[laneiam]

Hi I am new, not only to woodwrking but to tools as well althought I have alot of them.
I want to make a ramp for my dog and I want a step at the top. To level it off I want to make a 42degree angle. I DO NOT have a miter saw. I cannot fit a mitersaw in my apt. Lowes does not cut angles. I do have howerer, a dremel, a dremel max, a jig saw and of course my hand saws and and a dewalt jig with inter changable blades.
I there anyway for me to accompish what I wat to do with any of my existing tools or something else that an apartment living person could buy?
Thanks to anyone that will take the time to answer me
Lainie

 

[bcfunburst]

I started out much the same as you, Lainie. It will take a bit longer to do your project and some more elbow grease. You can use a school protractor set to get the angles you need; mark them with pencil and long straight edge; use hand tools to do the cutting. "Where there's a will........" No harm in doing things by hand, the old fashioned way. It's the beginning of the learning curve. Go for it! Once you are done there is great satisfaction in what you have accomplished on your own.

 

[MT Stringer]

A hand saw will get the job done. Or, a jig saw with a blade long enough to cut through the board. Use a straight edge to help guide the jig saw. Take your time. Good luck.

Mike

 

[laneiam]

how to


I am going to go out on a limb here and believe ther are no stupid questions but how do I follow a line. I can just see one way and it not good at all and that is to pencil the angle on the narrow side of the wood and hope for the best. I just can't wrap my head around where I would foolw a cut line. I know my angle. I watched alot of YouTube the past couple of days so I know how to find thatl I was just thinking maybe my wood is too think 3/4" x 16". I guess I could stand it on the narrow part but the and cut but I still can't see how you would accurately cut the edge.
But I do have many types if hand tools including saws big and small. I can't think of the name of my dewalt tool that has a whole case of interchangeable blades.
I came on this site to ask if a router can cut an angle through a piece of wood. I **** this site and think I could learn a whole lot from it.
What I am trying to do right now is joint the ramp with the top step at a 43/an 53 angle. Is that right? I am trying to make the oppisite of a dovetail:sad:
Lainie

 

[Semipro]

Hello Lainie, glad you found us, it's great to have you as a member of the community, welcome to Router Forums.

 

[laneiam]

it's filled out

John my profile is filled out

 

[old55]

Welcome to the forum Lainie.

 

[RainMan 2.0]

Welcome to the forum . I'm sorry I can't be of much help , but if were neighbour I'd certainly let you use my miter saw .
I think you score a 9 for best profile so far

 

[MT Stringer]

I want to make a ramp for my dog and I want a step at the top. To level it off I want to make a 42degree angle.

Getting back to your project...what is the ramp for?

Do you have a plan or drawing of what you want to accomplish? You could sketch it out on paper and take a picture of it and post it here. The more info you can provide, the better the help given will be.

There are some very good folks here with a lot of talent in all sorts of woodworking fields. Hopefully, some good advice can help you build your ramp.
Mike

 

[DaninVan]

Lainie, is this so your dog can climb in and out of a van or suv? If so I'm in the same boat (sorry, no pun intended) as my guy is getting older and I don't want him jumping down onto concrete as it's dynamite on their spine.
Yoy didn't mention what material you're using for the 'stringers' (sides), or what your surface is...plywood?
Does it look something like this?
Pet Wander Ramp - BedBathandBeyond.ca

 

[Gaffboat]

Lainie, I see by another post that you resolved your problem by buying a ramp on bay. I just want to pass this on for your future reference so you know that even with limited tools you can still make things you need.

I'm guessing from your original post that you want the ramp to be at a 42º angle from the ground. That is a problem because it means you really need to cut a 48º angle on the end of the board. Many tools are limited to 45º cuts, making that difficult.

Here's a work around if you can accept a short "foot" on the end that is on the ground. With the saw set at 42º, cut a narrow foot off of the end of the board. When the ramp board is attached to the angled side of the foot it will be at 42º with the foot resting on the ground. The photos tell it better than I can.

Setting the angle of the blade in your jig saw can be done by drawing a simple template on paper and using it to set the blade. A clamped board gives you a guide to make a straight cut.

Don't despair about lacking tools, just get more creative. Many years ago (okay, more than 40 years ago) I built a camper shell for my pick-up truck and made an over-the-cab bed, little area for a camp stove, benches, and a table. The only tools I had at the time were an electric drill, a jig saw, a few hand tools, and enthusiasm. :yes4:

 

[MT Stringer]

Lainie, I see by another post that you resolved your problem by buying a ramp on bay. I just want to pass this on for your future reference so you know that even with limited tools you can still make things you need.

I'm guessing from your original post that you want the ramp to be at a 42º angle from the ground. That is a problem because it means you really need to cut a 48º angle on the end of the board. Many tools are limited to 45º cuts, making that difficult.

Here's a work around if you can accept a short "foot" on the end that is on the ground. With the saw set at 42º, cut a narrow foot off of the end of the board. When the ramp board is attached to the angled side of the foot it will be at 42º with the foot resting on the ground. The photos tell it better than I can.

Setting the angle of the blade in your jig saw can be done by drawing a simple template on paper and using it to set the blade. A clamped board gives you a guide to make a straight cut.

