# What kind of wood was used to make an old ladder?



## InstantSiv

I have an old ladder that is way too unstable to use as a ladder. I want to get rid of it quick before I need to use a ladder and stupidly use it because it's the only thing available.

The question I have is what kind of wood was used for old ladders and were they treated in any way? Everything is riveted and the steps are dadoed into the sides so If I broke it down it would be small pieces for a craft type project.

Thanks


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## kaerlighedsbamsen

Would think ash or beech mainly. But i guess a lot of differnet, local woods can be used.. You can perhaps show a photo of it?


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## ArlinEastman

Roy Underhill said that were was a law stating for the rungs to be made from Ash. I do not know what episode maybe season 4


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## dhazelton

I think the main rails were douglas fir, at least the old one I cut up was. Can still be used as a rustic pot rack hung from the ceiling or a towel bar leaning up against the wall or some other countryish accent. They weren't supposed to be finished with any kind of paint because you couldn't see if a rung was cracked.


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## ArlinEastman

You guys and gals have to see this Cherry log being auctioned off.

4th picture down.

All I can say is WOW :0

http://www.hearnehardwoods.com/hearne_hardwoods_open_house/2014/cherry_auction/cherry_auction.html


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## InstantSiv

Sorry for the quality of the pic. Also the ladder is upside down because the steps are textured to increase grip. What are the rungs? The steps?


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## BillWhite

Looks like doug. fir to me.
Bill


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## Yonak

A ladder made entirely out of ash would be pretty heavy, I would think, but rungs made out of ash would be a good idea, if you don't use metal support rods, and the rails, top and shelf out of a lightweight softwood, like fir.


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## Woodendeavor

May not help you but this is a cool video


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## Dez

Fir… Very common next to oak.
Almost all of the wooden step ladders and wood extension ladders I've used were made of fir - light weight/strength ratio respective to other species. 
The only rule I was told about is that to meet certain regulations etc, the rungs had to be riven so that their is minimal grain run out/cross grained areas.


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## Mahdeew

Keep the ladder. They make beautiful shelves. Let me know if you need some ideas.


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## dhazelton

InstantSiv's pic looks like Southern Yellow Pine to me.


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## WDHLT15

I also think that it is douglas fir.


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## exelectrician

The only to make sure a wood ladder is safe is to burn it. Period - I will NOT climb a wood ladder.


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## Finn

Yellow pine is my thought. Does it really matter what the name of the wood is?


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## dhazelton

I said Doug Fir before you pictured it to be a step ladder. Extension ladders were fir. I spent many years as a housepainter putting up wooden extension ladders. A real bitch after it rained and they were soaked.


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## Yonak

> The only to make sure a wood ladder is safe is to burn it. Period - I will NOT climb a wood ladder.
> 
> - exelectrician


Interesting that a former electrician would say a wooden ladder is not safe. San Francisco firefighters say electrical lines is why they use wooden ladders.


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## mamell

Yellow pine, depending on how close the growth rings are can be very heavy. I had two pieces, both the same size and dimensions. One was about 35-40 pounds heavier than the other just because of how close growth rings were. I use a lot of SYP and always look for the tightest rings I can find.


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## PCDub

I had an old wooden extension ladder that I could have sworn the main rails were cedar. After I took it apart, the lumber was very light and showed no rot at the ends. (disassembled because the rungs had started to rot away)

I reused some of it to fix legs on a redwood yard bench.


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## mamell

Yellow pine, however is still used by the National Ladder & Scaffold Company. I just looked it up..
I do remember painting my dad's house with a wood extension ladder which you might think is too heavy, but it really is not. The hardest part of using it was pulling on the ropes, but once you got it moving it went pretty easy.
I'm looking for information to build my own extension ladder.
Any ideas where to find old ladder hardware?


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## redlee

Interesting.


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## ibewjon

As an electrician with many years experience, what type ladder did you use? Fiberglass wasn't available when I started in 1978. All safe ladders were wood. The fools choice was aluminum. I know of one person that killed himself with live power, water, and an aluminum ladder.


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## Unknowncraftsman

I've climbed a few wooden ladders in my early roofing days. It was kinda a unspoken initiation to climb the 32 ft wooden. Right about the middle it's very springy if one wanted to be a second man or first man on the crew. He better be able to shoulder a roll of felt or cap up all the way to the roof.
Wooden ladders require care attention and maintenance.


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## mamell

Hey guys (and gals)...an exciting day because I just discovered the greatest deals on wooden ladders anywhere..
https://www.chairish.com/collection/wooden-ladders Check out these great prices and tell us you're not gonna jump all over these back breakers!
I kind of wish I could find the people actually buying these for no other reason than to slap them or just stand there laughing at how dumb they are for paying so much..
By the way that style of ladder (oops..the old folding step ladder we ALL grew up with) was patented in my hometown of Dayton, Ohio.. My dad must have had at least ten just like it.. He's have five heart attacks on the spot if he knew they were going for $750 today..


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## Foghorn

Before the days of FRP and other composite ladders, wood was the only kind allowed on any industrial sites I worked on. In chlorine plants, even scaffolding had to be wood. Technology has moved us forward.


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