The Designer

My name is Damon Stevens. I am a designer, maker, builder, and I enjoy making things out of skateboards. I grew up skateboarding with my friends and it was my way of connecting to like-minded individuals in my local community. Skateboarding taught me how to fall, get back up, and try again. To this day, skateboarding has given me the opportunity to explore new ways of making as well as test my skillset by learning new tools along the way.

My designs revolve around a combination of modern tools and manufacturing techniques as well as traditional methods of production. My goal is to combine, upcycled, and recycled skateboards with metals and plastics to show how we can create beautiful products with common everyday materials. Through the combination of these materials, I believe I can show others in my community how to view simple materials with an ever-expanding perspective.

The Brand

Manual Ware’s brand elements feature the concepts of extrusions, layers, and geometric forms. The layered M/W relationship is an extension of the never-ending combinations that are possible when cutting up and re-gluing skateboards into various patterns. Handmade wares and wearable items are the core focus of Manual Ware’s product line. The brand is adaptable and will change over time to fit the needs of the projects found in the company’s wheelhouse.

Manual Ware was founded on the notion that handmade products from recycled materials can be beautiful, functional, and stylish. Using recycled skateboards, metals, and plastics often results in a combination of contrasting colors and finishes which become simple, yet elegant products. Similarly, Manual Ware the brand, focuses on a simple icon that can be changed periodically to showcase the design possibilities capable with its use.

How It’s Made.

Skateboards are comprised of seven 1/16” maple veneers glued and pressed into a curved surface with a nose and tail. Skateboards mostly come pre-dyed from the manufacturer. Depending on the manufacturer, one deck may have only one bright colored veneer, whereas another will be made up of all seven brightly colored plies.

After choosing which skateboards will go together, the possibilities are endless. The manufacturing process often includes several rounds of cutting and re-gluing the decks to achieve a desired pattern. This is where the bulk of the labor lies.

The majority of excess material used in skateboard manufacturing ends up in a landfill with no end goal in mind. We are trying to help reduce this practice by providing beautiful and functional pieces of artwork that can be used by anyone for years to come.

Usable Material