Ripping a bevel in 1 X 6

txmat | Posted in New To Woodworking on March 24, 2009 04:45am

Hi, I am new to the forum and new to woodworking and have a question that perhaps you can answer for me. I want to make a shallow ramp to sit between my garage floor and driveway. There is about a 3/4” lip between the concrete garage floor and the concrete driveway that I want to be able to roll my table saw over. One thought is to take a 4 ft 1 X 6 and bevel it leaving about 1” flat and then bevel the remaining 5” down to the edge. This would need to be about a 10 degree angle. Since my table saw only tilts to 45 degrees how can I safely do this? Thanks in advance.

Replies

Ray | Mar 24, 2009 05:48pm | #1
If you don't have a wide jointer or a planer, I'd use a belt sander. Coarse grit belt, work cross-grain, use a light touch and work the sander evenly across the board.
MikeHennessy | Mar 24, 2009 06:51pm | #2
Well, for starters, if you leave 1" on a 1X6, you only have 4-1/2" (not 5") to bevel. ;-)

I'd just set the TS to 10° bevel, raise the blade as high as possible, and run the board through on edge, taking *almost* everything off the bottom edge (leave a little something for the stick to ride on as it exits the blade.) Then, assuming you can get a 3" depth of cut from your TS, flip the board onto the uncut edge, reset the fence so the blade matches the prior kerf (you'll have to either reset the fence to the other side of the blade or flip the stick end-for-end so you run the stick through the saw from the opposite end) and rip the rest of the bevel from the other side.

Alternatively, after the first cut, flip the board onto the wide side and rip off the waste wedge you just made. Finish up the last 1-1/2" of the "ramp" with a hand plane, power or manual, your choice.

Or you could just do the whole thing in a few seconds with a bandsaw or about 5 minutes with a hand plane. A better sawyer than I am could also do the whole job in a few minutes with just a handsaw. ;-)

What tools/skills you have, as well as what you feel safe doing, kinda dictates how you approach it. As usual, there's a LOT of ways to do just about any task. And, just because something is safe for ME, doesn't mean it'll be safe for you -- never ignore that tiny nagging voice in your noggin saying "this ain't a good idea!" Whenever you hear that voice, look for another way to do things -- you'll almost always find one.

Mike Hennessy
Pittsburgh, PA
zolton | Mar 24, 2009 08:09pm | #3
This is not the greatest of ideas. The lumber will be so thin that it will break apart almost immediately, especially if cars will run over it, and if it has exposure to the elements.

A better solution would be to call a slab jacker or a mud jacker. These companies drill holes in concrete and inject a grout made of sand, water and cement under the slab under high pressure. The grout lifts the slab to where it was when it was originally poured, and you can drive on it immediately.

In the end, this is a much more permanent fix for the problem, and it won't detract from the value of the house, as a splintered, filthy board lying in the gap probably would..

Zolton

If you see a possum running around in here, kill it. It's not a pet. - Jackie Moon

txmat | Mar 24, 2009 11:13pm | #4
Zolton, Thanks for the suggestion. I will not have cars going accross the ramp. I will only put it down when I want to take my TS or other equipment out on the driveway. The max weight will be under 400 lbs. When I do not need it, I will store it away.The lumber may not be the way to go, but I only want something that I can put down when I need to. That is why I was thinking on using about 4 feet of 1X6, but didn't know how to rip it on the TS.

zolton | Mar 26, 2009 07:49pm | #15
TX,

OK, I understand now about not needing the ramp to support automobile traffic. You just need a small incline for rolling tools in and out of the garage. So, no slab jacking needed.

For your purpose, the 1x6 would work. Or, you could minimalize things even further by just making a couple of tapered shims maybe 4-6 inches wide that you could lay down on the driveway apron when you needed them. Those could be created by cutting two pieces of 1x6 about 14-16 inches long, and then shaving or planing them into tapered pieces - 3/4 on one end down to nothing at the other end.

You'd place the pieces in front of the wheels of whatever tool you'd want to roll out, then pick them up when you're finished.

Zolton

If you see a possum running around in here, kill it. It's not a pet. - Jackie Moon

KiddervilleAcres | Mar 26, 2009 10:36pm | #16
Zolton,

I suggested a couple of shingles or clapboards as I thought the step was 3/4" and noticed that some suggested 2" by material? Wondering about clearance under the base if it's 2" (or is it 1 1/2", sometimes 1 3/8") depending on the mill.

Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres

A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!

txmat | Mar 27, 2009 01:44am | #17
The step is 3/4 inch.
KiddervilleAcres | Mar 27, 2009 05:33pm | #18
Six shingles will get you there, three for each ramp. Try it, whatta ya got to lose.

Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres

A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!

GDH2 | Mar 25, 2009 04:55am | #5
I personally would use my circular saw. I'd use a second 2x6 to provide a solid platform, spacers between the two 2x6's so the edge of the circular saw aligns with the edge of the second 2x6, and I'd use a strip of wood protruding from the edge of that second 2x6 so I don't need to concentrate on guiding the circular saw. But then I'm one of those EZ guys!

I would think (without laying it out) that both the circular saw (mine is 8 1/4) and the table saw will not cut all the way through, but hand sawing should be pretty easy in construction lumber when you've got a good kerf to guide you.

I would think you don't want to make the edge be too sharp - maybe leave almost a 1/4" lip. The construction lumber will just get mangled if there's no lip. That would also make it easier and safer to run the piece through your table saw vertically.

BRAIN FLASH - I saw a plan (in an old magazine) for a jig yesterday to make bevel cuts using a planer. Essentially you attach a 2x2 (or whatever size works) under one side of the board, then run it through the planer. The jig used a backer board that was the width of the planer and used a spacer so the planed board would be at the high side of the backer board. But you can probably imagine roughly what I mean.

Doug
The Wood Loon
Acton, MA
BruceS | Mar 25, 2009 05:27am | #6
Another way, build an angled shooting board for a planer.

Work Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!

Bruce S.

txmat | Mar 26, 2009 02:04am | #11
Bruce, What is a shooting board?

BruceS | Mar 26, 2009 02:50am | #13
Some call it a shooting board others call it a sled. It's just a jig that will hold your lumber at a desired angle so you can run it through a planer to get your desired angle.

Work Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!

Bruce S.

KiddervilleAcres | Mar 25, 2009 05:43am | #7
Tack a few shingles together to make the 3/4" ramp. Easy to store too.

Edit: Uh correction - you'll prolly want to make 2 of them. :-)

Dang another one: Huh, what about 2 or three clapboards 6' long?

Regards,

Bob @ Kidderville Acres

A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!

Edited 3/24/2009 10:44 pm ET by KiddervilleAcres

Edited 3/24/2009 10:45 pm ET by KiddervilleAcres
bigfootnampa | Mar 25, 2009 06:08am | #8
It is really a VERY simple project. You could do it with a very coarse sanding disc in a 4 1/2" grinder in about two minutes... less than ten on a shaving horse with a drawknife... five minutes on a jointer or with a hewing axe... you get the idea!
flairwoodworks | Mar 25, 2009 08:07am | #9
Or you could get some plywood and rip it into strips, each a little narrower than the previous. Glue and nail/screw them together to make a ramp. The widest part goes on top and the narrowest on the bottom.

EDIT: Or better yet, taper some wedges and fasten some plywood on top.

Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
(soon to be http://www.flairwoodworks.com)

- Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer

Edited 3/25/2009 1:08 am by flairwoodworks
BrianDerr | Mar 25, 2009 08:34am | #10
Why not bevel the floor or driveway itself with angle grinder, diamond blade, mask, goggles and earplugs. Concrete is not difficult to shape . . . but there is probably some issue witht the door that I can't imagine . . . add a weather strip?

Brian

txmat | Mar 26, 2009 02:12am | #12
Brian, Thanks for the suggestion, but I do not want to modify the driveway or the garage floor. The lip is there to keep rain water out of the garage. Whatever I do, I want it to be something that is temporary and only used when I need it.

Cincinnati | Mar 26, 2009 05:55pm | #14
What does your table saw weigh?

Unless the weigh makes it impossible, I would lift it over the 3/4 lip and roll it out to the other wheels and then lift them over it. Remember to use your legs mate!

Mud jacking your driveway up does not sound like a good idea to me. I have seen concrete ramps (as if you wanted wheelchair access to your workshop). I would recommend this far above lifting your driveway slab if you want a permanent fixed solution.

I believe the 2x6 or 2x8 idea would work. It's a cheap solution to try. If you find the compression strength inadequate, add a thin metal plate over the top to spread out the load. Even a piece of sheet metal would work. I personally doubt you'll have to go that route unless perhaps you have a 600 lb saw.

Greg

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