#13
Yep, that is what my daughter wants built....so...haul a 7' plank to the shop...and trim just over 4' out of it....and whatever is leftover, can be the rungs...one end had a few splits trying to form up...and there is no room to use either the mitre box, nor the tablesaw...
[attachment=34803]
So, had to set it up this way..
[attachment=34804]
Clear down on the end is a handsaw...
[attachment=34805]
A Disston D-112, 26", 7 ppi cross cut...
[attachment=34806]
Removed the "Splitsville stuff"..
[attachment=34807]
Yep, looks like scrap, to me....measured from this nice edge to a point about 50" away...was trying to avoid the "Problem Child"..
[attachment=34808]
Missed it by that much, Chief..
[attachment=34809]
Handsaw to make this cut.....board is now somewhat more manageable so.....I moved the tablesaw out, set up a rip fence...
[attachment=34810]
Straighten out one edge....reset again....
[attachment=34811]
And I now have both sides of the ladder milled...but...I need rungs, too...The 2 short planks in the shop, were run through the tablesaw, after I narrowed down the rip fence a tad..
[attachment=34812]
And set out the best 5 pieces...

Next on today's schedule...tenons on the ends of the rungs...more fun..

Stay tuned
Winkgrin
Show me a picture, I'll build a project from that
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#14
Ladder sides tip in ~ 12 degrees...Bottom is to be ~18" wide....trying for ~13-16" at the top.  had to trudge back upstairs, grab the new-to-me Sargent Patent bevel gauge..
Cool
   
A  square and a sharp pencil...the bevel was set with a ladder upstairs....angle between the side and the tread...Laid out 5 tread blanks...Cut to about 18" long...
   
Then used the same setting to adjust the mitre gauge on the tablesaw....Too much Cardio doing these on the Stanley#358..
Rolleyes
   
Then run the 5 blanks through..
   
Reset the saw blade's height, to just under 1/4" high...and do the shoulder cuts.. 
   
half done, reset the mitre gauge to do the other half....Then the mitre gauge is brought back to 90 degrees..
   
I do not trust the scale on the guage...might be the pointer is a hair off...reset the blade,,, tilted 12 degrees, and set the height, again..
   
Wound up adding a stop block while nibbling away the waste....each tenon was then pared..
   
The Olde School way...took a while, finally got all 10 tenons made..
Cool
   
Other ends look the same.   Was getting a bit sore, spent 3 hours or so in the shop...and a few round trips upstairs....Decided to stop..
Rolleyes

Stay tuned
Winkgrin
Show me a picture, I'll build a project from that
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#15
Never heard of a towel ladder.  It will be interesting to see what you come up with.
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#16
Late last night, decided to go to the shop for a bit....just to get a few things set up...wasn't meant to be a "work session"....
Yeah...right
Rolleyes 

Decided that to safely hold each tread still on the bench, enough to allow a couple planes and a router to work...without chasing the part all over the top of the bench..
[attachment=34823]
That IF I drill a hole through the tenon, where it will not be seen later....add 2 screws...parts should stay put...test piece was set down upside down on the bench, as it needed smoothed out, anyway....Then decided to test out the router (Hide yer eyes, Mabel!)
[attachment=34824]
And do a small round-over along the edges...
[attachment=34825]
Then flip the part over...
[attachment=34826]
And smooth things out a bit...edge grain was done over in the vise, though..
[attachment=34827]
Some edges were a bit worse than others..
[attachment=34828]
A smooth edge for the fence on the Stanley  45 to move along....
[attachment=34829]
one bead is done....turn the other edge out to where the 45 can get to it....and something wonderful happens...
Winkgrin   
[attachment=34830]
A bead down the center appears...one setting on the plane, 3 beads done.    Can't afford a purpose made 3 bead cutter ($$$)

Then a round-over, and sand down into each beads groove.   Was so much "fun", decided to do the other 4 treads...then sweep up the shop..
[attachment=34831]
And even found a Dime laying on the floor..."Pay Day!"
Smirk

Later today, after all the "Honey-dos", I could get started on Mortises for these treads to sit in.....through mortise, angled at that, in Ash....wedged tenons at that...
Stay tuned
Winkgrin
Show me a picture, I'll build a project from that
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#17
So...prep for the sides of the ladder.   Top end needs a curve..
[attachment=34836]
Starrett Compass to lay out the line for the bandsaw to try and cut...then the beltsander to refine the curves, once both sides were cut..
[attachment=34837]
The "foot" just gets a simple bevel...for now..
[attachment=34838]
Which bring up jointing the edges, so both sides match each other, but, at 49-1/2" long..
[attachment=34839]
Might be a problem for the Millers Falls No. 9 to do..we have ways..
[attachment=34840]
"move over, Shorty..."
[attachment=34841]
And, let a real jointer take over......Stanley No.8, Type 7...making shavings...and we worked down both edges, flip the pair over, reclamp, and do it all again...tried it out as a smooth plane?
[attachment=34842]
Went back to the regular smooth plane...wanted to get things all smoothed out, to make mortise lay outs a bit easier to do..
[attachment=34843]
Straight tenon, with an angled step and an angled side of the ladder =  a compound mortise...
[attachment=34844]
Because the "step" needs to be parallel to the floor, while the ladder sides are leaning against a wall, and the sides of the ladder toe in towards the top...
[attachment=34845]
Should be "fun" to do
Uhoh  with chisels and a mallet, in Ash....from both sides, until they meet in the middle...

