Beef It Up!

YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED THAT WHAT YOU HAVE NOW IS KINDA WIMPY...PLYWOOD DOESN’T HOLD UP VERY WELL ON IT’S OWN..ESPECIALLY AT THE TIPS OF THE CURVE WHERE THE PLYWOOD IS THINNEST. SO AGAIN, THE 2 BY 6’S COME TO THE RESCUE.

YOU NEED TO ATTACH 3 OF THEM TO THE FRAME LIKE THIS..THE FULL 8 FEET LONG, ...DON’T SCREW THEM IN YET!




YEAH, YOU GOTTA CUT THE 2 BY 6’S TO MATCH THE FRAME CURVE. OK. LAY THE FRAME ON A FLAT SURFACE WITH THE RIB SUPPORTS FACING UP, AND SLIDE THE 2  BY 6 UNDERNEATH THE FRAME, MAKE SURE THE 2 BY 6 IS ABOUT 3 INCHES (MAKE SURE IT'S SQUARE!)(MORE LATER)  BELOW THE BOTTOM OF THE PLYWOOD,AND THE ENDS OF THE 2 BY 6 ARE MEETING THE PLYWOOD ENDS, AND TRACE THE CURVE ON TO THE 2 BY 6. CUT THE CURVE WITH THE SKILL SAW. FLIP THE FRAME OVER, AND MATCH YOUR CURVE TO THE FRAME’S...

WAIT A MINUTE...THOSE RIB SUPPORTS ARE IN THE WAY! WELL ONE IS ANYWAY!

YOU NEED TO CUT A NOTCH INTO THE 2 BY 6 TO CLEAR THOSE, SO WHEN YOU’RE DONE CUTTING, THE 2 BY 6 WILL LOOK LIKE THIS:

ONCE THE 2 BY 6 IS ABLE TO FIT, LINE IT UP SAME LENGTH AS THE PLYWOOD AND 3" BELOW THE BOTTOM OF THE FRAME..YOU’RE SCREWING THROUGH THE PLYWOOD INTO THE 2 BY 6, USING THE #14, 2" SCREWS.. DO IT FOR BOTH AXIS, THE HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL. YOU’LL THEN TAKE THE 3RD 2 BY 6, THE CROSS PIECE, AND SCREW IT INTO THE 2 BY 6’S AS SHOWN.., USING THE # 12 3" SCREWS. DO NOT ATTACH IT TOO CLOSE TO THE RIB SUPPORTS, BECAUSE THERE’LL BE THOSE 6" BOLTS COMING THROUGH THOSE, AND YOU GOTTA BE ABLE TO GET YOUR HAND IN THERE TO TWIST THE NUTS ON..YOU’LL SEE. CUT THE CROSS PIECE AT AN ANGLE. SO IT GOES WITH THE FRAME..IF YOU LEAVE IT LONG, IT WILL GET IN THE WAY.

THE RIBS

OK. THIS GETS A LITTLE TRICKY..DEPENDS WHAT YOU WANT TO DO.. THE "RIBS" ARE THE CROSS MEMBERS ( 2 BY 4’S) WHICH CONNECT ONE FRAME PIECE TO ANOTHER, CREATING THE "SECTION" .HERE’S WHERE I CUT YOU SOME SLACK..IF YOU’RE GONNA MAKE THIS THING MODULAR, STAY TUNED, HOWEVER, IF YOU’RE MAKING IT PERMANENT YOU CAN USE THE 12 FOOT 2 BY 4’S AND, WHEN YOU’RE DONE WITH ALL SIX SECTIONS, JUST SCREW, NAIL OR WHATEVER (HIGHLY RECOMMEND BOLTS!) THEM RIGHT TO THE RIB SUPPORTS. IF YOU’RE MAKING IT MODULAR, HOWEVER...HE HE..OK...WHAT YOU NEED TO DO NOW IS CUT 6 OF THOSE 8 FOOT 2 BY 4’S IN HALF MAKE THEM EXACTLY (!!) 4 FEET LONG, AND CUT 3 OFTHOSE 8 FOOTERS TO MAKE 6 EXACTLY 43 1/2" LONG...(MORE LATER)