Don't despair about lacking tools, just get more creative. Many years ago (okay, more than 40 years ago) I built a camper shell for my pick-up truck and made an over-the-cab bed, little area for a camp stove, benches, and a table. The only tools I had at the time were an electric drill, a jig saw, a few hand tools, and enthusiasm. :yes4:

Good job, Oliver. Pictures are worth a thousand words. Excellent pictorial. You deserve more money.

 

[thomas1389]

Good job, Oliver. Pictures are worth a thousand words. Excellent pictorial. You deserve more money.

OLIVER does it again. That was great. A picture IS worth a thousand words. Thank you, Oliver!!

 

[RainMan 2.0]

OLIVER does it again. That was great. A picture IS worth a thousand words. Thank you, Oliver!!

I have to agree , great info Oliver .

 

[MAFoElffen]

...how do I follow a line?

What I am trying to do right now is joint the ramp with the top step at a 43/an 53 angle. Is that right? I am trying to make the oppisite of a dovetail:sad:
Lainie

This should help with the nomenclature, so you know what we are talking about (common understanding):

I understand that you are really creating a ramp with one stair step... Draw it out on both sides of the stair stringers. Mark the side of the cut that will be cut away with X'es, occasionally on that side, so you know what will be your waste side.

If all you have is a jig-saw or handsaw, then clamp, tack nail or screw some scraps along the off-side of your cut-line (the bottom side when you are cutting), on the same side of the cut that will be kept. That way, as you cut along the line that you see on your top or visual side, you can guide the saw along that visual line -and- the scrap will act as a guide on the opposite of the cut, to keep the blade from wandering and cutting too much off the offside.

If it does wander to the outside (into the waste side), that is okay, as you can turn over your stringer and trim off more waste along that line... You can always trim off more. But it is harder to add a tad "more" to wood.

That just is a beginners basic tool way on how to cut a stiaight/perpendicualr line for someone just starting out with woodworking skills.

If you had a longer blade. such as with a hand saw, you could screw scrap and both sides of your workpiece and on both sides of the cut, so that the saw would cut between the scrap, on both sides, and be guided in a way that there would be no change or wander with the blade. That would end up like a hand-powered miter saw...

 

[laneiam]

[/QUOTE]I think you score a 9 for best profile so far [/QUOTE]



Thank you thank you thank you Rick. Thanks for noticing :thank_you2:

 

[laneiam]

Lainie, I see by another post that you resolved your problem by buying a ramp on bay. I just want to pass this on for your future reference so you know that even with limited tools you can still make things you need.

I'm guessing from your original post that you want the ramp to be at a 42º angle from the ground. That is a problem because it means you really need to cut a 48º angle on the end of the board. Many tools are limited to 45º cuts, making that difficult.

Here's a work around if you can accept a short "foot" on the end that is on the ground. With the saw set at 42º, cut a narrow foot off of the end of the board. When the ramp board is attached to the angled side of the foot it will be at 42º with the foot resting on the ground. The photos tell it better than I can.

Setting the angle of the blade in your jig saw can be done by drawing a simple template on paper and using it to set the blade. A clamped board gives you a guide to make a straight cut.

Don't despair about lacking tools, just get more creative.

Mike, this is great. yes I did by a ramp on ebay but it has yet to come. I decided (before I read your post) to go ahead and see if I could make one anyway. So what I did was take the Multi Max and saw in a little and then again it at a 45degree angle so I would not have so much to cut . and then just put the multi max at an angle and cut. Then I sanded it till I got the angle I wanted. Now that being said I do know that I can't get a precise cut like that but I did pretty good except for the fact that I cut it at the opposite direction. So that was almost a bust but what I did used my 3/8" Forstner bit to drill holes for dowels and held it together with that. since using adhesive was out since I put the cut wrong direction. Then I attached 2 pieces of wood to each side of the ramp to make edges. I then attached the legs with dowels. I attached a 12" wide less deeper piece of wood to the underside of the ramp with hinges and one piece coming out on either side of the 12" piece of wood with smaller hinges and at the end of then put a bolt on the ends which bolted into the edges which I had drill holes in for the bolt to connect to make it all nice and tight but yet collapsible. It is now drying the primer and is waiting for a nice day to paint it.

I thank you so much for you pictures it made so much sense. I feel I have to get "my" ramp done since I told the guy at Lowe's I would come back and show him. I won't show my face in Lowe's until I do. I understand exactly your pictures and since I really do understand them may redo my ramp. It's make so much sense now. Where did you find those pictures or did you take them yourself? If so you must be an instructor or something.
At first I just had a sliding bi=level with graduations but a protractor with the adjustable arm is exactly what I needed and bought.
I love setting out on adventures like this and between you and DIY site I learn so much and meet a lot of really helpful people. So kind of you to take the time.
Lainie
Without my "nut" missions I would be bored as hell
Pictures in about a week

 

[laneiam]

I am so sorry OLIVER. for calling you Mike. Thank you Oliver

 

[RainMan 2.0]

I am so sorry OLIVER. for calling you Mike. Thank you Oliver

Hey it could have been worse , you could have called him RainMan lol

 

[MT Stringer]

Here is a ramp someone built for their aging pooch.
Doggy ramp for Riley - by JoeinGa @ LumberJocks.com ~ woodworking community