5
Because the grab
handle holes are
all the same size it
would have been
possible to make a
clamped-on router jig
to allow them to be
machine cut. However,
I figured that the time
involved in making a
jig and then test
cutting could be better
spent and it would be
easy to reproduce the
holes by simply drilling
each end with a 35mm
hole saw and then
cutting through the
parallel sides with a
jigsaw. INSET Slotted
holes were cleaned up
using a rasp.
3
After a trial run in some scrap timber to set the router depth
stop to the correct depth, I clamped a simple fence in place
squarely across the side of the ladder. The router fitted with a
12.5mm cutter ran against the fence, cutting an accurate mortice
rebate in a single pass. INSET Identical mortices were cut in all
four pieces of timber.
1
By careful planning I found it was possible to nest the lower
sides of the ladder into the waste of the upper sides, so all
four pieces could be cut from one 3m length of timber with little
waste. The seven treads required an additional board. Both sets
of sides were marked out on a 350mm-wide board using the
original sides as a template, then cut to shape with a band saw.
(^4)
Holes for
the grab
handles were
also marked on
the sides.
(^2)
Each tread on the original ladder was fitted into the side
strings with two glued and wedged through mortice and
tenon joints on each end, but I decided to fit each one using a
blind mortice and tenon joint which could be easily and
accurately cut with a router. The position of the 14 mortices were
marked out on the template sides as mirror images.
DIY BOARDING LADDER