How to build a ladder and calculate its weight capacity?

[AGC]

1) How to build a ladder for mounting it in a barn door track? I’ve seen the awesome work shared in https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/t5/Whole-of-House/In-built-wall-shelves-with-ladder/m-p/153199. I have the shelves so only want to build the ladder making sure it’s safe to use as I need to take up and down heavy things.

‘And

2) how to calculate its weight capacity?

thanks in advance!

[KatieC]

Hi @AGC,

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community! It is awesome you have joined and thank you for your ladder weight calculation question. It is great you were inspired by @buildwithroneth's In-built wall shelves with ladder, I am sure they would be happy to share how they made their ladder.

Our resident D.I.Y. expert @EricL will be online this afternoon to assist you, could you please tell us a bit more about the materials you used for your shelves? What material are you thinking of for the ladder? Are you able to share a photo of it? 

Katie 

[EricL]

Hello @AGC 

My apologies for the late replay. You mentioned that you are installing this ladder in a barn door track. Would it be possible for you to post a photo of the area? This will give our members a chance to assess the location. We can then make recommendations on how to proceed. 

Can you also please tell us what would be the typical weight of the item you are bringing up the ladder?  

The only reference I could find about timber ladder strength is the MOR or Modulus of rupture. The most critical factor is the timber's bending strength. This value indicates the maximum amount of stress the timber can withstand without breaking. You can typically find MOR values for different timber species in engineering references or online databases.

Let me call on our experienced members @Adam_W, @TedBear and @JoeAzza for their recommendations.

If you need a hand posting the photos, please let me know.

Eric

[JoeAzza]

Hi @AGC, re ladder specifications, I know that there are Australian Standards regarding ladders, hopefully this will help. Standards for Ladders, AS1892 and for step ladders AS 1657 -2018

[Jason]

Hi @AGC,

Let me also extend a very warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. 

I hope the replies you received were helpful. Did you need assistance in sharing some photos so members could help further? If you could also clarify the weight as per Eric's message, I'm sure he would be happy to assist with more detail. 

Thanks,

Jason