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Revision as of 13:42, 2 December 2022 editGribse (talk | contribs)51 edits Adding local short description: "Miniature skateboard controlled by the fingers", overriding Wikidata description "miniature skateboard controlled by the fingers"Tag: Shortdesc helper← Previous edit Revision as of 10:44, 14 December 2022 edit undo70.163.208.142 (talk) rm some unsourced, tags; fix refTags: Mobile edit Mobile web editNext edit →
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{{Short description|Miniature skateboard controlled by the fingers}} {{Short description|Miniature skateboard controlled by the fingers}}
{{other uses|Fingerboard (disambiguation)}} {{other uses|Fingerboard (disambiguation)}}
{{example farm|date=November 2020}} {{tone|date=November 2020}}
{{overly detailed|date=November 2020}}
] ]
A '''fingerboard''' is a scaled-down replica of a ] that a person "rides" with their fingers, rather than their feet. A fingerboard is typically {{convert|100|mm|in|sp=us}} long with width ranging from {{convert|26|to|55|mm|in|abbr=on}}, with ]s, ] and plastic or ball-bearing ]s, like a skateboard.<ref name="The Fingerboard Controversy: Are">{{cite web | last=Waters | first=Mark | title=The Fingerboard Controversy: Are toy-skateboard makers promoting skateboarding or just profiting? | publisher=Transworld Business | date=2000-03-03 | url=http://skateboarding.transworld.net/2000/03/03/the-fingerboard-controversy | access-date=2009-04-09}}</ref> A fingerboard can be used to do traditional skateboard tricks, such as an ollie, kickflip, and more. A '''fingerboard''' is a scaled-down replica of a ] that a person "rides" with their fingers, rather than their feet. A fingerboard is typically {{convert|100|mm|in|sp=us}} long with width ranging from {{convert|26|to|55|mm|in|abbr=on}}, with ]s, ] and plastic or ball-bearing ]s, like a skateboard.<ref name="The Fingerboard Controversy: Are">{{cite web | last=Waters | first=Mark | title=The Fingerboard Controversy: Are toy-skateboard makers promoting skateboarding or just profiting? | publisher=Transworld Business | date=2000-03-03 | url=http://skateboarding.transworld.net/2000/03/03/the-fingerboard-controversy | access-date=2009-04-09}}</ref> A fingerboard can be used to do traditional skateboard tricks, such as an ollie, kickflip, and more.
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Professional skateboarder ] is widely credited for creating the first fingerboard. In the 1985 Powell-Peralta skateboarding video titled "Future Primitive," Mountain brought fingerboarding to the skateboarders of the world. Around the same time, Mountain wrote an article on how to make fingerboards in ] magazine.<ref name="The Fingerboard Controversy: Are" /> In the video, Lance Mountain rode a homemade fingerboard in a double-bin sink. It is widely accepted that this is where the idea for the ramp found in ] came from. Some consider this the earliest fingerboard footage available for public viewing. That homemade fingerboard was built from ], ], and ] ]s.<ref name="The Fingerboard Controversy: Are" /> Professional skateboarder ] is widely credited for creating the first fingerboard. In the 1985 Powell-Peralta skateboarding video titled "Future Primitive," Mountain brought fingerboarding to the skateboarders of the world. Around the same time, Mountain wrote an article on how to make fingerboards in ] magazine.<ref name="The Fingerboard Controversy: Are" /> In the video, Lance Mountain rode a homemade fingerboard in a double-bin sink. It is widely accepted that this is where the idea for the ramp found in ] came from. Some consider this the earliest fingerboard footage available for public viewing. That homemade fingerboard was built from ], ], and ] ]s.<ref name="The Fingerboard Controversy: Are" />


The first company to notice the potential of the fingerboard was Somerville International's Fingerboard brand, established in 1987. They were the first to mass-produce fingerboards that weren't intended to be used with a figurine or accessories. They were also the first to include licensed graphics from actual skateboard graphics with the introduction of the Pro-Precision board. <ref name="The Fingerboard Controversy: Are" /> Since their introduction, the brand has undergone numerous changes in naming convention, product designs, and partnerships, most notably their collaboration with McDonald's to produce fingerboards for Happy Meal toys in the early 2000s. They produced a number of "finger sport" toys and also created the skateboarding action figure "Finger Boy" and "Finger Girl". They are also credited with the first mass-produced wooden and aluminum fingerboards, utilizing parts from their 2nd generation fingerboards. The first company to notice the potential of the fingerboard was Somerville International's Fingerboard brand, established in 1987. They were the first to mass-produce fingerboards that weren't intended to be used with a figurine or accessories. They were also the first to include licensed graphics from actual skateboard graphics with the introduction of the Pro-Precision board.<ref name="The Fingerboard Controversy: Are" />


