# How to build a jump in the woods, without powertools.



## V.P. (Aug 26, 2007)

Ok, I searched the forums, I even tried google, but no results besides dirt-jumps.

I want to build a 3 feet high jump, using wood planks, I have a limited selection of tools. The jump will be in the woods, and will be leaning up against a fallen tree (the jump will basically be over the fallen tree)

What I have:

Planks, 3 feet long by 1 feet.
Hammer, nails, sandpaper, saw, showel, rope.

What I dont have: 

Power tools of any kind.

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the wood planks looks like these:










And the tree i want to build up against is this;










The tree stands very secure.

can someone give some tips, or links? Thanks in advance!

(BTW, im not using that bike to make the jump.)


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## mtnbikerride (May 11, 2007)

If your planks are as thick as they look just lean two up against the fallen tree(red), space them how wide you want the jump. Nail them top to the tree. Then cut other planks the the lenght that the other ones are spaced (brown). Maybe put supports under the two main planks so they dont bend. Asphalt roofing shingles will give you alot of traction once it gets wet.

Hope that kind of helps. I would personally take parts from the other fallen trees that are there. Two tops that are strong for the main beams. Then a bunch of thick branchs that that can be nailed to the main logs.

Sorry for my lame pictures.


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## V.P. (Aug 26, 2007)

awesome, thank you for the input! Ill make sure to post some progress pics when i get to it.


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## sodak (Oct 10, 2006)

mtnbikerride said:


> Hope that kind of helps. I would personally take parts from the other fallen trees that are there. Two tops that are strong for the main beams. Then a bunch of thick branchs that that can be nailed to the main logs.
> 
> Sorry for my lame pictures.


That last feature looks questionable....... Sticks with shingles laid over top?? :skep:


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## mtnbikerride (May 11, 2007)

looks questionable but it is solid. The edges have sense be groomed. I talked to the guys who built it and they said they liked the natural look of the rat pak in cle elum, wa so they tried to make a lookalike.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

mtnbikerride said:


> looks questionable but it is solid. The edges have sense be groomed. I talked to the guys who built it and they said they liked the natural look of the rat pak in cle elum, wa so they tried to make a lookalike.


I've seen similar ones in parks before, and the sticks rot FAST if you leave the bark on. When they rot, they fall out and leave nails exposed. Definitely sub-par construction work, IMO. Also, throwing shingles onto obstacles for traction looks trashy. There are better options. There's some stuff that's paint-on with sand grit in it. Works great, looks like part of the feature, and lasts a long time.


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## formica (Jul 4, 2004)

what is your native wood? Some native woods look cool, but rot pretty fast.
I agree the shingles look bad. There are lots of other alternative to add traction.


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## mtnbikerride (May 11, 2007)

Does it matter what it really looks like? Its still fun to ride. I agree the stick probbly were not the best material the builders could have used, too wet in western washington, they carried wood in for the long ladder on top though. How far would you have to carry the material, that would be a major factor for me? If it more then a half I would just cut it out of the way with the saw, wood gets heavy.


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## NortheastHucker (Jan 16, 2008)

*Shady*

I would not lean my bike on the last feature. No Offence.


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## mtb777 (Nov 6, 2005)

How about picking up 2 pressure treated 4x4's x 8 foot or 10 foot long and cut another 2 mid length posts to go between the first tread board and the last and use your planks with 1 1/2 inch gaps...........or find 2 more 6" diameter dead falls and cut them 10 foot long or what ever length works for your height and speeed and landing zone and use those for your beams and plank them?

Check out the new Bike mag. issue for the basics of all of this stuff. Check out the IMBA books, too..and check out what the BC guys are doing on their north shore forum. They have lots of tech/build stuff there. Build it strong so it lasts and you don't bust through it at full speed and kill yourself and your buddies or a stranger.


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## MTN MAN (Feb 6, 2008)

if u use your imagination you can build some rad obstacles with nothing. what i had to to is look around my neighnorhood for plywood and stuff and and just build stuff. since i have no actual trails within like 50 miles


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## V.P. (Aug 26, 2007)

*UPDATE 1*

So ive begun the project : ) here are some pics;

I bought the wood, and bagged it into the backpack, and from there on I had to carry it into the woods...ough, what a walk : /










So here is my wood and tools, just scattered around as I try to figure out how to tackle this (remember, this is my first build);










I have to somehow support the ramp, so that it does not break in the middle, this is my solution, notice the long nails to stabilized the upper lumber piece










So here is my first draft of the actual ramp/jump, nothing at this point is nailed down or anything, im still just positioning things before I start the real work;










I didnt manage more that day, I ran low on wood, and had to buy some more, ill get back soon tho ; )

,


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## NEPMTBA (Apr 7, 2007)

Your idea looks ok but remember the tree is supported by all the smaller brances and will eventually drop as you ride it. I don't know how fast you intend to hit it!

