How to Make a Wedge Ramp

Wedge ramps, sometimes called kicker ramps, can be used as obstacles for street skaters. You can do tricks off the back, skate up the surface or try an ollie. Skateboarders use ramps to jump higher into the air to do tricks. The wedge has a flat surface angled up 12 to 14 inches. The steel threshold on the front of the ramp provides a smooth transition from the ground to the ramp surface. Because they are flat on top, wedge ramps are relatively easy to build. This homemade ramp has a 4-by-6-foot surface area.

Things You'll Need

  • Miter saw
  • Circular Saw
  • 1 5/8-inch screws
  • 2 ½-inch screws
  • 1 piece of 10-by-4-by-3/16-inch steel
  • 5 boards, 2-by-4 inches, 8 feet long
  • 2 sheets of ¾-inch plywood, 4-by-8 feet wide
  • 1 sheet of ¼-inch masonite, 4-by-8 feet wide
  • Tape measure
  • Drill
  • Chalk line
  • Pencil or chalk
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Instructions

    • 1

      Cut two boards out of each 8-foot-2-by-4-inch board to 3 feet,10 ½ inches long using a miter saw.

    • 2

      Cut the ¾-inch plywood into one 4-by-6-foot-2-inch board. Cut two additional pieces of plywood at an angle. The flat side should be 5 feet, 6 inches long, and the back is 1 foot, 6 inches long. The front will be 1½ inches tall. Use a chalk line to line up the final, diagonal cut between the front and back.

    • 3

      Secure the sides together using two of the 2-by-4-inch boards you cut in step one, using 2 ½-inch screws. The front board will secure the two fronts, 1½ inches tall, together, and it should angle up with the board, starting at the very bottom, not lay flat on the ground with the side of the sides. The back board will sit up so the 2-by-4-inch board has the 2-inch side on the ground and is 4 inches tall. Set it at the back of the angle sides and secure it with screws.

    • 4

      Install the remaining cut 2-by-4-inch boards on the ramp using 2½-inch screws. Place them the same direction as the back board you installed in step 3. Install them at the top of the angle, so the boards are flush with the angles of the sides. Place one board every 8 inches. Start from the bottom of the ramp and work up to the top.

    • 5

      Mark the studs on the sides of the ramp so you can screw the top of the ramp into the studs. Use a pencil or chalk to mark the studs so the marks can be easily erased.

    • 6

      Attach the 6-foot-2-inch-by-4-foot plywood on the angle side, on top of the 2-by-4 you just secured using 2 1/2--inch screws. Make sure the board is flush with the back of the ramp. It will be slightly longer than the ramp you have built and should touch the ground in the front.

    • 7

      Cut the ¼-inch masonite to 4-by-5 feet, 8 inches long using 1 5/8-inch screws. Attach the masonite to the back of the ramp. It will leave 10 inches of space at the front of the ramp.

    • 8

      Install the sheet metal to the front of the ramp using 1 5/8-inch screws. Drill holes on each side of the steel, approximately 2 inches from the side, and then drill a hole directly in the middle of the steel. Countersink your screws so they are flush with the metal.