Although fingerboarding was a novelty within the skateboarding industry for years, as skateboarding reached widespread popularity in the late 1990s, X-Concepts realized the potential for the fingerboards, specifically for products bearing the logos and branding of real skateboarding brands, and introduced the Tech Deck brand. Fingerboards caught on during this period and the brand has since grown into a widely recognized icon in the toy business. Toy fingerboards like Tech Decks are now available as inexpensive novelty toys as well as high-end collectibles, complete with accessories one would find in use with standard-size skateboards.<ref name="Life and Limb: Skateboarders">{{cite book |last=Hocking |first=Justin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BxFdbXUDGt0C&q=%22fingerboard%22+ng" |title=Life and Limb: Skateboarders Write from the Deep End |author2=Jeff Knutson |author3=Jared Jacang Maher |author4=Jocko Weyland |publisher=Soft Skull Press |year=2004 |isbn=978-1-932360-28-8 |access-date=2007-12-25}}</ref><ref name="About Fingerboarding" /><ref name="Fingerboard Tuning">{{cite web |year=2007 |title=Fingerboard Tuning |url=http://www.fingerboardstore.de/shop/index.php?cPath=23 |access-date=2008-12-25 |publisher=Fingerboardstore.de}}</ref> Fingerboards are also used by skateboarders as ] model visual aids to understand potential tricks and maneuvers;<ref name="The Mutt: How to Skat">{{cite book |last=Mullen |first=Rodney |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yKDJjltBon8C&q=%22fingerboard%22+mini skateboard&pg=PA49 |title=The Mutt: How to Skateboard and Not Kill Yourself |author2=Sean Mortimer |publisher=HarperCollins |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-06-055618-1 |access-date=2007-12-25}}</ref> many users make videos to document their efforts. Although fingerboarding was a novelty within the skateboarding industry for years, as skateboarding reached widespread popularity in the late 1990s, X-Concepts realized the potential for the fingerboards, specifically for products bearing the logos and branding of real skateboarding brands, and introduced the Tech Deck brand. Fingerboards caught on during this period and Tech Deck has since grown into a widely recognized fingerboard brand. Toy fingerboards are now available as inexpensive novelty toys as well as high-end collectibles, complete with accessories one would find in use with standard-size skateboards.<ref name="Life and Limb: Skateboarders">{{cite book |last=Hocking |first=Justin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BxFdbXUDGt0C&q=%22fingerboard%22+ng" |title=Life and Limb: Skateboarders Write from the Deep End |author2=Jeff Knutson |author3=Jared Jacang Maher |author4=Jocko Weyland |publisher=Soft Skull Press |year=2004 |isbn=978-1-932360-28-8 |access-date=2007-12-25}}</ref><ref name="About Fingerboarding" /><ref name="Fingerboard Tuning">{{cite web |year=2007 |title=Fingerboard Tuning |url=http://www.fingerboardstore.de/shop/index.php?cPath=23 |access-date=2008-12-25 |publisher=Fingerboardstore.de}}</ref> Fingerboards are also used by skateboarders as ] model visual aids to understand potential tricks and maneuvers.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mullen |first=Rodney |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/55534817 |title=The Mutt: How to Skateboard and Not Kill Yourself |publisher=] |others=Sean Mortimer |year=2004 |isbn=0-06-055618-8 |edition=1st |location=New York |oclc=55534817}}</ref>


