irregular shapes.
soundtrack of the moment : born against - 9 patriotic hymns
		Putty and sand I mix a batch of putty and fill in all the gaps (I prefer Durham's Rock Hard Water Putty). The putty sets up quickly, so I work fast with a popsicle stick. Then I sand the whole truck smooth.
soundtrack of the moment : o' brother where art thou? - soundtrack
		Trace and cut I break out the old school projector and trace a map of Minnesota I've printed on an ink jet transparency. Then cut it out with a jig saw. Lastly, I mark center areas to cut away -- lightening the frame.
soundtrack of the moment : bl'ast - the power of expression
		More drilling and cutting I drill starter holes and use the jigsaw to cut out the center shapes. With the skeletal 'frame' of Minnesota complete, I will surface it with thin birch ply, similar to the construction of a hollow-core door.
soundtrack of the moment : billy joel - greatest hits vol.1
		Surfacing the frame The front and back are birch ply. I pick a nice section of grain, and trace around the skeletal frame, for both sides. I cut a bit outside the line (extra will be trimmed with a router). The entire sandwich is glued and clamped.
soundtrack of the moment : sirius punk channel
		Paint and glue The truck pieces are primed and painted. The pieces are assembled with wood glue, and the wheels are attached using plumbers epoxy. At this point the trucks are finished and ready to be mounted to the "deck".
soundtrack of the moment : sepultura - roots
		Sand and prep The Minnesota-shaped deck is trimmed with the router, the edges are sanded, then the whole thing is glue-sized. Glue size is a 10:1 water to wood glue mixture that seals the wood and prepares the surface for even staining