# easy to make rail?



## Guest (Sep 28, 2008)

and i would just like some ideas from everyone as well as answers to my questions. thanks a bunch


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## Guest (Sep 28, 2008)

i was planning on making a rail and a drop in ramp... and i think pvc pipe will work. i was planning on putting like 2-3 pipes like side to side cuz im not sure if it will crack or something


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## Guest (Sep 28, 2008)

heres a quick diagram i did up, ive never made one, but i think it would work good










the red circles are pvc pipes and the gray parts are wood

what you want to do is get like 2 equally sized pieces of wood, like 2x6s or 2x8s or whatever and one piece a little more narrow but same thickness and length and fasten them together as the diagram shows

then get two pieces of pvc pipe equal in length to the wood and 1.25 to 2 times larger in diameter than the thickness of each piece of wood(if the wood is two inches thick, get pvc thats 2.5-4 inches thick.......im not too sure about this part as ive never made one of these)

cut lengthwis down each pvc pipe making sure to do a straight line......then stretch the pipe over the pieces of wood as shown, you want to push the pipe down until its hitting the top side of the wood(diagram does not show this part).......if the pipe is too hard to stretch over the wood, you may have to cut a narrow section out of the pipe

you shouldnt need screws or anything to keep the pipe in place.......fasten some kind of supports to the bottom to keep it from tipping over and youre set


warning, i know this works in warm weather but i have no idea how brittle pvc gets when its cold


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## Guest (Sep 30, 2008)

nice diagram, thanks for the info.


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## nitroboarder22 (Apr 16, 2008)

im glad more people are making backyard parks like this. 
first yes PVC will work. it shouldnt break in the cold (this is what i did) you just have to make a frame and attach the pipe by drilling a hole in the top and then drilling another hole so you can put the screws through the pipe. 
But what B-166-er said actually looks like a good idea because there wont be any hole in the top. the only thing i would change about it is you should put screws in the sides so it doesnt slip. 


to make a box you can use an old bench or make something like it. 
as for the plastic stuff to put on a box or rail i bought about $80 worth and i would definatly suggest this stuff its called poleythylene.

High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) Sheeting - US Plastic Corporation

you want to get 3/8 inch thick or thicker. i know its expensive but its worth it because its the same stuff they use at resorts. 

you could actually use that plastic on a rail too (thats what i did on one of my rails) just remember to countersink the screws if you use that plastic. 

if you want a metal rail find someone who can weld and has the tools to do it then it will be easy to do

for the perferated pipe you could find a construction yard and ask them if they have any or homedepot or some other hardware store might have something like that. 

heres a video with parts from my house so you can check out what i did 

the flat down flat rail, hip rail, down rail and up rail are bascily the same 3 rails that i made with PVC pipe 

the box was an old bench i found at my grandmas house and that i put poleythylene one 

and i had a handrail that has poleythylene on it 

<object width="400" height="300">	<param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" />	<param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" />	<param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1726014&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" />	<embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1726014&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://vimeo.com/1726014?pg=embed&sec=1726014">cydonia snowboard edit</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/alexmaier?pg=embed&sec=1726014">alex maier</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com?pg=embed&sec=1726014">Vimeo</a>.


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## joeydzzle (Jan 30, 2008)

I built a box out of HDPE sheets that i got off of ebay. I ordered 5 sheets that were 2 x 1 feet. I believe that i got them for about 3 bucks each with shipping. I don't know if i got lucky or is that is really how cheap HDPE is.

It took me about 2 nights to make it. (the reason we didn't finish in one night was because we needed a different drill bit for the HDPE)It should be that bad just as long as you have enough man power and the right tools 

Also, i read on this forum that PVC piping is too weak to grind on. It cracks and thats never fun.










G LUCK take some pics of your rail


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## nitroboarder22 (Apr 16, 2008)

wow 3 bucks for a sheet, you got really lucky. 

i have only had my PVC rails for one season but they have worked very well with out cracking. I think it might depend on how you attach it to the wood


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## Guest (Dec 3, 2008)

pvc works well in spring temps, but when it gets to be under 28 degrees, its gets extremely brittle and is pretty easy to break if you pop up too high or what not. yes, hdpe is what you want to use, as well as a countersunk bit so you can screw it down to the box without catching and edge on the screws its an extremely durable scratch resistant surface, very easy to maintain and las a long time, deffinitely the way to go.


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