How to Order a Custom Fingerboard: Wood, Concave, Graphics, and Everything In Between
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How to Order a Custom Fingerboard: Wood, Concave, Graphics, and Everything In Between
A custom fingerboard is not an upgrade. It's a different category entirely.
When you order a custom board from my workshop, you're not choosing a finish or a colour from a dropdown menu. You're specifying the wood. You're dialling in the concave depth. You're working with my wife Huong — who has hands I've watched transform a blank piece of maple into something that looks like it belongs in a gallery — to create something that no one else in the world has.
I've built custom boards for collectors, for gifts, for athletes who know exactly what they want under their fingers, and for first-time buyers who just knew they wanted something made specifically for them. The process is the same every time. Here's how it works.
What You Can Actually Specify
Custom fingerboards from our workshop are genuinely custom. Not semi-custom. Not "choose from four options." Here's the full scope of what you can specify:
Wood species. This is where the board starts. Our standard material is Canadian maple — the industry benchmark, with tight, consistent grain and excellent pressing characteristics. For custom builds, the options expand significantly: ebony, ash, mahogany, cherry, white oak, bird's eye maple, exotic burls, and engineered woods. Each species has a different visual character, different grain, different weight, and a slightly different feel under fingers. I'll advise you on what works and what doesn't based on what you're after.
Concave depth and profile. Concave — the subtle curve across the width of the board — affects how the board sits under your fingers during tricks. Shallow concave gives a flatter, more forgiving feel. Deeper concave creates a more locked-in sensation for flip tricks and technical riding. We can dial this in to match your preference.
Width. 32mm or 34mm, as discussed in our sizing guide. For custom boards, we can discuss variations outside those standards if the project calls for it.
Graphic treatment. This is where Huong enters the process.
Hand-Painting by Huong
My wife Huong handles all hand-painted graphics on custom boards. She is not a factory painter following templates. She is an artist who has developed a specific language for working at fingerboard scale — a demanding medium where brushes sometimes smaller than a single millimetre are the right tool.
Every painted custom is a one-of-one. The colours, the composition, the brushwork — it cannot be exactly replicated. This is intentional. If you order a hand-painted custom board, you own the only one like it in the world.
Common requests include:
- Botanical and natural motifs
- Abstract colour fields
- Portraits or character art
- Geometric precision work
- Japanese-influenced design
- Entirely bespoke concepts the customer brings in themselves
We ask for reference images, mood boards, or descriptions of what you're envisioning. Huong develops the concept from there and can provide a preview before the final application. The painting happens after pressing and shaping, before the final finish coats — the lacquer is applied over the art to protect it permanently.
Laser Engraving
For customers who want precision graphic work or text — a name, a date, a logo, a detailed geometric pattern — laser engraving is an alternative to hand-painting. The laser cuts into the wood surface with accuracy that hand painting cannot match for fine-line work.
Engraving works particularly well on lighter wood species where the contrast between engraved and un-engraved surface is high. On darker woods like ebony or walnut, the effect is subtler but still distinctive.
Engraving and hand-painting can be combined — engraved lines filled with paint, or painted areas with engraved detail work on top.
The 7-Day Build Process
Custom fingerboards take 7 days from confirmed deposit to shipping-ready. Here is what happens in those seven days:
Days 1–2: Material preparation. Wood is selected and inspected for the specific build. Veneers are cut to precise dimensions. Materials are conditioned to the correct humidity level in our controlled storage.
Days 2–3: Pressing. Plies are glued and pressed under our 32-tonne press. Cure time is observed fully — no rushing. A rushed press creates a board with inconsistent concave or structural weakness.
Days 3–4: Shaping. The pressed blank is shaped — nose and tail geometry, edges, wheel wells if specified. Hand-sanded up to 4,000 grit.
Days 4–6: Graphic application. Hand-painting or laser engraving is applied and allowed to cure fully before finishing coats. For complex multi-colour paintings, this stage takes longer and I'll communicate that upfront.
Day 6–7: Finishing and inspection. Lacquer or beeswax finish is applied according to protocol. The finished board goes through the full 30-minute final inspection before it's photographed, documented, and prepared for shipping.
Deposit Structure
Custom fingerboard pricing is twice the cost of a standard complete setup, reflecting the additional material costs, Huong's art time, and the extended build process.
We take a 50% non-refundable deposit before production starts. This covers materials, which are sourced specifically for your build. Once production begins, we are committed to your specific specifications — the deposit is non-refundable from that point.
The balance is due before shipping. For international buyers, this is typically settled via bank transfer or PayPal.
Why Custom Fingerboards Are Worth It
I understand the hesitation. A custom fingerboard costs more than a standard one. Is it worth it?
Here is my honest answer: it depends on what you're buying it for.
If you want a board to practice tricks on and you don't care about the wood grain or the art, buy a standard complete. It's built to the same standards, it'll perform exactly as well, and you'll get it faster.
But if you want something that no one else has — a board made from a specific wood that caught your eye, carrying art that means something to you, with concave tuned to how your fingers ride — then no standard board will satisfy that. You'll always know you settled.
My collectors don't buy custom boards as toys. They buy them as objects. Some frame them. Some ride them every day. Some buy them as gifts for people who deserve something genuinely made.
I document every custom build with photographs taken throughout the process. If the board is ever challenged or copied, there is a complete visual record of its creation. In Vietnam's market, counterfeiting is a real concern — our documentation protects both of us.
How to Start
The starting point is a conversation. Get in touch through the contact page and tell me what you're thinking about. What wood interests you. What graphic direction you're envisioning. What size and concave you ride.
I'll respond personally — not a support team, not a template. I'll ask questions, give you my honest recommendation, and we'll work out exactly what your board should be.
Custom slots are limited. I'm one person building one board at a time, and I don't rush. If you have a deadline — a birthday, a gift, an event — mention it early. I'll tell you if it's achievable or help you find an alternative timeframe.
1. How to Order a Custom Fingerboard: Wood, Concave, Graphics, and Everything In Between
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