Ladder in stowed position
My aunt recently finished building her cottage on Galiano Island. To access the loft, she wanted a wooden ladder to replace the not-so-easy-on-the-eyes aluminum ladder that she had been using. Her main requirement was that she could move the ladder out of the way when not in use. This was accomplished using a slider rail at the top of the ladder. Because half the weight of the ladder is supported by the rail when the ladder is being moved, the ladder should be much more manageable to move. Since the house was designed in Solidworks I decided to design the ladder in Solidworks as well. This allowed us to check the mass of the design and see how the ladder will fit into the space before we commit to the design.
To match the timber in the house, we decided to use Douglas Fir. The stringers were 1.5" material and the treads were 1". For fun, I decided to take the opportunity to teach my girlfriend some woodworking techniques. The actual build of the ladder went well primarily because all the material came square and planed to final thickness however, I can’t say the same about applying the finish. The product that we used was a water-based penetrating stain. What made it so challenging to apply is that it both penetrates the wood and leaves a coating on the top. Typically, I would use a rag to apply a penetrating stain however this was not an option because it would leave a poor surface finish. Using a brush to apply the finish meant many drips that left many dark stains. In the end, I managed to achieve an acceptable finish however there was a lot of sanding, reapplication of stain, and frustration to get there.