48″ tall blanket ladder plans

Parts

Cut list

Kerf 1/8″ included. Every cut runs edge to edge.

Steps

• Tape measure
• Speed square
• Pencil
• Drill/driver
• Clamps
• Safety glasses
• Hearing protection
• Dust mask
• Circular saw or miter saw
• Stud finder
• Level
• Miter saw
• Spade or Forstner bit, 1 1/4″
• Mallet
• Awl or nail (to mark centres)
• Sander, 120 and 180 grit

Underlined words have a short explanation: hover or tap them. All of them are on the glossary page.

1. 1Before you start

   Read every step once, start to finish, before you buy or cut anything. Each step names the parts it uses by letter; the parts list gives their sizes.

   Set up somewhere flat with good light. A pair of sawhorses with a sheet of plywood on top makes a fine work table.

   Wear safety glasses whenever a tool is running, hearing protection for saws, and a dust mask for sanding and for cutting treated wood or sheet goods. Tie back long hair and loose sleeves. Keep children and pets out of the work area.

   • Tip At the store, pick straight boards: hold each one up to your eye and look down its length. Skip boards that bow, twist or have big knots near the ends.
   • Tip Measure twice, cut once. Most mistakes are a misread tape, not a bad cut.

2. 2Cut and label the parts

   Cut every part on the cut list. Cut the longest parts first: if one goes wrong, it can still become a shorter part.

   To mark a cut, hook your tape on the end of the board, make a small V with its point exactly at the measurement, and draw a square line through the point with a speed square. Put an X on the waste side.

   Cut on the waste side of the line, so the blade's kerf (about 1/8″) comes out of the scrap, not your part.

   Write each part's letter in pencil on a face that won't show, and stack the parts by letter.

   Sand the faces before assembly while they're flat and easy to reach: 120 grit, then 180.

   ✓ Lay the parts out and count them against the parts list. Measure a few: if one is off by more than 1/16″, recut it now.

   STOP. Let the saw reach full speed before it touches the wood, keep both hands clear of the blade's path, and never reach under a board you're cutting. Support long boards on both sides of the cut so the blade doesn't pinch.

3. 3Cut the rails at the lean angle

   Set the miter saw to 8°. Cut one end of a rail (A): this is the foot, and the angle makes it sit flat on the floor while the rail leans.

   Measure 48 1/2″ along one long edge from the point of that cut and mark it. Without changing the saw, cut there so the second cut is parallel to the first: the rail looks like a very long, thin parallelogram, and the top end will be level too.

   Cut the second rail exactly the same, using the first as a pattern: clamp them together and check the ends line up.

   • Tip Mark an X on the waste side before every cut so the blade takes its kerf from the offcut, not your part.
   • Tip Lay both rails next to each other and mark "L" and "R" on the faces that will face out. The cleats or holes go on the other faces.

   ✓ Lean a rail against a wall: the foot sits flat on the floor, the top corner touches the wall 48″ up, and the top cut is level.

4. 4Mark the rung centres

   Clamp the rails together face to face, feet lined up. From the foot, measure along the edge and mark 12 1/8″, 19 15/16″, 27 3/4″, 35 5/8″, 43 7/16″. Square each mark across both rails.

   On each line, mark the centre: 1 3/4″ from either edge, measured square to the edge. That is where the drill bit's point goes.

   • Tip Press an awl or a nail into each centre mark. The spur of a spade bit drops into the dent and doesn't skate off.

   ✓ Unclamp and lay the rails side by side: every mark lines up across both rails.

5. 5Drill the rung holes

   Clamp a rail to the bench on top of a scrap board. Drill a 1 1/4″ hole straight through at each centre mark with a spade or Forstner bit, holding the drill square to the face.

   Drill until the point of the bit just pokes out of the back, then flip the rail and finish the hole from the other side. That stops the bit tearing a ragged exit.

   • Tip Test the bit in a scrap first: some dowels run a little fat. If the fit is too tight, sand the dowel end, not the hole.

   ✓ A dowel slides into every hole with firm hand pressure and stands square to the rail (check with a speed square).

   STOP. A spade bit can grab and twist the drill. Hold it with both hands, run it at medium speed and keep the rail clamped down.

6. 6Cut and sand the rungs

   Cut 5 rungs (B) to 20″ from the dowels. Square ends matter here: they show on the outside of the rails.

   Sand each rung smooth with 180 grit, along its length. Blankets snag on rough spots.

   ✓ All rungs are exactly 20″ long: stand them on end side by side on a flat surface and they are level across the top.

7. 7Glue the ladder together

   Lay one rail flat, outside face down. Spread glue inside each hole and tap a rung in with a mallet until its end is flush with the outside face.

   Glue the holes of the second rail, set it over the free ends of the rungs and tap it down until every rung end is flush. Lay the ladder on a flat floor and wipe off squeeze-out.

   From the back edge of each rail, drill a pilot hole into each rung and drive a 1 5/8″ screw. It pins the rung so it can't turn or work loose.

   • Tip Work quickly: you have about 10 minutes of open time. Dry-fit the whole ladder first so there are no surprises.

   ✓ The rails are 18 1/2″ apart inside at the top and the bottom, and the ladder lies flat on the floor without rocking (no twist).

8. 8Finish and fit the feet

   Sand all edges, then finish it. A clear water-based polyurethane or wax keeps dye from blankets off the wood and the wood off the blankets.

   Stick non-slip pads on the feet and lean it on the wall. The top touches the wall and the feet are 10 5/16″ out.

   ✓ Pull a blanket off a rung: the ladder doesn't slide or shift.

   STOP. This is decor, not a ladder: never stand or climb on it. Keep the top strapped to a stud.

9. 9Anchor to the wall

   Slide a stud finder along the wall behind where the piece will stand and mark the studs.

   Fix the anti-tip kit's bracket to the back or top of the piece, then screw its other end into a stud with the screws supplied.

   Do not load the piece until it is anchored.

   STOP. Confirm the wall type first. Drywall on studs: use the studs. Plaster or masonry: use the kit's matching anchors or ask a pro.

10. 10Finish

    Ease every sharp edge and corner with 120-grit sandpaper so nobody gets a splinter.

    Sand all over with 180 grit, always along the grain (the direction the wood fibres run). Scratches across the grain show through stain.

    Wipe off the dust with a barely damp rag and let it dry.

    Paint, stain or a clear coat (water-based polyurethane is the easiest). Apply thin coats with the grain, let each dry fully, and sand lightly with 220 grit between coats.

    Let it dry for the time on the can before using it.

    • Tip Try your finish on a scrap of the same wood first: stain looks different on every board.