Thoughts on building a wooden ramp for vehicular use

[Graeme]

Our garden is on two levels, both of which are paved, with a six inch step between the two. For various reasons, I have been using a couple of thick planks, resting on a fence post, to move vehicles and trailers from one level to the other, but would like to construct something a little more easy to use, but not permanent.

Thoughts are, a wooden ramp, six feet (OK, 2 meters) wide by six feet long. Lengths of 4 x 2 x 2m sawn corner to corner, to form long triangles, to form the slope, with lengths of 6 x 2 x 2m to form the ramp itself.

a) Does that sound reasonable? I realise it will be heavy when finished, but will not be permanent, like a concrete ramp would be. Is

2 inch thick timber overkill for the ramp part? The ramp will be used by a Morris Minor, perhaps a dozen times a year. Probably less.

b) My only power saw is an antique B&D jig saw. What do I need to cut the triangles? A cheap and cheerful mains powered circular saw, thirty quid from Screwfix?

Thanks!

[Harry Bloomfield]

Graeme presented the following explanation :

Could you not just use ready made car ramps, as intended for car serving and just drive straight off the end onto the higher ground level?

[Graeme]

In message , Harry Bloomfield writes

Thanks Harry. Yes, I have a pair of ramps (bought using Green Shield stamps!), but they have stops at the end to prevent overrun, and are inconvenient when vehicle and trailer are different widths. I thought something about six feet wide would be perfect.

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember Harry Bloomfield saying something like:

[Spamlet]

I should have thought a couple of scaffold boards would be all you need for a moggie. You could drill a couple of bolt holes at the lower end to drop bolts or pegs into to hold them the right distance apart while actually in use.

S

[The Natural Philosopher]

ANGLE GRINDER!!!

and are

[NT]

I'm sure it'd work but it sounds overkill. A handful of bricks would do the job, by breaking the level change into 2.5" steps. No need for tools then. An even easier option might be 2 or 3 of 3x3 fence posts fixed together to make a halfway up step. Or if youre running delicate things over it, use a few 2x4s the same way to get 2" steps.

An ancient jigsaw would cut the timber, as long as the blade isnt beyond blunt. If you mean one of those drill attachment things, it might take a good while but it should do it. Any low end type of jigsaw needs steering to keep it on a line, dont be tempted to run it alongside a piece of wood, that'd break the blade.

If you get a new saw, yes, go for a handheld circular saw. The cheap ones are perfectly usable, but they wont give as clean a cut as a good one will. Do not buy a new jigsaw!

NT

[js.b1]

Car tyre ramps can catch you out. They are not very wide and can easily be pushed if they are not covered in treadplate.

Create a slope in formwork (tannalised wood set into the ground with aluminium angle as pegs). Pour in cement or in fill with concrete pavers or fill with concrete blocks. Ensure no load can actually impact on the wood, its basically there to friction-pile the pavers from wanting to move when the vehicle accelerates or brakes.

I suspect the simplest is concrete paving slabs, you could use 3x2 by

2" or much smaller (lighter!) depending on the vehicle.

[stuart noble]

IME the quality of cut is the same on all circular saws. I've used the best and am currently using the worst :-) What is different is the ease with which you can adjust depth/angle, and the general ergonomics. Not important for occasional use.

[Cicero]

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You might find it's easier to use several lengths of (different thicknesses - say 4x2, 3x2 and 2x2) timber at right angles to the main planks. These would hold the main timbers together and give you the correct slope without cutting long lengths diagonally.

Each of the suggested timbers would simply need to be planed off at an angle to match the required slope.

Cic.

[NT]

Mine have vastly different cut quality. Good one cuts laminate perfectly every time, the low end one makes a messy job every time.

NT

[stuart noble]

A good blade on a cheap saw works for me.

[Graeme]

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions. The best was an excuse to buy a hand held circular saw :-)

Made two ramps, each about 56 inches long, by 16 inches wide. They are not pretty, mainly because the wood is whatever odd lengths I found in the shed, and I have not yet got used to the saw, so most lengths are a little under or over sixteen inches. However, the ramps do the job, which is great.

Still recovering from the amount of sawdust this new saw can generate, even with a vacuum cleaner attached.