Can you make a dog ramp with 3D printing?

The whole structure makes more sense in wood: it holds the weight and lasts longer. I only 3D-printed a couple of small mechanism parts (the two-screw anchor that joins the bottom board to the sides, and the stop that locks the ramp). Everything else is plain woodworking.

Why varnish the wood before assembling it?

Because that way you reach every face and edge before they get hidden under the hinges. The catch is that if you later drill into it, the hole can splinter the already-varnished wood. I learned the hard way that it helps to also drill from the bottom face so it doesn't chip.

How much does building a ramp like this cost vs buying one?

The stool-ramp version on AliExpress was around 40 €. I spent 57 € just on wood, varnish, hinges and bits at the hardware store, not counting tools or hours. If you're doing it to save money, buy it. If you're doing it for the joy of building and learning, that's another story.

Why won't my dog use the ramp?

It's almost always fear and slipping, not the ramp itself. Ronki struggled: the first time he wouldn't even come near it. What worked was lowering the angle (don't make it steep), adding two towels for grip, and a lot of patience with treats. He climbed it in the end, but it took half an hour.

Projects

I built a ramp for my dog (wood + 3D printing)

Ronki, my girlfriend's dog, couldn't get up onto the sofa anymore: his rear end is heavy, he's getting on in years, and coming down he's pretty reckless. The easy move was to buy a 40 € ramp. But I saw one that turns into a stool and lost my mind: I decided to build, from scratch, a wooden ramp that folds into a side table, with a couple of 3D-printed parts for the mechanism. It was my first ever woodworking project. Here's how it went, no sugar-coating.

Watch the video on YouTube ↗

The idea: make it do two jobs

My first thought was to buy the typical ramp. They weren't expensive, but I didn't love spending money on something that, if the big lug doesn't use it, just sits gathering dust. Then I saw a stool that transforms into a ramp and that clicked: one object, two functions. Did I buy it? No. Why buy it for 40 € when you can spend way more on tools and materials, sink in a ton of hours, and on top of that film a video of the whole thing? My mind was made up.

The design (and the first mistake)

I started from the AliExpress model but wanted to put my own spin on it and make it all wood so it'd be more durable and elegant. I did a 3D sketch and immediately spotted the problem: the flat it's going in is small, so I couldn't shove a huge beast in there. The challenge became making it compact or foldable. The trickiest part of the design was the hinges: I needed the structure to be solid both when sitting on it (table mode) and with the ramp extended.

The solution was a set of hinges from the hardware store, the kind used in cabinets: they let one board sit over another but, when extended, they lock dead straight. And for the base, a board that fit perfectly: 50 cm wide, from which I could get four parts with barely four cuts.

The printed parts: the only 3D in all of this

Let's be honest: this is woodworking with two printed details, not a 3D-printing project. The parts I did print were for the folding mechanism. My first idea was an anchor with cylinders that slotted together, but it meant drilling the board a bunch of times and I didn't trust myself not to ruin it. So I redesigned it to a part with just two holes and two screws: far easier to drill and, if a screw breaks, I just reprint the part instead of redoing the whole thing. While I was at it I also printed the stop that holds the middle board in ramp position. I finally dusted off the printer, which had been covered all summer to keep dust out.

Buying the material: 57 € at the hardware store

Beforehand I'd bought some tools on AliExpress (risers to clamp the boards, sandpaper, gloves and goggles, a screwdriver-drill, screws and a Japanese saw I have no idea what I was thinking with for cutting planks). At the store I grabbed the board, had it cut to size —thank goodness, it came out a thousand times better than I'd have managed and saved me buying a jigsaw—, dark varnish, a roller, a bit and more bits and pieces. Through the checkout: 57 €. Into the car and home.

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Varnishing: the rookie moment

I read up on how to work with wood —i.e. I asked ChatGPT— and it told me to varnish before assembling so I could reach every face. It was the part I dreaded most. I improvised a workspace with a cardboard box from the printer, some plastic and paper on the floor, and a food container as a tray for the roller. I gave it two coats, with their two-hour cure times and sanding in between. The result? It came out exactly like someone who has never varnished anything in their life would do it, which is precisely what I am: varnish running over the edges, already hardened and impossible to sand off. From a distance, honestly, not that bad.

Assembly: where it all went sideways

Marking the boards took a good while (I wanted it neat), and I found every hinge came with a sticker; thanks to my girlfriend's nail-polish remover they peeled off easily. I screwed in the mechanism hinges and it worked, though I ran short on screws and nearly had to count them. From there, problems piled up:

One board splintered badly when I drilled it from the top, precisely because I'd varnished first. I drilled the second hole from the bottom face too and it came out much better. Rookie error noted.
A screw broke in the final stretch.
The stop was badly designed and the middle board kept falling, leaving the ramp unlocked.
It came out too steep, and the boards were too big on top of that (I ignored it when buying them and pressed on anyway).

In the words of the moment: a complete and total fail. I reprinted the stop with a small lip and screwed it on further out to reduce the angle to the floor. I sat on it to check it held, and folded up it was reasonably easy to carry in the car.

The moment of truth: Ronki

We set it roughly at sofa height and then came the hard part: getting the creature to actually want to climb it. Spoiler: he didn't. He was scared and kept slipping; we spent a good while getting nowhere, not even with the magic treat jar. In the end, with half an hour of patience and two towels for grip, he climbed it. Going up scares him less than coming down, and he still slips a bit, but he made it.

What did I learn?

That making something do two jobs is hard, and that I get ahead of myself when I have no idea how to design. It ended up more side table than ramp, the boards were too big, and it carries several flaws. And even so I'm not unhappy: I already knew it wouldn't come out perfect. Next time, something with a single purpose.

FAQ

Can you make a dog ramp with 3D printing?: The whole structure makes more sense in wood: it holds the weight and lasts longer. I only 3D-printed a couple of small mechanism parts (the two-screw anchor that joins the bottom board to the sides, and the stop that locks the ramp). Everything else is plain woodworking.
Why varnish the wood before assembling it?: Because that way you reach every face and edge before they get hidden under the hinges. The catch is that if you later drill into it, the hole can splinter the already-varnished wood. I learned the hard way that it helps to also drill from the bottom face so it doesn't chip.
How much does building a ramp like this cost vs buying one?: The stool-ramp version on AliExpress was around 40 €. I spent 57 € just on wood, varnish, hinges and bits at the hardware store, not counting tools or hours. If you're doing it to save money, buy it. If you're doing it for the joy of building and learning, that's another story.
Why won't my dog use the ramp?: It's almost always fear and slipping, not the ramp itself. Ronki struggled: the first time he wouldn't even come near it. What worked was lowering the angle (don't make it steep), adding two towels for grip, and a lot of patience with treats. He climbed it in the end, but it took half an hour.

Enjoyed the disaster? I've got more things I've built in Projects, and if you're after your first machine, check the best 3D printer for beginners guide. All my designs are free on my MakerWorld profile.