I was watching something a few days ago. Someone was climbing a handmade ladder. I immediately spotted that the ladder was constructed improperly. It was two 2x4s with 1×4 rungs spaced about a foot between each. The rungs were just nailed to the surface.
I learned long ago that there should be cleats nailed on the 2x4s between each rung . And having 12 inches between the rungs is too much space.

But I know I made ladders like that when I was much younger. Used to be, when I needed something, I’d probably have to try to make it. Certainly, when I was a kid, that was just about the only way to get anything. In situations like that, you know what it is you want but you probably don’t know the “proper” way to make it.
I’m thinking specifically of when I was a kid and made structures with my friends. We had a pile of wood, some nails, and some tools that we gathered from our respective houses. The fun, of course, was putting it all together to make a shack or treehouse. I distinctly remember that I made a ladder from two spindly trees I cut down. It was definitely not what anyone would call “safe” but it also wasn’t 30 feet long. How safe does a six foot ladder need to be?

Furniture makers tend to use the strongest joints whenever possible. The main reason is that the wood is normally not very thick. You want to maximize the strength of something with the least amount of material. And it seems to always be a good idea to make something stronger than it needs to be just insure that it is at least as strong as it needs to be.
A carpenter gets a feel for how strong something needs to be and tends to just do that, without actually doing things the wrong way. Sometimes, however, a carpenter will do things the “technically” wrong way if he thinks it doesn’t matter. For example, I knew someone who would routinely frame stud walls with a single nail holding the ends of the stud at the top and bottom plate. His justified it in three ways: (1) gravity will help hold it together, (2) he didn’t have many nails, and (3) the drywall would keep the studs from turning.
At least he had it thought out.

When you’re a kid, you build things to try to make them look a certain way. You build a doghouse to look like a doghouse. You have no real structural concerns. If you have 6 pieces of plywood, you’ll probably nail them together house-of-cards fashion and be happy with what you’ve made. The dog may be suspicious and somewhat afraid the new dwelling won’t survive next winter’s snow load, but you’ll take pride in your architectural genius.
A ladder, however, is something you use. You notice it’s not right when the rungs fall off under your feet or it’s too much a step to get to the next rung. You learn real lessons building things like ladders when you’re young and ignorant.

I was once lectured by an inspector that was walking through a jobsite where I was working. A few weeks earlier, my four-foot stepladder had been taken by some painters who thought it was theirs. I know they didn’t purposely steal it, because it was really not very good. It was made of aluminum just slightly thicker than what you find rolled up in a box. I’d also set it up on uneven ground a few too many times, so it refuses to stand flat on anything. It was slightly skewed to one side. In other words, it was junk. Anyway, I no longer had it but still needed to reach a little above my head so I was, unfortunately, standing on an inverted 5-gallon paint bucket when the inspector walked by.
He informed me that standing on a bucket is not safe and that I had to stop doing it. He said that I could get some wood and make myself a step-stool and that would be acceptable.
I was polite and nodded and agreed with him and waited for him to leave and resumed standing on my bucket.

I know I can build a bench to stand on and it would be perfectly safe. I’ve done it many times. I have, however, seen a great deal of evidence that most people can’t build a step-stool that is safer than a bucket. Furthermore, how unsafe is a bucket? If it tips over, how far will I fall? Maybe if I had the bucket set up on a few stacked up pallets that themselves were piled on some broken concrete blocks, then it might be getting a bit unsafe. I might even get a bruise if I fell down.

So, what’s the point of this little tale? Is it even really a tale? Well, I saw a ladder on a tv show and immediately saw it was not properly made. That just means I need to find better ways to spend my time.

I know I can build a bench to stand on and it would be perfectly safe. I’ve done it many times. I have, however, seen a great deal of evidence that most people can’t build a step-stool that is safer than a bucket. Furthermore, how unsafe is a bucket? If it tips over, how far will I fall? Maybe if I had the bucket set up on a few stacked up pallets that themselves were piled on some broken concrete blocks, then it might be getting a bit unsafe. I might even get a bruise if I fell down.

So, what’s the point of this little tale? Is it even really a tale? Well, I saw a ladder on a tv show and immediately saw it was not properly made. That just means I need to find better ways to spend my time.