Stay tuned....intend to do this one hole at a time......only ten to do....And, get both sides to match....don't want a lop-sided ladder, right?
Uhoh 

Cussing may be involved...
Winkgrin
Show me a picture, I'll build a project from that
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#18
To better give an idea about the treads...
[attachment=34846]
Arrayed from bottom tread to the top tread   5 in all.    Working with a 12 degree angle throughout...

Mortise tools?
Confused 
[attachment=34847]
These should do for starters....we'll see how that goes....may need others for the clean up...
Winkgrin

Jointer?
[attachment=34848]
The Late Charles Neil allowed me to bring this home from his shop, on the condition I make it usable in my shop...
[attachment=34849]
This plane screams "Cardio Workout" even before I pick it up to use....
[attachment=34850]
I guess this would be called the Starboard side?
Confused
[attachment=34851]
And this is the sole of a working hand plane....or..is it a flight deck? 
Uhoh 24" long.

Stay  tuned...thinking 1400 hrs as a start time today....
Winkgrin
Show me a picture, I'll build a project from that
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#19
Needed to clear off the top of the bench...BEFORE anything else could get done...
Rolleyes
[attachment=34858]
So....
Winkgrin
[attachment=34859]
Round up the usual suspects..
[attachment=34860]
But, before I could do to much lay out work, a problem needed fixed..
Uhoh 
[attachment=34861]
So, "Shorty" came back out, and a few swipes later...
[attachment=34862]
So, NOW I could do a bit of lay out work...
[attachment=34863]

Lets see...Treads sit parallel to the floor...Ladder tilts towards the wall at 12 degrees...ladder sides splay out at 12 degrees  (see a pattern?)
[attachment=34864]

And..the tenon is straight...ok...carry the lines around a bit...
[attachment=34865]
And, mark both faces.....because I will need to chop down from both faces, and meet in the middle....Start on the outside face..
[attachment=34866]
Chop about 1/2 way down, following the lines on the edges for the correct angle....then...flip over and chop again...and hope the two holes line up...enough for a dry fit..
[attachment=34867]
Tenons were a tad long...better than being a tad too short..
Rolleyes

Stay tuned....there was a 3 hour shop session, today  ...1 mortise done, out of 10...
Cool
Show me a picture, I'll build a project from that
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#20
During a dry fit, when this was starting to look like a ladder, happened to look at the feet...and discovered..
Rolleyes
[attachment=34868]
That instead of a simple bevel cut....it should have been a compound miter cut....Will tackle that detail, later..

Still chopping away...had one blow out...Started the chop on the wrong face...soon, though..
[attachment=34869]
had 3 mortises done.   Had to stop for a few minutes ( Pee Break, Gatorade Break, resharpen a chisel or three)
[attachment=34870]
When a chisel bounces instead of cuts...time to resharpen..
[attachment=34871]
Still had 2 more to do..
[attachment=34872]
Sharpening a chisel, seemed to make things go a bit better, too..   half way there...may wait until tomorrow for the other half.  time to hang up the apron..
[attachment=34873]
And call it a day....need a nap.
Winkgrin

Stay tuned...
Cool
Show me a picture, I'll build a project from that
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#21
Got off to a rather late start...around 1500hrs.....Stop time turned out to be 1630hrs....( 3pm to 4:30 pm for you civilians)

Started with this end...
[attachment=34898]
Outside face first, then flip over and complete the first mortise...at 1515hrs..
Rolleyes
[attachment=34899]
At 1530 hrs..
[attachment=34900]
A second mortise was done, and both dryfitted
Cool By 1600hrs..
[attachment=34901]
Was down to just the middle mortise ( worked in from both ends towards that spot)  At 1615hrs...
[attachment=34902]
Middle one was done...wasn't in a rush, but..I was loafing along, either..
Rolleyes .working with just 3 chisels...
[attachment=34903]
Saved that mallet for dry fitting....that Ball peen seemed to work better...the 1/2" wide one in the middle is a PEXTO....Was I done for today?   Nope..
 
Decided to try to dry fit everything together...
[attachment=34904]
Some of the tenons need a little off the end....a bit too long....they were hitting the bench top, before they were all the way seated...

Have a few things to do to the sides...maybe round over the sharp edges.    Maybe some other "details"?    Pick up a pack of shims, to help with a glue up, later.  Need to add a kerf in the tenons, and make the wedges.    Then maybe try the glue up?     Need to trim the feet a bit, so they will sit flat on the floor...
[attachment=34905]
Should be "fun" to do...was waiting to see how the sides would line up....so I know which way the bevel will  go..

Stay tuned...
Show me a picture, I'll build a project from that
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#22
Hmm...glad she likes a Rustic look to these things...
Rolleyes
[attachment=34945]
Glued in in two "stages"   with rosewood wedges...
[attachment=34946]
and...
[attachment=34947]
Worked my way down one side...after rounding over all the side's edges..
[attachment=34948]
Just wedges and glue....repaired the other side....chip had blown out...
[attachment=34949]
Then run the router down the last edges...and start in at attaching side #2
[attachment=34950]
Letting this sit a least a full day...before them clamps come off.....then maybe a spokeshave or two, for clean up...then a stain and some Poly...

Stay tuned..
Winkgrin
Show me a picture, I'll build a project from that
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A Towel Ladder?


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