Building a Mini-Ramp (Part 1) Choosing the Height and Radius

Trying to build your perfect ramp? These tips will help!

[DarmokAtTanagra]

When I was a kid my dad and I built a 7' halfpipe with 1 ft of vert - 6 ft transitions. 8 ft of flat. 12 ft wide. It was tough. I then cut it down to 5 ft. Still tough. I then cut it down to 3.5 ft. Left a little 4' wide, 5' high extension on one side. It was magical. Sponsored skaters would drive from an hour away and show up at my house to skate it. When I moved, I sold it and it got taken away on a flat-bed - and apparently 4 years later, it changed hands again. I really want to just recreate that design someday. I learned much stuff on that 3.5' final cut.

[pablolobo]

Enjoyed the one man crossover with the Vancouver Carpenter!!

[Janon]

Thanks Ben. It’s nice to get a video like this from some with a lot of carpentry knowledge and experience

[bboydreaded]

I have been searching for months for info on the radius. This is by far the best info on it. Know it is much appreciated and I am grateful.

[andre]

Funny fact, that i first watched your drywall tips videos and i didnt even know you have this yt channel😅. Now here i am, learning how to make a diy quarterpipe😂

[victortee]

Ben! I was able to drywall my house with your help. I moved from that project to my backyard mini which will be wrapped up this weekend. I'm excited to watch this and see all the places messed up

[pressureflipin]

love it. got some property where I can finally build a mini ramp and this video is great! can't wait for the next one

[AMMAZZARE]

I’ve found that if you go micro (2’-3’), making the transitions steep is the way to go. You can still pump and maintain some speed for a little bit.

[skippyskater]

Not gonna lie man, seeing your departing video has made me binge your stuff this morning. Building a mini has been something Ive always wanted to do and I have a 6 year old so I can only imagine how much fun it would bring over the years. I think after this morning I want to do it and I thanks ya for giving us a real rundown on ramp considerations.

[cameronempey]

How funny Ive watched your drywall videos when doing projects and I had they feeling you were cool but this just confirms that your the man! Dope ramp man!

[derekmccray]

Damn dude, makes me want to build a ramp and get back on my board lol. I remember the first ramp I dropped in on was 8 feet or more....I was terrified 🤣

[rhinusbreedt]

Finally a thoroughly detailed video of building a mini ramp. Thank you

[jonbonjovi_is_happy]

As a skater with zero carpentry experience, looking forward to the rest of this series. Also, I’m digging the beard, Ben!

[necgist]

Great start to a mini build! I figure I’ll throw my 2 cents in. I started skating later in life but loved it so much I put a ramp in my yard for fun and exercise (can be seen on my channel). I went with a 7-foot radius to be a bit more on the mellow side but it is still super gnarly for me. Similar to your ramp, I cut the transition out of 4’x8’ sheets and put the flat on 2”x6” boards so the height from flat to platform is just about 3.5 feet. I am using Gatorskin surface although as a new skater I don’t have enough experience to make comparisons with other surfaces. I used pressure-treated for everything EXCEPT the transition plywood that is under the Gatorskin, but I caulked all the seams between the Gatorskin sheets. I made my ramp a bit small (8-feet wide) but it is plenty of ramp for me. I am in New England (Northeast USA) and put a large tarp over the ramp in winter but have had it for about a year-and-a-half and I expect it to hold up for many more years. I used to do a lot of driving to get to my local park but not anymore!

[boyjimini]

Thank you for taking the effort to do this for us all!

[JoelSimbrow]

This is so awesome. Thanks so much. I want to build one exactly like yours there.

[MarcelNinety]

Respect for planning and building it on your own . Looks really professional .

[caseyaylward]

My 2c. A lot of people think a 2ft mini is the way to go but I find them harder to skate than a 3ft or 4ft cuz you have no time from the flat to the coping. The transition is so short if its steep at all it makes it hard to skate. Plus your almost guarteed to fall all the way to flat everytime

[transferz]

I wish more parks had mellow transition. In the PAC NW its usually full send, all in, steep, thwart doesn’t help a street skater appreciate transition.

[krimznrubi]

Very satisfying to hear and see your opinion here, our crew just built the small part of our indoor mini ramp, almost exactly the same height and radius.