Joel Mumford
08-13-2013, 12:54 PM
The loft in my barn is accessed by a 2ft square opening framed by 2x10s. I have a 10ft ship's ladder for access from the barn floor ( barn floor to ceiling is 9 feet). I want to fabricate a bracket on each side of the top end so the ladder will move from 90deg. upright against the wall to its usable position at an angle to the wall. The ladder was fabricated to lie at 22deg. from the wall. The top sides and bottom ends are cut to that angle to both lie flush with the floor and the 2x10 at the back-side of the loft opening. The bracket would allow positioning for climbing up and anchor it at that point and allow return to vertical against wall for best use of space.
I can envision a sort of bracket that has a heavy steel rod through two sides of the square-opening and mating with a steel bracket that is slotted to allow the rod to run with it, and this slotted-channel then secured to each side of the ladder. Cannot quite picture how this slotted bracket on each side of the ship's ladder would be positioned or how much play there has to be between the steel rod and the slotted-channel to allow free movement as it goes from vertical to its final position. The ladder starts from vertical upright against the wall, and then the top end has to move both downward and inward to its final position 22deg from the vertical but now flush with back wall of ceiling opening while the bottom footing of ladder ends up about 18in. out from the back wall.
Anyone fabricated such a mechanism? A commercial ladder firm has something similar but not quite adaptable to my particular situation--and they charge $500 for one bracket! I can do a lot of welding for that price.
Appreciate your suggestions.
I can envision a sort of bracket that has a heavy steel rod through two sides of the square-opening and mating with a steel bracket that is slotted to allow the rod to run with it, and this slotted-channel then secured to each side of the ladder. Cannot quite picture how this slotted bracket on each side of the ship's ladder would be positioned or how much play there has to be between the steel rod and the slotted-channel to allow free movement as it goes from vertical to its final position. The ladder starts from vertical upright against the wall, and then the top end has to move both downward and inward to its final position 22deg from the vertical but now flush with back wall of ceiling opening while the bottom footing of ladder ends up about 18in. out from the back wall.
Anyone fabricated such a mechanism? A commercial ladder firm has something similar but not quite adaptable to my particular situation--and they charge $500 for one bracket! I can do a lot of welding for that price.
Appreciate your suggestions.