What should I use to surface the top of my snowboarding box?

I need help Building a box rail for snowboarding?

• I am building a box for snowboarding on. What type of plastic sheet should i use on top or should i use plastic at all? What ever is the cheapest.

• Answer:

  I wouldn't use plexiglass, it tends to be brittle when it gets cold and isn't all that slippery when it gets scuffed up. Stainless steel is pretty expensive. HDPE is what most boxes use as a top sheet. Its really slippery especially with a little snow on it. Its also very similar to the bottom of your board which is UHMWPE. A 1/4"x24"x48 piece from mcmaster-carr runs $37.00, the same piece of plexi runs twice as much. You can get HDPE from any plastics supplier. I would recommend asking them the cheapest thickness as some of the thinner stuff costs a little more than the thicker stuff. Make sure its thick enough to countersink your screws though.