Brought to heel!

Organise and display your fabulous shoe collection – or simply hang scarves and towels – on a simple ladder made from reclaimed wood.

home May 2014

QUICK PROJECT GUIDE

Hard labour 2/10

Skill level 6/10

Time needed 3 hours

Finished size 0.6m (W) x 1.2m (H)

Project notes

• Make sure your drill bit is the right size for the dowels to ensure a good bond when glueing.

• Take your time when marking out measurements and drilling.

• If possible, draw the ladder out on the floor or a table to get the angles right.

Shopping list

• two 16mm meranti dowels (for the rungs)

• two 1.2 lengths of 38 x 76mm hardwood (for the side rails)

Plus

• wood glue

• 120-, 220- and 320-grit sandpaper

Tools

• drill

• 16mm spade drill

• pencil

• measuring tape

• hammer

• large square

• wood saw

Cutting list

• Ensure the two 38 x 76mm side rails are exactly 1.2m long.

• Cut the rungs in lengths of 490mm, 422mm, 375mm, 327mm and 260mm.

Get started

1 Make the side rails I used a router to round off the corners but a piece of sandpaper on a block will do.

2 Starting at the bottom, mark your side rails for drilling 224mm apart; you should end up with about 50mm at the top. Transfer those marks to the other rail and mark the centre of the rail.

3 Drill the holes at 7° or 83° (depending on how you measure); mark the drill with a black marker so that you only drill 10mm deep.

4 To assemble Apply wood glue to the dowels and insert them in the correct order (longest at the bottom) then repeat with the other rail. Gently tap with a hammer and allow the glue to dry.

Finishing off Sand with 120-, 220- and then 320-grit sandpaper. Varnish or simply apply a mineral oil to bring out the colour of the wood.