Fingerboarding is popular in Europe, Singapore, Asia and the United States, and there is growing popularity in ].<ref name="About Fingerboarding" /><ref name="Fingerboard Events Forum">{{cite web | title=Fingerboard Events Forum | publisher=Fingerboard.de | year=2007 | url=http://fingerboard.de/ | access-date=2007-12-25}}</ref> Fingaspeak, a fingerboard store which opened in ], ], is rumored to be the world's first fingerboard store, and is apart of the very small list of fingerboard stores that exist worldwide.<ref name="About Fingerboarding" /> Although the sport of fingerboarding originated in the United States over 25 years ago it has really caught fire in the European scene. The United States is following and it is estimated that although the popularity seems to be in favor of the Europeans, the American fingerboard scene has equal sales. This may be due to the flooding of the market and the availability of resources in the United States. Fingerboarding has evolved from a hobby to a lifestyle for some people. Fingerboarders have regular ], ]s, ]s and other events. Example of these events are FastFingers and FlatFace Rendezvous.<ref name="The Fingerboard Controversy: Are" /><ref name="About Fingerboarding" /> Fingerboard-product sales were estimated at ]120 million for 1999.<ref name="The Fingerboard Controversy: Are" /> Fingerboarding is popular in Europe, Singapore, Asia and the United States, and there is growing popularity in ].<ref name="About Fingerboarding" /><ref name="Fingerboard Events Forum">{{cite web | title=Fingerboard Events Forum | publisher=Fingerboard.de | year=2007 | url=http://fingerboard.de/ | access-date=2007-12-25}}</ref> Fingaspeak, a fingerboard store which opened in ], ], is rumored to be the world's first fingerboard store, and is apart of the very small list of fingerboard stores that exist worldwide.<ref name="About Fingerboarding" /> Although the sport of fingerboarding originated in the United States over 25 years ago it has really caught fire in the European scene. The United States is following and it is estimated that although the popularity seems to be in favor of the Europeans, the American fingerboard scene has equal sales. This may be due to the flooding of the market and the availability of resources in the United States. Fingerboarding has evolved from a hobby to a lifestyle for some people. Fingerboarders have regular ], ]s, ]s and other events. Example of these events are FastFingers and FlatFace Rendezvous.<ref name="The Fingerboard Controversy: Are" /><ref name="About Fingerboarding" /> Fingerboard-product sales were estimated at ]120 million for 1999.<ref name="The Fingerboard Controversy: Are" />


Fingerboarding is a good match for videography as the action can be controlled and framing the activity offers opportunities for creativity.<ref name="Fresh Dialogue 3">{{cite book | last=Vienne | first=Véronique | title=Fresh Dialogue 3: New Voices in Graphic Design | publisher=Princeton Architectural Press | year=2003 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3PoFw_4hj3UC&q=fingerboard+skateboard&pg=PT16 | access-date=2007-12-25| isbn=978-1-56898-417-9 }}</ref>{{fv|date=February 2020}} With the rise of the ] business from early 2006,<ref name="US online video popularity keeps">{{cite web | last=Perez | first=Juan Carlos | title=US online video popularity keeps climbing | publisher=] | date=September 13, 2007 | url=http://www.macworld.com/news/2007/09/13/video/ | access-date=2007-09-15}}</ref> fueled, in part, because the feature that allows ]ing clips to friends,<ref name="A Work in Progress">{{cite web | last=Zawadski | first=Alison | title=A Work in Progress | publisher=] | date=September 13, 2007 | url=http://media.www.leprovoc.com/media/storage/paper453/news/2007/09/12/Viewpoint/A.Work.In.Progress-2964495.shtml | access-date=2007-09-15}}</ref> several thousand fingerboard and ] videos can now be found on popular video-sharing sites such as ]. Fingerboarding is a good match for videography as the action can be controlled and framing the activity offers opportunities for creativity.<ref name="Fresh Dialogue 3">{{cite book | last=Vienne | first=Véronique | title=Fresh Dialogue 3: New Voices in Graphic Design | publisher=Princeton Architectural Press | year=2003 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3PoFw_4hj3UC&q=fingerboard+skateboard&pg=PT16 | access-date=2007-12-25| isbn=978-1-56898-417-9 }}</ref>{{fv|date=February 2020}} With the rise of the ] business from early 2006,<ref name="US online video popularity keeps">{{cite web | last=Perez | first=Juan Carlos | title=US online video popularity keeps climbing | publisher=] | date=September 13, 2007 | url=http://www.macworld.com/news/2007/09/13/video/ | access-date=2007-09-15}}</ref> fueled, in part, because the feature that allows ]ing clips to friends,<ref name="A Work in Progress">{{cite web | last=Zawadski | first=Alison | title=A Work in Progress | publisher=Le Provocateur | date=September 13, 2007 | url=http://media.www.leprovoc.com/media/storage/paper453/news/2007/09/12/Viewpoint/A.Work.In.Progress-2964495.shtml | access-date=2007-09-15}}</ref> several thousand fingerboard and ] videos can now be found on popular video-sharing sites such as ].


