How to Build a Flyball Ramp

Dogs have to overcome a series of obstacles during a round of flyball.

Flyball is a dog sport, involving dogs of various breeds. The purpose of the game is to overcome diverse obstacles, reach a box on the other side of the track that releases a tennis ball, and return the ball to the owner. To release the ball, dogs need to step or jump on the diagonal part of the box. It is a difficult technique to learn and for this purpose, owners use diagonal ramps with a larger surface to speed up the training process. These ramps are quite easy to make, especially if you have experience in making bevel cuts.

Things You'll Need

• 5-by-3 feet sheet of 2-inch thick plywood, 2
• Motorized or manual miter saw
• 4-inch nails
• 3 1/4-inch nails
• Glue
• 5-by-3 feet sheet of foam board

Instructions

1. Draw two 24-by-3 inches bars -- from now on "A" bars -- on one of the plywood sheets. Design another 56-by-3 inches bars ("B") and two 27-by-3 inches bars ("C"). Cut them out of the plywood sheet using a saw.

2. Make a 45-degree bevel cut on one end of the two C bars. On the other end of the bars, place the A bars, so that they form A and C bars form a right angle. Use 4-inch nails to keep the perpendicular bars together and create an L-like shape.

3. Make another 45-degree bevel cut on the top end of the two A bars. Place the B bar between the right angles of the two "L" shapes. Ensure the horizontal C bars face towards the same direction and use 4-inch nails to hold the right angles and the B bar's ends together.

4. Lay the untouched 5-by-3 feet plywood sheet on the four diagonal ends of the A and C bars. Use 3 1/4-inch nails on the four spots where the bevel cuts touch the plywood.

5. Apply glue near the edges of the foam board sheet and glue it on the plywood sheet. This is an additional safety measure for when your dog jumps awkwardly on the ramp.

Tips & Warnings

• If you have to buy a miter saw for this task, choose a manual one. You only need to make four easy bevel cuts on plywood and a hard-to-handle motorized saw can make the task trickier.

References

• Blue Cedar Sport Dogs: Training Turns
• Engineers Edge: Standard Nail Size Engineering Chart

Resources

• The Kennel Club: Flyball
• Rockler: Understanding Angles