Just some observations

Good Luck!


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## V.P. (Aug 26, 2007)

NEPMTBA said:


> Your idea looks ok but remember the tree is supported by all the smaller brances and will eventually drop as you ride it. I don't know how fast you intend to hit it!
> 
> Just some observations
> 
> Good Luck!


Yearh, I might have to support the tree with some wood.


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## General Havoc (Mar 28, 2007)

You should use a cordless drill and screws instead of nails.

last longer without pulling out.


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## mtb777 (Nov 6, 2005)

Also remember that your stringers, the long "beams" under the the planks you ride on. want to be vertical not flat when you build these ladders. It's 3 times stronger when you turn the stringers vertical versus laying them flat using the same wood members. Pressure treated wood will last much longer that untreated wood and it's less slippery too!


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## NEPMTBA (Apr 7, 2007)

General Havoc said:


> You should use a cordless drill and screws instead of nails.
> 
> last longer without pulling out.


Hum... Viraga commercial?


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## dburatti (Feb 14, 2004)

Nice start.

As has been stated, remove the bark on the tree _at least_ where the ramp connects, if not on the whole trunk.

Also, as stated before, standing the stringers up will ensure a much stronger structure.

And since you're using lumber, you can cut cross hatches on the planks instead of tacking on roofing shingles. It's a much better look and will last much longer, too.

D


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## AlliKat (Apr 28, 2006)

Your center support is a good idea but:
1. the long nails helping balance the top log seem dangerous and very insecure.
2. consider getting a third log for the support. Place two bottom logs parallel to the trail and cross the support log over the bottom two logs. Notch for the top log and your support won't fall over.

I don't think shingles will look out of place on this machined lumber jump. 

Consider some sort of transition for the landing. Sure if you have enough travel, you can suck up the landing but regardless, landing flat is not fun.


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## V.P. (Aug 26, 2007)

*UPDATE #2*

So im almost done with the ramp/jump, ill definately look into making it more stable, but the way it stands right now, its very solid! It does flex a little, but only when I jump on it. otherwise it does not move.

Ive been thinking about a transition for the landing, but I haven't decided yet.

So here she is, 2.5 meters long, and 90 centimeters high;










I still got some finetunig to do, so ill post some more pics when I got those things sorted out. Thank for all the input!!

.


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## mtb777 (Nov 6, 2005)

Or....use 3 logs stacked teepee style and use some metal banding with holes in it and wrap all 3 logs and nail the banding using 2 hammers and long nails, 1 to tighten the banding with the claw and a nail and the other to nail the nails!

If you have a hatchet or axe, you can cut a big log section and notch the top to hold the underside of your main support trunk by sliding it in under from the landing side and dig it in a little to wedge it and even leave it on an angle out towards the LZ to resist the forces of you hitting the jump at warp speed.


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## wddamf (Jan 3, 2006)

Looks good - the only thing you did "wrong" is that the stringers (long pieces) need to be turned upright (already mentioned) - BUT with the center support, I'm sure it'll work as it is. Nice effort!


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## Aktion (Mar 19, 2007)

is it secured to the center support?


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## V.P. (Aug 26, 2007)

Aktion said:


> is it secured to the center support?


yes it is, with 6 long nails.


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## bklnbdub (Mar 16, 2008)

Use dirt and a shovel.:thumbsup:


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## V.P. (Aug 26, 2007)

bklnbdub said:


> Use dirt and a shovel.:thumbsup:


oh I did last time:










now time has come for me to move forward. ; )


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## V.P. (Aug 26, 2007)

*UPDATE #3*

Ok, the jump/ramp done, today I reinforced it, and it really stands solid. I know some of it may look questionable, but what matters is that its solid : )

Here she is:










I placed a small flatlined log at the start to make the transition easier into the ramp:










I used 120mm nails to make all this solid, and it works very well:










Same here, I had to use some additional wood to make the ramp more even, since it had to be placed a little out of angle to accommodate the trail:










Now im working on the landing zone...the big work goes into removing THIS HUGE TREE!!! oooh my its sooo huge!! : ( I did however manage to axe myself through some of it today, you can even spot the axe jammed into the tree if you look closely. The arrows indicate where the DH trail is, I will be coming from that direction. The ramp is not visible in this pic, but its where the circle is.