==Usage== ==Usage==
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| access-date=2007-12-25}} Patent number: 6350174; Filing date: Aug 3, 2000; Issue date: Feb 26, 2002.</ref> ]s, ]es, ]s,<ref name="Amusement ramp and method">{{cite web | access-date=2007-12-25}} Patent number: 6350174; Filing date: Aug 3, 2000; Issue date: Feb 26, 2002.</ref> ]s, ]es, ]s,<ref name="Amusement ramp and method">{{cite web
| last =Labelson | first =Ross |author2=Timothy J. Klima | title=Amusement ramp and method for constructing same | publisher=Pillsbury Winthrop LLP | date=19 July 1999 | url =http://www.google.com/patents?id=BloNAAAAEBAJ | access-date=2007-12-25}} Patent number: 6623367, Filing date: Jul 17, 1999; Issue date: Sep 23, 2003.</ref> pyramids, banked ramps, full pipes, and any number of other ]-oriented objects.<ref name="Reciprocating plaything">{{cite web | last=Hull | first=Everett | title=Reciprocating plaything and method for playing | publisher=Thomas L. Adams | date=10 December 2004 | url=http://www.google.com/patents?id=h1-BAAAAEBAJ | access-date=2007-12-25}} Patent number: 7261613; Filing date: Dec 10, 2004; Issue date: Aug 28, 2007</ref> These objects can be used simply for enjoyment and also to assist the visualization of skateboarding tricks or the "flow" from one trick to the next (colloquially referred to as "lines"). | last =Labelson | first =Ross |author2=Timothy J. Klima | title=Amusement ramp and method for constructing same | publisher=Pillsbury Winthrop LLP | date=19 July 1999 | url =http://www.google.com/patents?id=BloNAAAAEBAJ | access-date=2007-12-25}} Patent number: 6623367, Filing date: Jul 17, 1999; Issue date: Sep 23, 2003.</ref> pyramids, banked ramps, full pipes, and any number of other ]-oriented objects.<ref name="Reciprocating plaything">{{cite web | last=Hull | first=Everett | title=Reciprocating plaything and method for playing | publisher=Thomas L. Adams | date=10 December 2004 | url=http://www.google.com/patents?id=h1-BAAAAEBAJ | access-date=2007-12-25}} Patent number: 7261613; Filing date: Dec 10, 2004; Issue date: Aug 28, 2007</ref> These objects can be used simply for enjoyment and also to assist the visualization of skateboarding tricks or the "flow" from one trick to the next (colloquially referred to as "lines").

More advanced fingerboarders who know how to ride a skateboard might perform fingerboarding tricks alongside it by squatting down and driving their fingerboard on their skateboard's rolling surface in order to perform advanced looking fingerboarding tricks and is what they call "Finger Skateboarding" or simply "Floorskating". A person that knows how to ride a skateboard and do fingerboarding tricks can be referred to as a "Tableskater" and might setup a special kind of table known as a "Tableskating Table" in order to drive a special type of fingerboard known as a "Tableskater" in order to perform advanced looking fingerboarding tricks with their fingers while riding a skateboard with their feet. The most difficult type of fingerboarding is when a "Tableskater" (e.g. a skateboarder who can also fingerboard) tries to perform fingerboarding tricks on an industrial sized handrail connected to a street sidewalk or overpass while riding a skateboard and is what they call "Railskating".


==Components== ==Components==
{{More citations needed section|date=December 2022}}
]Similar to a skateboard, a fingerboard consists of several components: ]Similar to a skateboard, a fingerboard consists of several components:


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* Nuts: The nuts ensure that the wheels stay on the trucks. Widely spread are locknuts, that do not loosen as easily. * Nuts: The nuts ensure that the wheels stay on the trucks. Widely spread are locknuts, that do not loosen as easily.


* Bushings: Like real skateboard trucks, fingerboard trucks have two bushings that usually smooths out riding the board. Cheap plastic boards sometimes only have hard plastic bushings, which can break easily and make it harder to do certain tricks on the fingerboard. * Bushings: Fingerboard trucks have two bushings that usually smooths out riding the board. Cheap plastic boards sometimes only have hard plastic bushings, which can break easily and make it harder to do certain tricks on the fingerboard.

