March 20, 2018

Finishing the Ladder to the Hay Loft

Last September Dan made a ladder for the hayloft - a ships ladder. It's been leaning up against the hayloft framing since then.


For the past week he's been working on finishing it, which basically meant securing it to the hay loft framing and adding hand rails.


Seems simple enough, except that making the hand rails required using the table saw. He hasn't gone anywhere near that saw since his accident. Using it again was a huge step.


I doubt he'll ever be able to use that saw without some sort of flashback. But life goes on and we must too.


We're both pleased with how it turned out.

20 comments:

Mama Pea said...

I can only imagine the thoughts that go through Dan's mind when he uses the table saw. Even when I hear my husband start ours, I cringe slightly, cross my fingers and hope he's being as careful as he possibly can. I've used it in the past but haven't had the need to since Dan had his accident. And to say I'm not eager to do so is an understatement.

Nice looking ladder! Well done and I'm sure Dan felt good to see it finished.

Michelle said...

This was no doubt a big step (ha!) for BOTH of you! Fear is a favorite tool of the devil; glad Dan didn't let the (very legitimate) fear stop him – not that I believed it would!

Gorges Smythe said...

Good-looking ladder. Whatever you do, don't let him use a chainsaw. The vibration will destroy the new little veins that are forming.

Rain said...

Congratulations Dan!!! It looks wonderful. It must have been so scary to use that saw again, my gosh...I'd probably not have the courage to do it.

Ed said...

I know it isn't in your budget right now, but one solution in the future might be to invest in a sawstop mechanism for your tablesaw if there is a conversion kit available for it or get one with one built in. It is definitely on my list in the future when I can afford one. I'm hoping as use becomes common the price will come down within my range.

tpals said...

I'm always impressed by how beautiful something built well and functional can be. That ladder looks like it will be a pleasure to use.

M.K. said...

That looks beautiful. And congrats to Dan on overcoming his fear. That's very hard to do.

Lady Locust said...

It looks absolutely perfect which should provide some encouragement as well. Wishing much healing - body and soul.

Paula said...

Funny you should mention that. I had a spinning chuck with a hole saw in it fall out of my drill press, bounce off the work table, and go spinning across my left forearm, taking little tiny bites of flesh out in the line of travel. It wasn't that bad, as accidents go, and it could have been a whole lot worse, but I still haven't seen the need to pound that chuck back in and use my beloved drill press. So yeah, I get what Dan's going through, only his accident was much worse, and he went back to his saw anyway. My hat is off to him!

Goatldi said...

Looking good as always. The outcome of any project Dan touches is amazing shows a sense of pride in his products. Also makes those of us in the cheap seats coming back time after time to be amazed!

Fear is an irrational beast isn't it? We can sit and talk ourselves into a corner and yet when we finally get the push to the shove and tackle it we often realize most of the apprehension came from our giving cause that make anticipating the action worse than it actually is. What a triumph when we tame it and move on. Bravo Dan! And to you Leigh for being the "yes you can " behind him.

Dawn said...

I have only just caught up on the news of Dan, what a difficult time for you both, my FIL had an accident last year with a saw and lost a finger it had to be amputated at 80 years old healing was slow, I am sure you will both bounce back stronger from this, having an accident is the one thing I dread how would I cope or Martin cope if one of us was incapacitated for any length o time.

Leigh said...

Mama Pea, yes, the ladder turned out well! I admit I was surprised when I heard that saw running. I didn't think he was ready for it yet. But he used a workaround whenever possible!

Michelle, it's true, fear keeps us in bondage. On the other hand, a little healthy respect is s good thing!

Gorges, thanks! He mentioned the chainsaw when we were talking about firewood the other day, and it was the vibration he wasn't ready for. The chainsaw is the worst for that.

Rain, thanks! I think the feeling of not getting anything done was stronger than the idea of having to face that table saw!

Ed, definitely. It's a shame something so helpful is priced so high!

Tpals, so true. And so little is well built nowadays that even modest craftsmanship is something to be proud of. I hope we never lose that.

M.K. thanks!

Lady Locust, thank you! Now all we need is a floor for the hayloft!

Paula, ouch! Something freaky like that is almost worse psychologically. It's as though the machine had a mind of its own. I'm glad it wasn't worse.

Goatldi, handcraftsmanship always adds so much. And that's very true about fear! Funny how it works like that. We humans can be odd creatures, LOL

Dawn, it's the kind of thing you can't really plan or prepare for. One of our goals has been to work toward a decreased work load, but there seems to be too much to do to get there! I hope you FIL is resuming a normal semblance of life. It's tough to be out of commission no matter what one's age is.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

The ladder looks great. It's walking down ours that I get a bit nervous. The rails look great too.

Susan said...

That ladder looks like a piece of furniture! Talented guy, your Dave. Kudos to him for facing the fear. You are both amazing.

Fiona said...

Awesome ladder, we need to revamp the one in the tobacco barn. This gives us ideas👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

Leigh said...

Kristina, thanks! I feel much better going down with those rails to hold on to.

Susan, doesn't it! He wants to paint it but I'm thinking I like it the way it is. :)

Fiona, thanks! A straight up and down ladder didn't seem like a good idea at our age. This one doesn't take up much space so it's better than stairs. The real question is whether the goats will be able climb it!

Anonymous said...

Yay Dan for mastering the fear!! The ladder is stunning, and I agree it is so beautiful it would be a shame to cover it with paint. That first time using a tool that bit you is the hardest, but every use gets a tiny bit better. Baby steps are better than no steps at all, and Dan took a big one!

Mrs Shoes said...

I love the handrail; I'm glad to hear Dan's back on the saw.

Quinn said...

That's a beautiful ladder! I love a functional creation - beauty in it's own right - that also is pleasing in materials and form. This one ticks all the boxes!
p.s. I am giving away some squash seeds from Sow True Seeds on the blog this week, thought it might be of interest :)

Renee Nefe said...

The ladder looks great. So glad that Dan was able to get back to the saw. He makes lovely things!