ladder construction

[Eli the Bearded]

Heavy or not, fiberglass ladders are subject to suddenly melting.

Wood is twice as expensive -- about $100 per foot -- and about 15 percent heavier than aluminum or fiberglass, but it holds up better in a fire, said Mike Braun, supervisor of San Francisco's Fire Shop.

"Aluminum or fiberglass, when it gets too hot, it gets soft; it will actually fold over without any warning," he said. "Wood takes hours to fail completely -- enough time for a firefighter to see it burning and get off it."

That article contradicts the video clip on aging. It states three years, not 15.

Elijah

------ wood is apparently easier to repair, also

[Electric Comet]

properly kiln dried does not soak up much water and if coated none

fiberglass gets dings too and fiberglass requires toxic materials

wood wins again

my wood ladders will be lighter than a fiberglass ladder they will not have to be certified

[Martin Eastburn]

[Brewster]

I heard he was going to add Chris Christie to his cabinet to be the wall.

I'd actually prefer a moat, with sharks (or sea bass) and lasers...

-BR

[Keith Nuttle]

I believe what is being missed with our new President is he is a business man at heart. His actions will not be control by what is politically correct or if it gives you a fuzzy feeling inside.

As we have seen with Christy, if President Trump does not like the job you are doing your are replaced.

Just for the record in the first two weeks after obama election the market dropped 10%. In the first two weeks after President Trump's election the market is up 5%. It looks like the market expects good thing with Mr Trump as president.

[whit3rd]

Maybe not more expensive; remember, this is a multi-employee shop, and it takes days to build/rebuild a ladder. I'd think, though, that 'heavy' is probably correct.

[krw]

Did I miss Apple talking about making iPhones, or Ford about bringing auto manufacturing back to the US when Barak was elected? Barak got the Nobel Peace Prize, so they must have and I just missed it.

[Brewster]

Possibly, but someone shouting "squirrel" will have just as much effect. 8^)

-BR

[DerbyDad03]

Staying true to both the subject line and the purpose of this ng, here is a picture of the ladder I "constructed" yesterday. ;-)

It was quicky job so that there is a ladder available for a Thanksgiving guest. When I built the bed ~25 years ago, my son was happy with climbing the "ladder end" of the bed, so I never built a ladder.

I used a trick I found on youtube to level the steps. I determined the angle of the rails then cut the bottoms and attached the hooks. I then attached each step with a single, centered 3.5" #9 deck screw through the rails and into each end of the steps. Once the ladder was on the bed, I rotated each step until it was level and then used 2 more screws along the center line to secure them.

3 #9 screws into each end of the steps will get me through the holiday weekend. If I decide to make a "real" ladder, I'll dado the rails and set the steps in.

[Sonny]

Both the bed and ladder look nice. How about some stain on that later lad der!?

I inherited 2 extension wooden ladders. Not sure how old they are, but the y are light weight. Two lengths of one ladder are 12' long each and the tw o lengths of the other ladder are 18' long each. Lots of splattered paint on both and they're in very good shape... a little rust on the hardware. I was told they were once used by the New Orleans fire department. I've never thought to look for a makers mark/label. One end (the bottom end?) of each are bent/bowed/flared out, rather than being parallel or having a s traight gradual widening. The rungs are round, not flat boards.

Sonny

[Electric Comet]

that is the spirit

and it will not conduct electricity if their are power lines nearby

[DerbyDad03]

That will definitely happen. This was a "It's Sunday afternoon, the bed will be used on Wednesday. I need a ladder now!" project.

I put a round-over on all edges and sanded it a bit just to remove the splinter danger, but it's just 2x4's, not anything worth staining. The ladder is currently in use and will be for the rest of the weekend.

I'll have until Christmas to build a proper one, one that will include a finish. ;-)

hey are light weight. Two lengths of one ladder are 12' long each and the two lengths of the other ladder are 18' long each. Lots of splattered pai nt on both and they're in very good shape... a little rust on the hardware. I was told they were once used by the New Orleans fire department. I'v e never thought to look for a makers mark/label. One end (the bottom end? ) of each are bent/bowed/flared out, rather than being parallel or having a straight gradual widening. The rungs are round, not flat boards.

[DerbyDad03]

hey are light weight. Two lengths of one ladder are 12' long each and the two lengths of the other ladder are 18' long each. Lots of splattered pai nt on both and they're in very good shape... a little rust on the hardware. I was told they were once used by the New Orleans fire department. I'v e never thought to look for a makers mark/label. One end (the bottom end? ) of each are bent/bowed/flared out, rather than being parallel or having a straight gradual widening. The rungs are round, not flat boards.

Many years ago I found an old wooden ladder with flared legs on the curb. The rungs were square, maybe 2" wide and the ends had been turned round so they could be inserted into holes in the rails.

It was the perfect height for cleaning the gutters on the overhang in front of my garage. I used it for many years until one day I bumped into it - har d - and knocked it down. It hit the driveway and broke into about 6 pieces.

I call that a sign. :-)