Ramps and obstacles make up a big part of fingerboarding. In the early times of fingerboarding, they were generally hand-made from wood, metal, concrete, and household items such as cardboard boxes. Nowadays, lots of brands and companies mass produce these obstacles. Just like decks, cheaper obstacles mostly consist of plastic, whereas higher-quality ramps are made from molded concrete, wood, and metal. Most obstacles aim to replicate a real-life obstacle.


== Fingersnowboarding, Handboards and Fingersurfboards == == Fingersnowboarding, Handboards and Fingersurfboards ==
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| access-date=2007-12-25}}</ref> Sponsored by companies such as Gravity Fingerboards, Transworld ''Snowboarding'' and ''Snowboard Life'' ]s and others the competition featured twenty competitors utilizing a custom "fingerboard snowboard park."<ref name="Snowtopia 99" /> ], a world champion of snowboarding,<ref>"Snowboarders Finally in Olympics, But Are Conforming Grudgingly", ''], February 8, 1998.</ref> ended his run by landing his fingersnowboard into a ] ] of ]; he was treated for minor burns and donated his winning prize to ]'s Snowrider Project and to ].<ref name="Snowtopia 99" /> | access-date=2007-12-25}}</ref> Sponsored by companies such as Gravity Fingerboards, Transworld ''Snowboarding'' and ''Snowboard Life'' ]s and others the competition featured twenty competitors utilizing a custom "fingerboard snowboard park."<ref name="Snowtopia 99" /> ], a world champion of snowboarding,<ref>"Snowboarders Finally in Olympics, But Are Conforming Grudgingly", ''], February 8, 1998.</ref> ended his run by landing his fingersnowboard into a ] ] of ]; he was treated for minor burns and donated his winning prize to ]'s Snowrider Project and to ].<ref name="Snowtopia 99" />


Handboards, similar to fingerboards, are a scaled-down version of a ] roughly half to a third of the size of a standard skateboard (29 centimeters or 11&nbsp;in) and utilizes a person's ] rather than just their ]s to control the board and perform ] and ]. Handboards, because of their larger size, more closely match the details of a standard skateboard. For instance, a skateboard truck, the wheel structure, would more likely match part for part an actual skateboard truck rather than be a cast one-piece construction or otherwise simplified. If a user preferred a particular type of wood or decorative style that could also more easily resemble a full-scale skateboard. Handboards, similar to fingerboards, are a scaled-down version of a ] roughly half to a third of the size of a standard skateboard (29 centimeters or 11&nbsp;in) and utilizes a person's ] rather than just their ]s to control the board and perform ] and ]. Handboards, because of their larger size, more closely match the details of a standard skateboard. For instance, a skateboard truck, the wheel structure, would more likely match part for part an actual skateboard truck rather than be a cast one-piece construction or otherwise simplified. If a user preferred a particular type of wood or decorative style that could also more easily resemble a full-scale skateboard.{{Citation needed|date=December 2022}}


==See also== ==See also==

Revision as of 10:44, 14 December 2022

Miniature skateboard controlled by the fingers For other uses, see Fingerboard (disambiguation).
This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Misplaced Pages. See Misplaced Pages's guide to writing better articles for suggestions. (November 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
Underside of a fingerboard.

A fingerboard is a scaled-down replica of a skateboard that a person "rides" with their fingers, rather than their feet. A fingerboard is typically 100 millimeters (3.9 in) long with width ranging from 26 to 55 mm (1.0 to 2.2 in), with graphics, trucks and plastic or ball-bearing wheels, like a skateboard. A fingerboard can be used to do traditional skateboard tricks, such as an ollie, kickflip, and more.

History

Fingerboards first existed as homemade finger toys in the late 1960s and later became a novelty attached to keychains in skate shops.

Professional skateboarder Lance Mountain is widely credited for creating the first fingerboard. In the 1985 Powell-Peralta skateboarding video titled "Future Primitive," Mountain brought fingerboarding to the skateboarders of the world. Around the same time, Mountain wrote an article on how to make fingerboards in TransWorld SKATEboarding magazine. In the video, Lance Mountain rode a homemade fingerboard in a double-bin sink. It is widely accepted that this is where the idea for the ramp found in The Search for Animal Chin came from. Some consider this the earliest fingerboard footage available for public viewing. That homemade fingerboard was built from wood, tubes, and toy train axles.

The first company to notice the potential of the fingerboard was Somerville International's Fingerboard brand, established in 1987. They were the first to mass-produce fingerboards that weren't intended to be used with a figurine or accessories. They were also the first to include licensed graphics from actual skateboard graphics with the introduction of the Pro-Precision board.

