Building and riding ramps can be fun and rewarding however, caution should be practiced with both. The author Brandon Cardone and any other contributors to this article are in no way, shape or form responsible for any legal matters, injuries or even death that may occur as a result of the information and content in this article.
Introduction
So you want to build a skateboard ramp, maybe you are a parent and want to build something for your kid. Maybe you have been skateboarding, riding BMX, or inline for a while and realize that you want more than the few spots you get kicked out of on a regular basis. Whatever the reason, you?ve started in the right direction by reading this article. Building ramps is a productive learning experience, but the most important thing is that it is fun and very rewarding if it is done right.
Most people really don?t understand how to build skateboard ramps and end up giving up before they even give it a second thought. I have people all the time ask me "How do you bend the wood like that?" or "Where would you even begin building something like that? "Questions like these are why I wrote this guide in the first place. I want people like you to know that it really isn?t that hard to build skateboard ramps if you have the right knowledge under your belt. I have been building ramps with my friend Mike Fitch since I was like 12 years old and over the years and plenty of trial and error, we have learned the art of building skateboard ramps. I asked myself if this kind of knowledge should be kept a secret, then I remembered all the fun I had growing up building my own stuff to skate and all the friends I have made over the years. We even had the chance to fulfill our dream of building an indoor skateboard park located in Johnson City, NY, East Coast Terminal as a way of giving back to the pastime that gave me direction and purpose in my life. I hope this article gives you that spark of inspiration that I found so many years ago. Who knows, there could be your own dream skate park lurking deep inside of you just waiting to be built and for others to enjoy. I wish you the best of luck in your quest and, most importantly, have fun.
Chapter 1 "Scope Out The Territory"
Before you start building
Some Things to consider
After the site has been decided and inspected
Before you Start Building your Skateboard Ramp
Before you get all gung ho and go down to your local lumber store to buy materials and grab the tools out of the shed, there are some things you should think about before you start building. For example, if all you want is a slider box or a jump ramp, you shouldn?t need a huge area to put your ramps. In this kind of a situation, an empty parking lot or your driveway will work. Be creative, like screwing some trucks and wheels from an old skateboard or roller skates to the side so you can wheel it around easy. You could even cut handles in the sides of the templates to carry your ramp easier.
If you had your heart set on a ramp bigger and unmovable, obviously you will need more space. You see, the idea here is that if you know where you are going to be building your ramps, you can measure out the area and draw it on some graph paper or even some regular paper will work fine.
Some Things to Consider
Consider how easy it will be to get your materials to the construction site
If your spot is way out in the woods, you better have some muscles because you will be carrying a lot of wood. This is when a wheel barrow comes in handy.
Access to electricity
Power tools are your friends and building a ramp without them is very hard, but not impossible if you are Amish. A generator or a bunch of extension cords might be the way to go.
Neighbors and noise
Those nosey neighbors of yours already hate you and are just waiting to ruin your fun. Will they call the cops when you?re having a session at 3:00 in the morning? One solution to this problem is to fill the coping with concrete or sand and nail a layer of carpet to the underside of your ramp.
Weather
Wood and bad weather don?t tend to agree with each other over time. If you can find an area that is protected from Mother Nature, then more power to you. For the rest of us, buying a good tarp is a really good investment. If you have the extra wood you could even build your own make shift canopy, this way you can ride your ramp even if it?s raining. You may also want to consider building your ramp up of the ground on cinderblocks to keep the ramp high, dry and level.
Helpers
The more people you can find to help you build the better off you will be.
Ask everyone you know about available space
Hey you never know, your sisters, boyfriends, dad might have an empty garage or empty lot of land that they will sell you dirt-cheap.
Damage prone areas
Your trying to do a 360 flip pivot to fakie and oops, you just zipped out and your board is heading 100 miles an hour towards your mom?s new car. You should take note of breakable objects around your ramps and make the necessary barriers to prevent them from being damaged.
Zoning Laws
You may be living in an area where it is the law to get a building permit or you could just take your chances and hope your local zoning board doesn?t find out. You may end up having to pay fines and tear down your new creation. Trust me it isn?t fun to take something apart that you?ve put so much time and effort into.
After the site has been decided and inspected
Remember, it is important that you build your ramps on a flat or level surface. If you don?t, your ramp will not be as easy to build and ride. Once you have decided on a spot to build your ramps, start by measuring the whole parameter of the space you are going to be working in. Measure out any obstructions that might get in the way when you are building, like a tree or a telephone pole, things like that. You should also observe the landscape to see if you will have to level the area out or even build your ramp up off the ground on posts. By doing this you are saving yourself a lot of trouble down the road when you are halfway through your project and realize you don?t have enough room or your that one side of your ramp goes uphill.
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Article added to SearchWarp.com on Wednesday, November 23, 2005 View other articles written by buildaramp(324)
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