Thats all for now, I wont be making the jump until I removed the farking huge tree : ( But its been alot of fun to build this!

.


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## MTN MAN (Feb 6, 2008)

did u have to cut those little peices on the top with a saw?


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## V.P. (Aug 26, 2007)

MTN MAN said:


> did u have to cut those little peices on the top with a saw?


If you refer to the last pic, then yes, saw and axe.


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## MTN MAN (Feb 6, 2008)

wouldnt using one solid board with some nails and blocks be faster and better?


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## V.P. (Aug 26, 2007)

MTN MAN said:


> wouldnt using one solid board with some nails and blocks be faster and better?


You have to remember that I have to carry EVERYTHING deep into the forest, on foot, by MYSELF. Sure there are other ways to do it, but you have to consider the logistics as well.


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## MTN MAN (Feb 6, 2008)

rad be prepared to do it again x10


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## dagenhay (Mar 10, 2008)

First off, it looks good and like allot of work especially for one person.

For traction on the ramp try some chicken wire, looks much cleaner the shingles.

Have you considered making the next downed tree a jump also. Since you have already started cutting/axing through it, just drop it in place and shovel some dirt for an approach.


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## shiggy (Dec 19, 1998)

V.P. said:


> *UPDATE #3*
> 
> Ok, the jump/ramp done, today I reinforced it, and it really stands solid. I know some of it may look questionable, but what matters is that its solid : )
> 
> ...


I would have cut out the tree in the landing zone first and used it for the ramp stringers.

With the materials you did use you could have made the joint between your stringers much more secure by either overlapping the stringers (slight bump down when ridden) or centering one of the cross pieces over the split and nailing it to both ends to tie the stringers together.


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## V.P. (Aug 26, 2007)

*UPDATE #4*

Thanks for the input, I really appreciate it. : )

@dagenhay; Ill look into the chickenwire, its a very good suggestion, way better than my sandpaper-solution (i did not aply that yet tho). You mention that I could use the extra lumber/tree to build a secondary ramp, ill look into that as well. First ill see if the that would "fit" into the the whole ramp landing space regarding control and "fun".

@shiggy: I might just use some of that wood for something useful, see above ; )

So, the ramp is now completely finished, including the landing zone. I removed the HUGE tree, and tugged it into the sides and "camouflaged" it with some bryophyte, so it looks a bit more natural and discreet. I estimate that the tree was around 250-300kg, so it was quite a battle just to move it some few meters, and the braches where like an anchor, so that sure didnt help ; )

anyway, here are some pics;

Yay, cut my way through;










This is how it looks today;










Now all I need is to go "big" and take it...

Kinda crazy, I made this jump and now i chicken out! hahah : )

.


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## DKuehn (Apr 17, 2008)

V.P. said:


> Kinda crazy, I made this jump and now i chicken out! hahah : )
> 
> .


If in doubt; Go faster.


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## rideit (Jan 22, 2004)

Nails suck.


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## V.P. (Aug 26, 2007)

DKuehn said:


> If in doubt; Go faster.


oh I will ; )


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## MTN MAN (Feb 6, 2008)

good way to have a jolly trip to the hospital


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## AlliKat (Apr 28, 2006)

Just a hint on using an ax/hatchet. You want to start your cut as wide as the diameter of the tree. That way, you won't get halfway through the tree when your cuts meet.


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## CHSAD (Jan 18, 2004)

That looks great, however couldn't you have just trimmed the branches and dropped the tree so it was log roll over? I can't tell from the photo the size of the tree, etc....Keep building!


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## V.P. (Aug 26, 2007)

CHSAD said:


> That looks great, however couldn't you have just trimmed the branches and dropped the tree so it was log roll over? I can't tell from the photo the size of the tree, etc....Keep building!


yearh, I was thinking about doing that but it didn't really work out the way I wanted it.


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## callmetheNewGuy (May 19, 2008)

bklnbdub said:


> Use dirt and a shovel.:thumbsup:


ah, primitive. i like your thinking.

nice job on the construction, plannin on building at least a few in my backwoods (have 10 acres of woods/fields, so i odn't call it backyard) once i get my '07 Jamis Dakota 29er. ty for the good advice from everyone else.


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