How to Build a One-Sided Mini Half-Pipe

You can build your own one-sided half-pipe--or quarter-pipe--to keep on your own property so you can practice skateboarding or other trick sports conveniently and for free. A quarter-pipe is commonly used among extreme sports athletes such as BMX bikers, skateboarders and in-line skaters. The half-pipe features a wall with a steep incline at each end, and a shorter flat area in the middle. The whole ramp is in the shape of an exaggerated "U." A quarter-pipe takes away one of the walls and just uses the one incline wall and a flat area below it. A quarter-pipe requires much less space than a half-pipe. The mini quarter-pipe needs even less space than a normal quarter-pipe.

Things You'll Need

  • Two sheets of 3/4-inch thick 4-by-8-foot plywood
  • One 2-by-6 or 2-by-4 in a 7-foot length
  • Duct tape
  • Measuring tape
  • Drill
  • 1-1/2-inch wood screws
  • 8 feet of fishing line
  • Marker
  • Jigsaw
  • Bandsaw
  • 10 8-foot 2-by-4 planks
  • 16 penny nails
  • Hammer
  • One 3/8-inch thick 4-by-8-foot plywood sheet
  • 8-foot 2-3/8-inch steel coping pipe
  • Two 1/3-inch 4-by-8-foot Masonite sheets
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Instructions

    • 1

      Set a 3/4-inch-thick, 4-by-8-foot sheet of plywood out on the ground. This is the face--or incline section--of the ramp.

    • 2

      Place a 7-foot-long piece of 2-by-6 wood flat on the sheet of plywood so that it starts flush at the bottom long side of the sheet, the 2-by-6 lying parallel to the short side of the sheet, and only sitting 10 inches into the plywood sheet. Duct tape the 2-by-6 in place onto the plywood. Once it is held somewhat firmly, screw the piece in for a more permanent hold. You can remove the duct tape now.

    • 3

      Measure 77 inches up the 2-by-6 starting at the bottom point where it begins with the bottom of the plywood sheet. Partially drill in a 1 1/2-inch wood screw at this point.

    • 4

      Tie one end of the eight feet of fishing line to this screw and roll out the rest of the line down along the 2-by-6 until you reach the bottom of the plywood. Tie the line around a marker at this point. The fishing line helps to mark the edge, the purpose of which will be explained in greater detail below.

    • 5

      Draw the template for the curved transition area--which is the area from the top of the ramp to the ground level of the quarter-pipe--by starting the line with the marker where the 2-by-6 meets the edge of the plywood. The string on the 2-by-6 acts like a compass, so as you draw with the marker across the plywood with even tension, the fishing line forces the line to curve upward until it reaches the top of the plywood. Cut the 2-by-6s along this line so that you create a gradual upward incline which will become your ramp.

    • 6

      Cut along this line with a jigsaw, making sure to prop up the plywood so the jigsaw does not hit the floor as it cuts through the wood. Remove the curved and pointed piece that makes up part of the quarter-pipe's side.

    • 7

      Place this template piece onto the rest of the plywood sheet and trace it onto the sheet. Cut out this traced copy with the jigsaw.

    • 8

      Cut the ends of two 8-foot-long 2-by-4 pieces at a 45-degree angle so they can sit on their smaller side and become the long side of a 2-by-4 box. Use a bandsaw or jigsaw for cutting.

    • 9

      Cut two shorter lengths off of another 8-foot-long 2-by-4 that measure as long as the flat tops of the transition templates. Also angle the ends of these shorter pieces at 45 degrees to stand up on their shorter-width sides and connect with the 8-foot lengths to build the 2-by-4 frame. Hammer these pieces together with 16 penny nails and a hammer.

    • 10

      Brace the inside of the frame with three evenly spaced 2-by-4 struts, cut to fit inside the width of the 2-by-4 frame and hammered in place with nails from the outside of the frame.

    • 11

      Hammer the transition templates onto the outside of the short ends of the wood frame, or top deck of the quarter-pipe, so that they mirror each other and the longer bottoms face up.

    • 12

      Turn the upper deck and sides of the quarter-pipe upside down (now right side up) so the apparatus sits on the long bottoms of the template sides.

    • 13

      Hammer multiple 2-by-4 lengths between the insides of the templates, starting at the top one inch below the top of the deck, and continuing down at an even spacing of 12 inches. Hammer them so that they sit flush with the curved edge of the sides.

    • 14

      Place the other 3/4-inch sheet of plywood on top of the 2-by-4 struts and the curved edges so the sheets fully cover them, starting from the ground, even though it will not reach far enough to cover up to the top. Hammer it in place.

    • 15

      Cut an 8-foot length of plywood from a 3/8-inch thick sheet of plywood. Make this strip tall enough to reach just below the top of the deck and hammer it on to the frame.

    • 16

      Cut another 8-foot strip from the 3/8-inch sheet two inches taller than the first, and hammer it on top of that first 3/8-inch-thick piece so it passes that sheet and overlaps onto the 3/4-inch sheet by two inches. Hammer this into place.

    • 17

      Place an 8-foot long, 2 3/8-inch steel pipe into the notch at the front corner between the slope and top deck. This becomes the coping of the quarter-pipe. The coping is the top edge of the ramp, often used for grind tricks. This edge is smooth and covers the edges of the plywood at the top of the ramp.

    • 18

      Screw and drill Masonite sheeting over the sloped surface of the quarter-pipe and over the top deck.