Heirloom Ladders

Build a sturdy ladder, perfect for holding blankets, quilts, or towels – or just for reaching a little higher! This class will use traditional hand tools, including shaving horses, drawknives, and carving knives. The construction of a ladder offers a fundamental lesson in mortise and tenon joinery for building furniture, timber frames, and a variety of other heritage woodworking projects. 

On day-one, students will choose rough dimensions for their ladders, cut wood to length, and shape the parts with a shaving horse and drawknife. On day-two, students will finish carving their ladder parts, join the ladder, and as time allows explore simple wood finishes such as milk paint and other processes. Each ladder can measure up to 5 feet tall and 20 inches wide, although students may choose to build their piece with custom dimensions.

While students can expect to finish this heirloom piece over the duration of the weekend, it is an ambitious project! Prepare to work hard, work with your hands, and have plenty of fun too.