How to Create Your Own Skate Ramp

Building your own skate ramp is a great way to ensure that your kids always have somewhere safe to play. Instead of having to deal with the crowds at the local skatepark, they can skate without leaving your yard. This can help them learn new tricks because without having to wait in line between attempts, they can master their new moves with repetition. You can control the slope of the ramp to keep accidents to a minimum, ensure that proper safety techniques are being followed and proper equipment is being used.

Things You'll Need

  • Ramp plans
  • Tape measure
  • Permanent marker
  • Plywood panels
  • 2-by-4 or 2-by-6 lumber
  • Electric saw
  • Wood screws
  • Screwdriver
  • Power sander
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Instructions

    • 1

      Find a good set of plans for your ramp. The easiest place to find ramp plans is online at a website (see resources), but you may also be able to find plans at a local library or in a skateboarding magazine. Adjust the measurements used in the following steps to fit the size of the ramp in your plans. The finished ramp listed here will be three-feet high and eight-feet wide.

    • 2

      Set a plywood panel on the ground and mark off a three-foot line along the right edge. Mark a two-foot line for the deck off to the left from the top of the first line you drew. Use a half-circle tool or a string tied to a stick to draw a curved transition on one of the plywood panels, following the measurements found in your ramp plans. Use another unmarked panel to create the deck piece. Measure a strip that is two-feet long on one side and as wide as your ramp will be on the other side. In this example, the deck should be two-feet wide and eight-feet long.

    • 3

      Cut the wood with an electric saw. Set an uncut panel of plywood on the ground and lay the cut piece on top of it. Trace around the top panel. Remove the top panel and use your electric saw to cut the bottom panel according to your traced outline. Cut several pieces of 2-by-4 inch lumber so that they are eight feet long. If you are building a large ramp, use 2-by-6 inch lumber instead to give the ramp a more stable base.

    • 4

      Attach the plywood side panels to the cut pieces of 2-by-4s with wood screws. Place the 2-by-4 support beams near what will become the top of the ramp so they can create a base for the ramp's riding surface. Spread the beams apart by 12 to 18 inches to ensure that the entire surface is supported.

    • 5

      Use a power sander to sand down several 3/8-inch or 1/2-inch thick panels of plywood to cover the surface of your ramp. The panels must be thin enough to bend along the curves of the ramp's transition, but strong enough to hold up under the impact of skateboards and riders landing on it. Sand down the top side of your deck piece.

    • 6

      Place the sanded panels onto the curved transition of your ramp. Use wood screws to connect the panels to the support beams underneath. Attach the deck piece to the top of the ramp with wood screws. Sand around the screw holes to remove any bumps that may interfere with the skateboarder's path.