1.3m vert rampage

I had some scrap chipboard left over from some shelves I made in the garage and thought it would be good to have another skate ramp in the back yard - something with a bit more vert to challenge me a bit more and one to match my big 1.4m ramp at the other end of the yard. I'm not quite getting enough speed after dropping in from my small quarter to do stalls or any tricks on the coping of the big ramp, but a good vert ramp should solve that problem nicely.

I started with the sides (4 chipboard shelves screwed together) and matched the curve of my small quarter ramp and extended it upwards to make it vert. Then I just cut out the curve with a jigsaw and made a mirror of the first side for the other side. Next up I braced the sides together with some good solid wood I scrounged up from pallets and stuff on the bottom and sides and started lining the curve with planks to give the ramp surface strength. I found the trick is to use as many planks as possible attached on the vertical side and they give the most strength for downward force - the last thing you want is to land an ollie on the ramp and punch through the surface. The stronger and more solid the surface the more pump you get off it too which is what I was after. Once the surface was lined with planks all the way to the top it was time to attach the ply. This was the only bit of wood I bought and I used 9mm ply from the hardware store. It can be a little tricky to get it to match the curve and in my case a vert curve is even harder. I suggest propping up the ply against a wall and using heavy bricks and hot water to pre-bend the ply over night. Be patient and don't rush it or it will snap - trust me. It doesn't have to match the curve exactly but the closer you get it the easier it is to attach it to the curve. Once the ply was attached all that was left was to cut out the small sections at the top for the coping, attach a small section of flat steel at the bottom for the entry and paint that sucker with deck oil to protect it from the elements and give it a little bit of slip. I prefer my ramps with a little bit of slide versus grip plus it doesn't shred you to pieces when you bail from a trick and end up sliding down the ramp on the side of your face.

I gave it a quick skate yesterday after work. It needs a few adjustments (coping a little too proud) but I'm able to tap the coping with my wheels and get some good solid pump off it - enough to land a stall with a grab on my 1.4m ramp at the other end. Go Skate!