Making a ladder

[Matty F]

I have two pieces of 4x2" timber 10 feet long that are 24 inches apart and have plywood on the back. I wish put rungs between the two pieces so that I can climb up to the top (a few times).

Any suggestions about the rungs? I could use 2x2" timber and rout a notch in each 4x2. Or drill holes and use metal pipe but I'd rather not. The rungs need to be clear of the plywood so they can be grasped.

If you really want to know what it's for, it's inside this thing and there are 4 bits of 4x2 (surrounded by plywood) holding it up:

won't be able to get a ladder into it. The hidden door is around the back.

[Lurch]

On 7 May 2007 02:14:43 -0700, Matty F mused:

I'd probably use 50x50mm Unistrut and 4 hole angle brackets at the ends with some decent coach bolt type fixings inot the 4x2 if it was for myself.

[The Medway Handyman]

I'd go for the 'rout a notch' idea, but it would be easier to simply saw the sides of the notch & remove the waste with a chisel. Time you set up the router & make multiple passes you could have done the job.

[meow2222]

up:

> I won't be able to get a ladder into it. The hidden door is around the > back.

1.5 x 2.5 canadian (ie with rounded corners) will give significantly more strength than 2x2, with about the same amount of wood.

Fixing method is important, fixings cause the wood to split apart if done unsuitably. A 2" heavy duty L bracket under each end is a simple safe option. And a lot less work than hacking the 4x2 about. Pilot holes are essential for the fixing screws of course, cracked timber is a no-no.

NT

[dom]

It's either a very large sex-toy or a van de graaff - or just a model of one?

Is there a preference for the construction to be free of metal parts?

Housing the treads in the carriages by routing them out is the nicest but more work way. For quick and easy, you could screw horizontal battens to the inside of the carriages and mount the treads on top of the battens.

If it's very limited usage just by yourself, I'd go for the easiest - unless you're exceptionally heavy or going to be putting exceptional loads on for some other reason.

[Matty F]

It's a 4.5 MeV Van der Graaf accelerator from Harwell. I suppose it's a bit much to ask if anyone has a photo of it when it was working?

No it is not actually going to have high voltages ever again so it can have metal parts.

I'm quite light. It is possible that I may only climb the ladder once, or at most, every time the damn thing is moved maybe.

I'm quite happy to use a router on it. Now that I think about it I could rout from the side that is going to have the plywood on, so the rungs can't slide out the front. I will glue and screw them as well. It's a lot of work for a ladder that may be used once!

[Matty F]

Cheap, preferably free, is important. It occurs to me that rungs of 1" steel water pipe put into holes in the 4x2 would be OK. There will be plywood around all 4 pieces of 4x2 so that will hold the rungs from sliding sideways.

[Lurch]

On 7 May 2007 03:12:34 -0700, Matty F mused:

Find someone with a load of 50x50 Unistrut they don't want then. ;)

I'd drill all the way through the 4x2 and stick the pipe through then bolt outside the rails, (well, I'd use 25mm galv conduit as I could then thread the ends to bolt it all up), just to be on the safe side

[Matty F]

Here's a cross section of my latest proposal which is certainly very simple. The plywood should hold the pipe rungs in place:

do have lots of free water pipe and a metal bandsaw.

[Andy Dingley]

Van der Graaf were a prog rock band. If you're searching for accelerator pictures, it's Van de Graaff

Seems a damn shame.... You don't have to take it _quite_ to 4.5 MeV energies. Boston still have one of Van de Graaff's original biggies running on public display.

[Cicero]

=============================== If you've got some 4" x 1" timber lying around (2" x 1" will do at a pinch) cut lengths to fit between the uprights to serve as steps. Cut some

12" lengths of the same timber to use as spacers. Now nail each step in place (through the uprights) with two 12" spacers underneath each step nailed to the uprights. The spacers will take the weight and the steps will be held in place by the nails through the uprights.

Crude but safe and effective for the kind of limited use you've described.

Cic.

[Matty F]

Damn, I knew that, but it's wrong in so many places that I copied the wrong spelling.

The dome is almost the only bit that is left. The rest was scrapped by the contractors decomissioning it. I might make a liitle Van de Graaff that works inside a cage without destroying all the computers nearby. Here's my workshop. The other bits belong to another much bigger project :)

[tony sayer]

Heres how to make a proper ladder;!. This was found in a gothic revival church in Cambridge..

And you have to climb inside or over the steel beam in the way!...

Largish file BTW..

[Matty F]

Yes that is probably easier than the pipe, and doesn't weaken the uprights. The rungs would need to be a maximum of 3" wide so that I can put my fingers between the rungs and the plywood. It's indoors, weight is not a problem, and few people will see it but me. However I may want to sit inside the dome for contemplation or in a lightning storm, or to store stuff up there :)

[tony sayer]

In article , Matty F writes

Heres how to make a ladder;) this was found inside a Gothic revival church in Cambridge. You have to either climb inside the steel beam or over it!, and if you make a mistake you'll drop a clanger big time;!...

largish file..

[Matty F]

This is getting simpler all the time!

[Andrew Mawson]

pieces

grasped.

time;!...

The roof at least can't be very old as the rafters are sitting on modern joist hangers

AWEM

[Paul Herber]

Put some seating around the inside and start your own Hellfire Club.

[Lurch]

On Mon, 7 May 2007 12:43:10 +0100, tony sayer mused:

found something better to do with that huge chunk of my life.

[John Rumm]

I would hate to meet the majorette who could toss that.... or then again ;-)