Although fingerboarding was a novelty within the skateboarding industry for years, as skateboarding reached widespread popularity in the late 1990s, X-Concepts realized the potential for the fingerboards, specifically for products bearing the logos and branding of real skateboarding brands, and introduced the Tech Deck brand. Fingerboards caught on during this period and Tech Deck has since grown into a widely recognized fingerboard brand. Toy fingerboards are now available as inexpensive novelty toys as well as high-end collectibles, complete with accessories one would find in use with standard-size skateboards. Fingerboards are also used by skateboarders as 3-D model visual aids to understand potential tricks and maneuvers.

Fingerboarding is popular in Europe, Singapore, Asia and the United States, and there is growing popularity in Eastern Europe. Fingaspeak, a fingerboard store which opened in Steyr, Austria, is rumored to be the world's first fingerboard store, and is apart of the very small list of fingerboard stores that exist worldwide. Although the sport of fingerboarding originated in the United States over 25 years ago it has really caught fire in the European scene. The United States is following and it is estimated that although the popularity seems to be in favor of the Europeans, the American fingerboard scene has equal sales. This may be due to the flooding of the market and the availability of resources in the United States. Fingerboarding has evolved from a hobby to a lifestyle for some people. Fingerboarders have regular contests, fairs, workshops and other events. Example of these events are FastFingers and FlatFace Rendezvous. Fingerboard-product sales were estimated at $120 million for 1999.

Fingerboarding is a good match for videography as the action can be controlled and framing the activity offers opportunities for creativity. With the rise of the online video business from early 2006, fueled, in part, because the feature that allows e-mailing clips to friends, several thousand fingerboard and handboard videos can now be found on popular video-sharing sites such as YouTube.

Usage

A fingerboard approaching a ramp

Fingerboards are used by a range of people, from those utilizing them as toys, to skateboarders and related sports professionals envisioning not only their own skating maneuvers but for others as well. Similar to train enthusiasts building railway models, fingerboard hobbyists often construct and purchase reduced scale model figures that would be considered natural features to an urban skateboarder such as handrails, benches, and stairs they would be likely to encounter while skating. In addition, users might build and buy items seen in a skatepark including half-pipes, quarter pipes, trick boxes, vert ramps, pyramids, banked ramps, full pipes, and any number of other trick-oriented objects. These objects can be used simply for enjoyment and also to assist the visualization of skateboarding tricks or the "flow" from one trick to the next (colloquially referred to as "lines").

Components

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
A table with benches, replicated as a fingerboard obstacle.

Similar to a skateboard, a fingerboard consists of several components:

  • Deck: Fingerboard decks are made out of plastic or wood. The shapes vary from popsicle decks, cruiser decks, and old-school decks. Modern and/or higher-quality decks have a defined nose and tail just like a real skateboard. Over the years decks got wider, for example old "Berlin Wood" decks were 29mm wide, while today decks range from 32mm-34mm.
  • Trucks: Trucks are mostly mass-produced from metal for the toy industry. In recent years, however, there have also been manufacturers who produce special trucks specifically for the sport and thereby set significantly higher standards for quality in lower quantities.
  • Wheels: Wheels are made of plastic, metal, or resin, widely spread is polyurethane (the same material used in skateboard wheels) as it gives a firm grip. Higher-quality wheels are also equipped with bearings. They are either cast, 3D printed, or machined on a lathe (or their industrial equivalent).
  • Bearings: The bearings used in fingerboard wheels are also the same as skateboard wheel bearings. They are made of high-quality steel to make the wheels spin smoothly, the same as skateboards.
  • Tape: For better adhesion, a grip tape is glued to the deck, which consists of either rubber, neoprene, fine-grain (similar to sandpaper), or foam skateboard grip.
  • Screws: Are the screws that attach the trucks to the deck.
  • Nuts: The nuts ensure that the wheels stay on the trucks. Widely spread are locknuts, that do not loosen as easily.
  • Bushings: Fingerboard trucks have two bushings that usually smooths out riding the board. Cheap plastic boards sometimes only have hard plastic bushings, which can break easily and make it harder to do certain tricks on the fingerboard.

Fingersnowboarding, Handboards and Fingersurfboards

A chicken on a mini-skateboard, similar to a handboard.