HOWEVER...IF YOU HAVE ROOM TO STORE AN 8 FOOT BY 8 FOOT SECTION OF PLYWOOD..DO NOT CUT THOSE 2 BY 4’S! YOU CAN USE THEM TO CROSS AND CONNECT 2 SECTIONS, INCREASING STRENGTH AND CUTTING DOWN ON WORK..REMEMBER, HOWEVER, YOU MUST STILL NOTCH AND DRILL THE 8 FOOTERS WHEREVER THEY MEET THE RIB SUPPORTS...4 PLACES... THINK THOUGH...IF YOU STORE THIS IN YOUR BASEMENT AND THE ONLY WAY DOWN THERE IS A BULKHEAD...NOT GONNA HAPPEN..EVEN IN SOME GARAGES..NOT GONNA HAPPEN..8 BY 8 IS PRETTY BIG, AND HEAVY TOO! SO IF YOUR GONNA CUT THESE 2 BY 4’S, THE REASON THEY HAVE TO BE SO PERFECT IS THAT THEY DETERMINE THE WIDTH OF THE SECTION..... ONE SECTION IS CONNECTED TO ANOTHER, AND THAT ONE STILL TO ANOTHER; TO MAKE IT 12 FEET WIDE. THERE ARE 18 OF THESE 4 FOOT 2 BY 4’S PER SECTION, AND IF THEY WERE DIFFERENT LENGTHS, THE SECTION WOULD NOT BE SQUARE..NOT ONLY THAT, BUT THESE SECTIONS BUTT UP AGAINST EACH OTHER..THE RIDING SURFACE OF EACH SECTION HAS TO MEET THE NEXT SECTION VERY TIGHT.OR ELSE YOU’LL GET A SPACE. OK. ONCE YOU’VE DECIDED ON THE LENGTH OF THE 2 BY 4’S, IT’S TIME TO NOTCH THEM, DRILL HOLES IN THEM, (AND THE RIB SUPPORTS), AND START ASSEMBLING THIS THING....FINALLY HEY?

NOTCH THE 2 BY 4’S ON THE TABLE SAW 3/4" IN FROM THE ENDS..MAKE THE NOTCH ABOUT 1 INCH LONG AND 1/2" OR SO DEEP.SET UP THE TWO FRAMES ON THEIR BACKS, 4 FEET APART, FACING EACH OTHER, LIKE SO:

FRAME ON IT’S BACK

PUT ONE OF THE 2 BY 4’S THROUGH A FRAME NOTCH AND RIGHT TO THE EDGE OF  THE FRAME, BUT NOT BEYOND...WHAT YOU HAVE IS THE 2 RAMP FRAMES SET UP WITH A 2 BY 4 CONNECTING THE TWO..DRILL THE HOLE THROUGH THE 2 BY 4 SO AS TO MEET THE RIB SUPPORT AROUND IT’S CENTER..THE DRILL BIT WILL GO
THROUGH THE 2 BY 4 AND JUST MAKE A MARK IN THE RIB SUPPORT..YOU WANT THIS..REMOVE THE 2 BY 4 AND DRILL (AT A RIGHT ANGLE TO THE RIB SUPPORT) (WITH A 3/8" BIT) THROUGH THE RIB SUPPORT, AND REPEAT THIS FOR THE OTHER FRAME. NOW YOU CAN TAKE THE 6" STOVE BOLTS, AND POUND THEM THROUGH
THE 2 BY 4’S ON BOTH SIDES..THEY’LL BE TIGHT IN THE 2 BY 4’S, (NOT THE RIB SUPPORTS) AND THEY SHOULD BE..YOU DON’T WANT THEM TO TURN WHEN YOU’RE CRANKING DOWN THE NUTS.

WHY NOTCH? BECAUSE THE PLYWOOD (RIDING SURFACE) WILL BE SCREWED TO THESE 2 BY 4’S, AND YOU DON’T NOTCH THEM, THE BOLT HEADS WILL STICK UP AND INTERFERE WITH IT; PLUS, UNLESS YOU HAVE A REALLY LONG DRILL BIT, THE BIT WON’T BE LONG ENOUGH TO GO THROUGH THE 2 BY 4. 


ONLY NOTCH 12 2 BY 4’S PER SECTION..THE OTHER 6 ARE SUPPORTED DIFFERENTLY...AND NUMBER THEM ALL!! YOU WILL GO NUTS TRYING TO GET THE CORRECT 2 BY 4 IN THE CORRECT NOTCH IF YOU DON’T..YOU NUMBER THESE BECAUSE WHEN YOU DRILL THROUGH THE 2 BY 4 AND MAKE THE MARK IN THE RIB SUPPORT, YOU ARE CREATING AN UNIQUE MOUNT FOR EACH 2 BY 4..EVERY HOLE YOU DRILL WILL NOT BE AT THE EXACT SAME ANGLE, AND "#4" WILL NOT WANT TO GO IN THE NOTCH DRILLED FOR " #1"..TRUST ME ON THIS!SO NOW YOU HAVE THIS THING PUT TOGETHER WITH THE 12 2 BY 4’S..CHECK FOR THE 2 BY 4’S PROTRUDING BEYOND THE FRAME..CAN’T HAVE IT!

TAKE A MEASURING TAPE AND MEASURE ACROSS THE SECTION AT DIFFERENT POINTS. AS STATED EARLIER, THIS THING HAS TO BE SQUARE..IT SHOULD MEASURE 4 FEET WIDE EXACTLY..IF NOT, NOTCH CUT AND DRILL NEW 2 BY 4’S TO REPLACE THE BAD ONES..OK ASSUMING EVERYTHING’S COOL MOVE ON TO THE LAST PART OF THIS SECTION (YEAH!) ..THE JOIST HANGERS..THESE ARE MOUNTED AT THE SKINNY ENDS OF THE RAMP FRAMES, WHERE IT’S TOO THIN TO NOTCH .THIS ISN’T THAT HARD..JUST KINDA TEDIOUS...YOU’ LL MOUNT THEM LIKE SO: