I made some decks with simple tools and methods which I am quite happy with, you can see my latest one somewhere in the Post Your Board threat. Here are some basics that I found to be useful:
- use epoxy resin instead of wood glue (resin will help keep the shape better), I found medium viscosity resin to work well, you'll need a room with low air humidity (below 50%) and constant temperature (15°C -25°C) that is not a living room
- make a simple 'mold' for the beginning: one thick plywood board (at least 18mm, or add 'rails' below it to keep it from bending) with some wood pieces on top to press the wood in between for the shape
- mark the middle of your deck well, so you have it marked when you install the trucks for good tracking
- use thin plywood if you can find it, I have used 4mm sheets for a 12mm thick board and 3mm for a shorter board, you can also use aircraft ply wood for better shaping options, but it is more expensive. I also tried thick veneer, but had no big success with it due to availability problems and it absorbing more resin than ply wood
- if you want to add fibres to the deck, go with unidirectional ones along the lenght of the board for less flex and biaxial fibres in a 45° angle to the lenght of the board for less torsion
- the choice of fibre is up to you, but note that glass should be fine and is only 10% of the price of carbon. Also, you wont notice the weight difference since you probably dont have the high tech tools for minimizing the excess resin like a vacuum and that stuff anyway
- put everything that needs to be shaped (except grip tape) on the board before you saw the final shape and saw it in one go then
- watch the tutorials of this guy: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuyLKfPSBDwtjnVYXawhK0w
Making your own deck is a nice experience and will enable you to get exactly what you want of your deck. If you use pure wood or just glass, no carbon, you can make it cheaper than buying one. But be warned, you will feel the need to make a new board every now and then
