| Project by toolchap | posted 602 days ago | 1428 views | 3 times favorited | 11 comments |  |
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I have a penchant/affection/love/appreciation/passion for the older tools. One of these include a beautifully made old ladder which has the benefit of being very light and folds out quickly. I have been using it regularly for about 15 years.
A while back I needed to get something from one of my higher shelves in the shop and instead of opening it up (There was stuff in the way and I could not get close enough), I leant it against the woodpile which should have been somewhere else. Up I went, down I came. Agony in the area of my stomach and I crouched on the floor, waiting for the pain to subside and then daring to look at my stomach. Fortunately, there was no gash but an ugly weal where the corner of a Rosewood block had scraped it on my fall. I was obviously incredibly relieved and now started inspecting myself for the “lesser” damages. Bruise on the arm, cut on the hand…...hang on…..why was there a triangle of the crotch of my pants missing? I dropped the remainder of my pants poste haste to discover a sliver of Rosewood about 1 1/2 inches long and about 1/8 of an inch thick, happily sticking out of either side of a valuable tool. Guys, you don’t want to go there. Imagine the panic of grabbing the pliers ready to jerk the thing…out. The wrong way as well, because there was a thicker part of it on the other side of the pliers. Switched hands and clenched stuff and extricated that bugger.
This led me to a sadness because safety for me is paramount and some tools are more valuable than others. I loved the design of the ladder and wanted another one. However, being in the middle of a plane commission and trying to discipline myself to finish was not helping. However, over the weekend I decided naughty was nicer and although it did not turn out as light as the original, it functions beautifully. The old one is now literally and figuratively in the background.
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11 comments so far
ChicoWoodnut
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904 posts in 1985 days
#1 posted 602 days ago
Nice job. Hope everything turned out Oky Doky with your other tool.
This is my ladder
This is my gun
This is for climbing
This is for fun
-- Scott - Chico California http://chicowoodnut.home.comcast.net
Tyaak
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7 posts in 604 days
#2 posted 602 days ago
Beautiful ladder, I can see why you wanted to reproduce it, especially when you came close to no longer being able to reproduce…
How much does it weigh? The ladder I am talking about here.
Eric
-- its only a mistake if someone can see it
amagineer
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1021 posts in 766 days
#3 posted 602 days ago
Nice ladder design. I hope you took care of the other tool, rosewood can be toxic.
-- Flaws are only in the eye of the artisan!
Don Johnson
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536 posts in 950 days
#4 posted 602 days ago
ChicoWoodnut makes a good point – perhaps you should fashion a ‘Full Metal Jacket’ for your valuable tool when performing acrobatic manoeuvres in potentially dangerous areas !
-- Don, Somerset UK, http://www.donjohnson24.co.uk
jeepturner
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896 posts in 962 days
#5 posted 602 days ago
This is not the tool forum! :-)
That is a nice three step. I would really like to find one for my shop, more as a pattern for a new one.
Very nice write up.
-- Mel
toolchap
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119 posts in 1090 days
#6 posted 602 days ago
“How much does it weigh? The ladder I am talking about here.” He he…the old one weighs 6.6 pounds and the new one 9.9 pounds. I beefed up measurements all around by about 1.5 mm in thickness and used Salignas instead of the original (One of the two million pine species?)
Now someone somewhere threatened that this lot was not for tools….ahem. The ladder is a tool and this line might be a fine one.
woodsmith
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69 posts in 1962 days
#7 posted 602 days ago
I would like to see plans for this ladder.
-- woodsmith
B13
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458 posts in 863 days
#8 posted 602 days ago
Ouch!!! the ladder looks nice! you should make plans or how to. thanks!
parkerdude
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150 posts in 1621 days
#9 posted 601 days ago
Sounds like the ladder wasn’t the only thing that gained weight 8-(
Glad to see there were materials of sufficient strength available to create a replacement without resorting to space-age exotic alloys. 8-0
I wouldn’t mind seeing a few sketches of the “improved” version. I’m not as good with advanced acrobatics anymore, and I KNOW I don’t have the 8alls to use a pliers pair on MY PAIR. 8-)
Glad you’re OK, how about a sketch and some dimensions.
Thanks!
-- dust control
marlis321
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5 posts in 1529 days
#10 posted 65 days ago
Great job
Chris Carlson
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17 posts in 539 days
#11 posted 33 days ago
Great job. Is there a chance you could post some dimensions thanks
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