Marwood Veneer has found a ready market in academic institutions looking to connect with student interest in building  skateboards and snowboards.

Our 59-year-old company based in Jeffersonville, IN has seen a resurgence in interest regarding wood veneer for skateboard and snowboard builds in recent years.

Higher education will not be left behind, as institutions like MIT, and Cal State, in addition to numerous high schools look to find student engagement. Marwood Veneer has been scaling up to meet demand from these and otjer academic institutions looking to offer woodworking courses that include making your own skateboard.

“Making a skateboard has become a credentialing activity that leads students to more intensive woodworking classes in residential construction," says Chris Churchill, a career and technical teacher at Athens Drive High School in Raleigh, NC.

"It’s hard to buy maple veneer locally, so we turned to Marwood Veneer to supply us to make our skateboards. Students get to learn basic safety and carpentry.”

Karl Ahlem, Vice President of Board Sports Technology Enterprise, works at Michigan Technological University in Houghton, MI, says students are also involved in all types of board building. 

Marwood Veneer was listed <a href="http://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/wood-market-trends/woodworking-indust…" target="_blank"> as a trusted veneer source for skateboards in the newly published guide called, &ldquo;The Handmade Skateboard,&rdquo; from Spring House Press</a>.

“The enterprise was founded in the fall of 2006 by several students, and has taken on many projects over the years," Ahlem says. "This semester we have roughly 20 people enrolled, each being part of at least one team, Snow, Skate, or Wake.

Each of the teams focuses on a different type of board sport, a the names suggest. Within the three teams, there are different projects being worked on. Each project has roughly 2-3 people working on it, which allows for plenty of hands on experience.

"For students taking the course, it is great for a resume and for getting useful hands on experience that you can’t get in your regular classroom,” Ahlem says. “The veneer from Marwood worked great for our boards… they produce a great set of veneers."

Chris Gochnour of the Joiners Bench, Murray, UT, who is also an instructor for the Marc Adams School of Woodworking in Indianapolis, IN, says skateboards can initiate an interest in woodworking. An experienced artisan, designer and hand-tool expert, Gochour specializes in traditional woodworking technique and design

“The kids just love it," he says. Skateboards "are a great first project to make in dad’s or grandfather’s workspace at home. That gets kids interested to go further into woodworking.” 

Marwood Veneer Inc. has been listed recently as a trusted veneer source for skateboards in the newly published guide called, “The Handmade Skateboard,” from Spring House Press. The book is sold nationwide at skateboard shops, wood specialty stores, and online.

Skateboarding is classified as a sport which involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard, and the X Games have grown in popularity at the national level, covered by ESPN. Skateboarding has been noted as pure recreation, an art form, and a career, not to mention a form of transportation.

Skateboarding has been shaped and influenced by many skateboarders throughout the years. A 2013 report by Statista.com found there are approximately 6.35 million active skateboarders in the world. This represents approximately a $4 billion dollar market worldwide, according to the International Association of Skateboard Companies.

The winter sports call to the pre-teen and teen girls now. More girls bought snowboard equipment this year; junior girls snowboarding equipment sales grew 37 percent in units sold and 36 percent in dollars sold, according to Snowsports Industries America.

Marwood is a leading provider of domestic, imported, and sustainable-sourced hardwood veneers for both the U.S. and overseas markets, serving a variety of industries, including architectural woodwork, plywood manufacturers, and furniture manufacturers.

Marwood has a wide variety of veneers available, including exotics and domestics. From quartered and highly figured, to flat cut and no figure, their wood veneers have the texture, color, thickness, and shape you need to finish any of your projects. The company was founded by Lyman Martin Jr., Jim Martin’s father. For more information, go to www.marwoodveneer.com.