DIY Cable Ramps

[Bruce Weldy]

Taping down the snake kills my back. With 11 shows to do at the same venue, I decided to do something about it.

You can buy really cool cable ramps made of rubber with a flip-top to hide your cables, but they are $70 for a 40 inch section....and they are really heavy.

So, I decided to make my own.

Start with two 2x4s. On the table saw, make a cut in each board.

Clamp the two together and add a top plate. I used some leftover 3/8" ply. Glue it an brad nail the hell out of it, being careful not to nail where you will be making the next cut.

Next, set your fence for the width you want and make the cut. Take out that section, flip it over and do it from the other side. Now that the notch is removed, set the saw to 45 degrees and take off the edges going through the top plate.

Now, to cover your butt - paint 'em bright yellow so even the blindest of dumbasses won't have any excuse for tripping over 'em.

It took about 15 seconds to place these over the snake and power cord instead of the several minutes and back-killing bending over it usually takes.

[BrentEvans]

We have a few of these built almost the same way and they do work quite well and with a bit of care (keep a good coat of paint on them) they'll hold up for a number of years. As long as you don't need them to be vehicle safe, they're a perfect solution. The nicer heavy rubber ones can actually be driven over, so that's the main benefit to them.

Here's another tip... we keep some rolls of rubber matting about 16" wide to put down under the snake cable covers when we're in grass or dirt... does a pretty good job at keeping the wiring clean. If you size it right, the cable covers do a good enough job keeping it down most of the time.

[escapemcp]

Now, to cover your butt - paint 'em bright yellow so even the blindest of dumbasses won't have any excuse for tripping over 'em.

But what if you need to put these down on a bright yellow floor... they'd be invisible Better paint black stripes just to be sure... and maybe some flashing LEDs for nighttime, and a legal disclaimer on a pole next to them.

Nice job though

[Bruce Weldy]

We have a few of these built almost the same way and they do work quite well and with a bit of care (keep a good coat of paint on them) they'll hold up for a number of years. As long as you don't need them to be vehicle safe, they're a perfect solution. The nicer heavy rubber ones can actually be driven over, so that's the main benefit to them.

Here's another tip... we keep some rolls of rubber matting about 16" wide to put down under the snake cable covers when we're in grass or dirt... does a pretty good job at keeping the wiring clean. If you size it right, the cable covers do a good enough job keeping it down most of the time.

Yeah, these can't take vehicular traffic. I don't know if I'll even get to use 'em anywhere else - but they were well worth building even if just for this summer. Between the savings in duct tape and the wear and tear on my back (not to mention getting to make sawdust) - it's a good thing.

I thought about putting some kind of rubber matting underneath to keep 'em from sliding, but they stayed pretty still last night.

Had a guy from one of the bands that I'll be running sound for this summer walk up and immediately ask, "Where did you get those?"

Must have been good last night, because that same guy just asked me to come run sound for them tomorrow night on their rig.

[Tom Smit]

Good news on both counts there, Bruce!

[BrentEvans]

I thought about putting some kind of rubber matting underneath to keep 'em from sliding, but they stayed pretty still last night.

The rubber matting is twofold.. it prevents sliding (which isn't usually a problem anyway) but it also keeps the snake from getting dirty or scuffed from rough surfaces like asphalt. The stuff we have has ribs running lengthwise, and works well.

I think it's something like this but narrower... of course you could cut that product in half and have about $1 / linear foot in the mats. It's well worth the investment.

[byacey]

Good stuff!
Instead of having to saw out the cavity for the cable, why not just use 2x3 stock and space them apart by 1.5 inches or so? I don't think the 1/4 inch remaining at the top adds much strength.

In the spirit of DIY, I'll have to post pictures of my folding FOH table that the mixer sits on.

[BrentEvans]

Good stuff!
Instead of having to saw out the cavity for the cable, why not just use 2x3 stock and space them apart by 1.5 inches or so? I don't think the 1/4 inch remaining at the top adds much strength.

It does more than you might think. I made some both ways, and the ones built with a single piece of stock are more stable (and still exist). The others eventually caved in.

[Grant Bunter]

Great work Bruce
Nice simple solution.

If anyone is near a factory that has conveyors, they have to replace their rubber belts at times.
Cut them down to 12" wide. Roll them up. Heavyish to lift depending upon length (shorten them to manageable lengths if that's the case), but roll out over the snake and power in no time...

[Jstarr1]

I had a design idea that I wanted to run by everyone.

[Jstarr1]

3/8" plywood top and bottom with 1x4 for the ramps and 1 x 3/4 for the middle divider. Black and yellow paint for safety of course. 3/8" pegs to hold the ramps in place.

[Jstarr1]

It won't let me post the SKP file here... I would be happy to provide if someone wants.

[NukePooch]

Now, to cover your butt - paint 'em bright yellow so even the blindest of dumbasses won't have any excuse for tripping over 'em.

But what if you need to put these down on a bright yellow floor... they'd be invisible Better paint black stripes just to be sure... and maybe some flashing LEDs for nighttime, and a legal disclaimer on a pole next to them.

Nice job though

Not good enough. Someone will become disoriented by the flashing LED's and faceplant into the sign on the pole.

[NukePooch]

I had a design idea that I wanted to run by everyone.

Interesting idea. I think they might need to have more height to make the chamber a bit taller. I'd like at least 1" to fit a 3/4" snake with room to spare.Might end up a bit hefty (though the commercial rubber ones are heavy as well, so....)

[Jstarr1]

@Nuke, I run a digital snake and my speaker cables are 1/2" OD. My sub snakes are almost always running around or under a stage... I'm really trying to limit height and ramp pitch for the audience. These were drawn with 3/4" height to the chamber.