I have some wood car ramps that have a 7" rise. I had a red pine tree
that had to go, cut two 4' long sections out of the trunk, and used the
chain saw to carve away anything that didn't look like a ram. Pretty
solid buggers!

You didn't say how high you wanted to go but I have found that the 6 ton
jack stands go to 24", much higher than the usual car style.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=38847
Sale price tends to be a bit under $20 a pair, available at auto stores,
home stores, etc. You don't need the weight capacity but the height and
stability can't be beat.

If you wanted some additional height, some 12" 2x4's laid flat with a
plywood top would add a few extra inches. Remember that the base has to
get bigger as the height increases.

Don't do what a kid down the street did for his car: He had 2 stacks of
short 2x4's laid flat and almost 3' high stuck under the front bumper. I
almost (insert whatever you want here!) when I saw it. Laying a hand on
it would move the front fender over several inches. I loaned him some
good jack stands. His father came by later and THANKED me.

jtaylor wrote:
I have a small (=light) car that will need a lot of work done. It would be
easier if it was off the ground by more than the height those car stands you
get at the auto stores can do.

So I'm thinking of making some stands from wood, and jacking it up in stages
onto them. Has anyone done this, and are there any pitfalls (a particularly
appropriate term) of which I should be aware?