Okay, this wooden sports thing started ’cause my nephew’s birthday was coming up. Kid’s crazy about skateboarding, but those store-bought ramps cost way too much. Figured, hell, I’ve got scrap lumber in the garage – why not build one myself?

Getting Started

First, I grabbed all the plywood pieces piled near my workbench. Measured twice like my grandpa always said, marking curves for the ramp shape with a damn pencil tied to a string. Then came the sawing part. Man, my old jigsaw made noises like a dying cat – definitely need a new blade soon. Sawdust was everywhere, all over my shoes, in my hair. Looked like I rolled in flour.

Putting It Together

Assembly was the messy bit. Held the curved plywood with one hand, trying to screw in support beams with the other. Dropped screws everywhere, swore a bunch when one bounced into the grass. Used these cheap brackets from last year’s shelving project – probably overkill, but they were just sitting there. For grip, I glued outdoor carpet scraps on top. Pressed it down with a bag of rice when the clamps gave out. Looked ghetto as hell, but whatever.

Trial Run Disaster

Next day, my nephew shows up. Kid hops on his board, flies up the ramp, and – CRACK! A support beam splits clean in two. Board flips sideways, kid eats dirt. Face full of tears and mud. I felt like such an idiot. Should’ve used thicker wood or added more bracing. My sister’s glaring at me like I poisoned her plants.

Redo Time

Tore it apart same afternoon. Grabbed proper plywood instead of old scraps, beefed up every joint with three screws instead of one. Even splurged on rubber grip tape. Tested it myself first – rolled my kid’s tricycle down. Held fine. Nephew tried again cautiously this time. Made it up, did a little grind on the coping, skidded down backwards. Huge grin. No more crying, just “Do it again, Uncle!”

Still looks homemade as heck, but that wobble’s gone. Lesson? Don’t cheap out on materials, and always test with something less breakable than a 9-year-old. My back hurts like crazy, and I’m covered in splinters. Worth it, though.