This is how you screw on plywood properly.
What You'll Need
- The frame of an unfinished ramp
- Some 3/8" treated plywood
- Lots of 1 1/2" deck screws
- Chalk line
- A tape measure
- Something to cut the pieces with
- The required safety gear
Assess the situation
The first thing you need to do is build the frame of your ramp. It could be any ramp you want, but for this tutorial we will be using a 4' half pipe as a general case scenario.
Screw the top row of screws
If you've ever made a curved ramp before then you know that 3/8" plywood does not bend very easily, especially
when you're attaching full size sheets. This technique will allow you to easily screw on your plywood without all
the hassle. The trick is to screw one row at a time. If you start by screwing just the top row and work your
way down, you will notice that the force of the screws is enough force to bend the plywood for you. Just remember
to start screwing at the top so that the plywood remains tight against the coping (or top
of the ramp if you don't have coping). When screwing the edges of the plywood, you should space your screws approximately
8" apart for maximum strength. You should put screws into every 2x4 underneath. If you're not screwing on the
edge of a sheet of plywood it is not necessary to put in as many screws. For the middle regions of the plywood, you
can space your screws up to 2' apart.
Use chalk line
The purpose of using chalk line is to mark where your 2x4's are underneath your plywood. This will ensure that your screws never miss. If you don't have a chalk line at home, you can use almost anything that will guide you in a straight line (string, piece of wood, pencil line, etc.).
Where does your plywood end?
It is very important that both ends of the plywood end on a 2x4. This will help to keep the transition of the ramp rigid, and will also greatly increase the lifespan of the ramp. So if either end of your plywood does not lye exactly on a 2x4, you'll need to follow the next step carefully.
Add a 2x4
If either end of a piece of plywood doesn't lye on a 2x4, you'll need to add one. This is an easy step and should always be done to greatly improve the strength of your ramp. Make sure that the plywood only covers half of your added 2x4 because the next sheet of plywood that you put on will need to share that half.
Add bottom sheet of plywood
**This technique only applies if the bottom of your ramp will lead to a ground surface (pavement, concrete, gravel, etc.)
The bottom sheet of plywood is important because there is no exact length that you should make it. With this
being the bottom layer, you should make this piece slightly shorter than the layer above it. This is so that
you ensure that where the surface of the ramp meets the pavement is only one layer thick. I have demonstrated
the result of this technique in the second image below.
The second image below shows how proceeding layers should be cut longer than the layers underneath them. Remember that the last layer (top layer) should be the longest, but also remember that there is a such thing as being too long. So use a bit of common sense on this one. If you having 3 or more layers on a ramp, the same rule applies. The first layer should be the shortest, and the top layer should be the longest (the middle layer should be in between.
Applying the next layer
Adding another layer of plywood uses the same principles as we just used (make sure each layer ends on a 2x4, start screwing from the top, etc.) but it adds one more principle, which is that you should never EVER allow two pieces of plywood (from different layers) have seems that are in the same place. It is crucial that you offset the next layer from the one beneath it to maximize the strength of the ramp.
And that concludes this tutorial. So now that you know all the trick for applying plywood to your ramp, you can go out and use them! If you think we missed something important, or have any questions, you can leave us a comment at the bottom of this page. Thanks for reading, and have fun.
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this ramp is quite sick i built 1 myself and it still hasnt broken :) Please login(right side) or Register to leave a comment.