Similar to fingerboarding, fingersnowboarding is snowboarding on a small-scale snowboard controlled with one's fingers. In December 1999 the first-ever World Snowboard Fingerboard Championships was held with a cash prize of Can$1,000.00. Sponsored by companies such as Gravity Fingerboards, Transworld Snowboarding and Snowboard Life magazines and others the competition featured twenty competitors utilizing a custom "fingerboard snowboard park." Tom Sims, a world champion of snowboarding, ended his run by landing his fingersnowboard into a flaming shotglass of Sambuca; he was treated for minor burns and donated his winning prize to Surfrider Foundation's Snowrider Project and to Board AID.

Handboards, similar to fingerboards, are a scaled-down version of a skateboard roughly half to a third of the size of a standard skateboard (29 centimeters or 11 in) and utilizes a person's hands rather than just their fingers to control the board and perform tricks and maneuvers. Handboards, because of their larger size, more closely match the details of a standard skateboard. For instance, a skateboard truck, the wheel structure, would more likely match part for part an actual skateboard truck rather than be a cast one-piece construction or otherwise simplified. If a user preferred a particular type of wood or decorative style that could also more easily resemble a full-scale skateboard.

See also

References

  1. ^ Waters, Mark (2000-03-03). "The Fingerboard Controversy: Are toy-skateboard makers promoting skateboarding or just profiting?". Transworld Business. Retrieved 2009-04-09.
  2. ^ "About Fingerboarding". Blackriver Ramps. 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-12-27. Retrieved 2007-12-25.
  3. Hocking, Justin; Jeff Knutson; Jared Jacang Maher; Jocko Weyland (2004). " Life and Limb: Skateboarders Write from the Deep End. Soft Skull Press. ISBN 978-1-932360-28-8. Retrieved 2007-12-25.
  4. "Fingerboard Tuning". Fingerboardstore.de. 2007. Retrieved 2008-12-25.
  5. Mullen, Rodney (2004). The Mutt: How to Skateboard and Not Kill Yourself. Sean Mortimer (1st ed.). New York: ReganBooks. ISBN 0-06-055618-8. OCLC 55534817.
  6. "Fingerboard Events Forum". Fingerboard.de. 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-25.
  7. Vienne, Véronique (2003). Fresh Dialogue 3: New Voices in Graphic Design. Princeton Architectural Press. ISBN 978-1-56898-417-9. Retrieved 2007-12-25.
  8. Perez, Juan Carlos (September 13, 2007). "US online video popularity keeps climbing". MacWorld. Retrieved 2007-09-15.
  9. Zawadski, Alison (September 13, 2007). "A Work in Progress". Le Provocateur. Retrieved 2007-09-15.
  10. Halford, Wayne; Eric SodKar Fai; Steven Moran (2000-08-03). "Roll-up halfpipe for miniature toy skateboard". Mattel, Inc. Retrieved 2007-12-25. Patent number: 6350174; Filing date: Aug 3, 2000; Issue date: Feb 26, 2002.
  11. Labelson, Ross; Timothy J. Klima (19 July 1999). "Amusement ramp and method for constructing same". Pillsbury Winthrop LLP. Retrieved 2007-12-25. Patent number: 6623367, Filing date: Jul 17, 1999; Issue date: Sep 23, 2003.
  12. Hull, Everett (10 December 2004). "Reciprocating plaything and method for playing". Thomas L. Adams. Retrieved 2007-12-25. Patent number: 7261613; Filing date: Dec 10, 2004; Issue date: Aug 28, 2007
  13. Buying guide for fingerboard with a detailed guide of its every part including wheels and bearings. {{cite web |url=https://skateboardidea.com/best-fingerboard/ |title=Best Fingerboard; |access-date=January 21, 2022
  14. ^ Stouffer, John (17 December 1999). "Snowtopia 99: Tom Sims Wins World Fingersnowboard Championships". Transworld Business. Retrieved 2007-12-25.
  15. "Snowboarders Finally in Olympics, But Are Conforming Grudgingly", Salt Lake Tribune, February 8, 1998.

Further reading

  • Finger Skate Board Tricks and Tips Prepack by Susan Buntrock (2000); Scholastic, Incorporated - ISBN 0-439-21714-8.
  • Life and Limb: Skateboarders Write from the Deep End by Justin Hocking, Jeff Knutson, Jared Jacang Maher (2004); Soft Skull Press - ISBN 1-932360-28-X. (See Whaling chapter by Justin Hocking).
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