Wooden Step Ladder

[jagwinn]

I have an 8' wooden step ladder that has been in the weather and all the finish is gone. Gray and splintery is the current state.
I was wanting to source the rivets that hold the thing together. I hope to remove and de-rust all the metal parts, and replace the metal/rubber feet on the bottom of the legs.
How 'bout it, any restoration parts source you know of?

 

[Speleo]

Old, wooden ladders are a hazard beyond description.
The wood has shrunk, and fasteners will not hold tight.
You are much better off replacing it with a new fiberglass one.
They are much safer.

Bruce

 

[ddawg16]

I agree with Speleo…..

Why put all that effort into something that is already on it's last leg....

It's not fun falling off a ladder

 

[rlitman]

If it's reached the gray and splintery state, it's time to put it into your burn pile.

 

[FlaGman]

Cut it up, hang it on the wall, and repurpose it as garage shelving for small items

 

[malibu101]

I'm not a safety nazi and it's easy to spend some elses money, but,.....
Repairing a ladder especially an old wooden one is in no way worth the possible bad outcome and money spent on it.

Buy any new one of the type (weight rating) that you need and don't let it out in the weather.

If the wood is grey and splintery, new hardware is not the problem.

 

[CJM8515]

Ive thrown out all the old wooden ladders, unsafe junk by now. Fiberglass is cheap enough not to worry about the cost

 

[Mark in Indiana]

I agree with the others. IMO: The best thing to do is to sell it to an arts & crafts guy or gal.

 

[Farmer J.]

Cut it up, hang it on the wall, and repurpose it as garage shelving for small items

Good idea. Nobody seems to want to preserve old ladders, and they usually aren't safe enough to use for climbing on. If all the others get thrown on a fire you will have some unique garage shelving!

 

[captain14]

After using my fathers 6 foot wood step ladder once at their house, he found a new aluminum ladder near the Xmas tree that year.

 

[jd_1138]

I sometimes help out some elderly people with projects, and they all would point over to some old wooden ladder. I started bring my own aluminum ladder. I am not falling off an old crappy ladder and blowing out a vertebrae.

 

[scrapdaddy]

OP was asking about parts, not every ones opinion on safety. Maybe he just wants to hang it in the rafters. I've saved my Dad's old wood extension ladder and plan to display it with the rest of my old stuff.

 

[dutchgray]

I would have no problem using an 8' wood step ladder if it was in good condition, the only problem with them is that they are heavy, which is why all the electricians now use fiberglass steps. If not in good condition I would get rid, if its just the finish on it that's rough there is no reason not to clean it up and use it, but I doubt that its just the finish if its been outside for a while.
Not worth getting hurt by falling from a dodgy ladder.

 

[Stuart in MN]

Getting off topic, but there's an interesting short movie about the San Francisco Fire Department ladder shop, they still build and use wood ladders on their fire trucks. https://vimeo.com/13190227

 

[scrapdaddy]

Thanks for posting, great story too!

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

Off topic but, I had a 24’ extension and a 10’ wood ladders gave to the guys from the fire department. They cleaned them up and used them for wall art in their clubhouse.
I have a couple of Fibreglass steps and and a 6’ and 10’ aluminium platform ladders.
My favourites are still my 2 6’ wood step ladders. I have to weak them up once in awhile to stop them from wobbling. You can at least straddle them, one leg on each side. You can’t do that with Fibreglass. They also make great drying racks for painting or staining long lengths of lumber if you have a pair of them.

 

[Farmer J.]

Getting off topic, but there's an interesting short movie about the San Francisco Fire Department ladder shop, they still build and use wood ladders on their fire trucks. https://vimeo.com/13190227

Thanks for posting that, it's interesting to go off the original topic for a while.. Nice to know they use douglas fir for making the ladders, I used some old douglas fir from the frame of a scrapped thrashing machine to make a stair ladder a few years ago.
When the local fire service here changed from wood to metal ladders about 1980 I saved an old one and have it hanging in my barn.

 

[trecane]

I have a similar 6' ladder. The wood was in decent shape so I replaced most of the rivets with screws and nuts. It isn't a bad ladder but if the wood in yours isn't in really good condition then throw it out. Even if the wood is ok, the time and effort you spend restoring it is probably worth more than a new one in fiberglass.

Sometimes it's really for the best that "they sure don't make 'em like that anymore!"

 

[Indexmill]

Getting off topic, but there's an interesting short movie about the San Francisco Fire Department ladder shop, they still build and use wood ladders on their fire trucks. https://vimeo.com/13190227

I've seen a show on TV about the SFFD wooden ladders. It's amazing.

Now, that is a whole different story that the old grey splintery ones we are talking about here.

 

[stewed baker]

In case your name is anywhere on the ladder.
CUT IT UP ! BURN IT !
DESTROY IT !
Do not just throw it out !
I worked for an electrical contractor who threw out some old worn out ladders. To the dump with them.
A good many years later they got sued by a guy who had been hurt--at his house--using one of their ladders. One that he picked up from the dump and took home.
They finally settled out of court with a financial settlement. They were told by their attorney that the time and money to fight the lawsuit [which they would probably lose] wasn't worth it.
After that, he made damn sure the shop boys completely destroyed any equipment unsafe to use.