A ladder may be necessary for most of the household tasks, such as repair, harvesting, changing the light bulbs, etc. Both the factory model and hand-made ladder can be used for the garden treatment and housework. Having reviewed the instructions, you can create construction with optimal characteristics.
Choice of material
People often use wood to build a hand-made ladder. However, along with ease of treatment, this material has certain shortcomings. This includes hygroscopicity of wood, due to which the product will require additional protection.
A metal profile is a suitable material to build a simple ladder. Metal garden construction is lighter than the wooden model. Though the profile section, the elements will not be subject to bending. You can buy suitable workpieces in the hardware stores.
The hand-made ladder can be built from aluminum or steel.
The pros and cons of these materials are presented in the table below.
| Name of material | Weight | Strength | Susceptibility to corrosion | Need for protective coating |
| Aluminum | Small weight; the product is easy to transport | It is inferior to steel, but has sufficient strength for domestic use | Resistant to corrosion | Doesn’t require priming and painting |
| Steel | Higher weight | High strength | Susceptible to corrosion | Due to its susceptibility to corrosion, the material requires periodic painting |
Due to its susceptibility to corrosion, the material requires periodic painting
Choice of ladder model
To choose the optimal configuration of the hand-made ladder, you should define its purpose and operating conditions. As for the models, you should opt for an A-shaped ladder for building the structure with your own hands. Here you can use both steel and aluminum profiles. Staircase of such construction will be easier to assemble.
A small folding ladder is convenient to store. But to build it in house conditions, you will require some experience in this field. Therefore, below we will consider how to build an A-shaped metal ladder.
During assembly, you should keep in mind that the welded joint exceeds bolt connection in safety and repairability. If the details of the ladder will be fixed with bolts, you will need an accurate load calculation. Otherwise, it may cause the deformation of the fastening element, which leads to the inconveniences when folding the structure. In the worst case, it is possible that metal will not withstand the load on the staircase.
Preparation of materials and instruments
To make A-shaped ladder with your own hands out of steel profile, you have to prepare the following instruments:
- welding machine;
- grinder and discs for metal;
- drill;
- square;
- marker;
- hammer;
- roulette.
When cutting metal, you should use the goggles, and using welding, put on a special mask.
You will need the following materials:
- profile (in sufficient quantities);
- belts that will prevent accidental unfolding of the ladder.
- fastening (metalware).
Before going to work, you should make a sketch of the future structure and then prepare the drawings. You should immediately define the height of the structure and cut 4 equal profile segments of a suitable size. The steel profile should be cleared by using the drill with the brush nozzle.
To build the ladder, you should use the profile with a rectangular cross-section.
Future supports of structure are fixed pairwise with two long bolts. Due to such a connection, they can be easily rendered operational. When deciding how to build a ladder with your own hands, you should devote sufficient time to the calculations and prepare detailed drawings. It will provide the reliability of the structure and consistency of all elements.
How to assemble the garden ladder
When the supports for the steps are ready, you should lay them parallel to each other and make a layout for the future crossbars. At this stage, you should use a square to observe the angle of 90 degrees. Cut the steps out of the same profile or square.
When the crossbars are ready, you should fasten upper and lower detail, and then all other elements by means of spot welding. If all components are properly connected, and there is no need for correction, you can perform welding seams. If the support section doesn’t have steps, you should weld two horizontal and one diagonal crossbar. This is necessary to fasten the support against each other.
All that remains is to fix a limiting cable in the middle of the flight and weld a fragment of profile or angle to the edges of supports. In the end, you should prime the garden construction and apply a layer of paint.
As well as with the wooden ladder, it is very easy to assemble a steel construction. Leave the comment and share your own developments.
