Companion Ladders - advise needed please,

[xavjar]

Hi everyone,

 

I don't know if this belongs in this part of the site so let me apologise in advance if it doesn’t!!!

 

I was wondering if anyone would be kind enough to give me some advise on scratch building companion ladders, I’ve had several attempts but they turn out…….. well….. terrible to be honest.

 

Any help at all would be very much appreciated,

 

Thanks,

 

Phil,

[Jim Lad]

Phil,

 

Ladders can be very tricky things to make - and the problem is that they're so nocticable on the model!

 

One way to get them done neatly is to make up a little jig.  It only need to be simple - just a strip of weed with slots for the treads cut at the correct intervals.  That will keep everything neat and square while the sides are glued on.

 

John

[dafi]

Hallo Phil, me too tried hard with the building of the stairs:

 

As it is difficult to measure inside of the ship, I took a masking tape to take measures, so one can easily get it right after taking it out :-)

 

 

Then glueing the treads onto tape ...

 

 

... to get all of them the right distance. Beside you can see V1 from the early beginning of the build.

 

 

Regrouped vertically for the milling of the groove of the middle rib..

 

 

Made some templates for the assembly  ...

 

 

... glued the treads ...

 

 

... and the middle rib.

 

 

And there he stands my small worker and shaking his head upon the wrong proportioned stairs and sends the carpenter back to work ...

 

 

At least, he tried to do his best, but it is a simple way and Reed manages to do great stairs with this technique ...

 

All the Best, dafi

Edited February 19, 2013 by dafi

[dafi]

... but I had difficulties with it. 

 

Status: Heller, V1 from the very start of the build and the V2 ...

 

 

And here the planks of 0,5 mm x 2 mm that I prepared long time ago before I realised that the 6 maters mentioned at Mondfeld are far to small  ...

 

 

... and on the right two tests for a right distance of steps: left 2 mm and right 2,5 mm, which looks right :-)

 

 

And on the far right a first test with a new assembly technic :-)

 

 

Looks right more soon.

 

Liebe Grüße, Daniel

Edited February 19, 2013 by dafi

[dafi]

Usually I like to work without machinery, but that time I had to bring out the heavy material: the  Micromiller ...

 

 

Putting in a block of Ureol, with an prepared angle according to the stairs.Distance of the steps 2,5 mm, as seen in the test before. CAD indicates a step in depth of 1,9 mm. 

 

And here we go with a 0,6 er miller for the gauge of the 0,5 mm steps ...

 

 

... and a groove for helping the ejection, and I champfered the edges to avoid problems with increeping glue.

 

 

Then putting the steps in ...

 

 

... adjusting the sides, fixing with tape ...

 

 

... putting a stop for the bottom position of the lateral supprt, glueing ...

 

 

... and another nice shot for the family album :-)

 

 

And as it came out pretty enough even a close up ...

 

 

... on the target area ...

 

 

... and once lifelike :-)

 

 

Lieber Gruß, Daniel

[dafi]

Still worked on the template and made the middle groove larger for that I also can work the smaller stairs, now making them is real easy fun :-)

 

 

I also was able to use the template for repairing: Cutting off a misglued step, putting the stair back into the template and fix a new step :-)

 

The only tricky thing is the groove in the middle of the large stairs.

 

Even well packed they like to bow up and then vibrate out of the vice.

So well placed ...

 

 

... and held down by dafis patended steps downholder.

 

 

And that´s the bounty of the last days ...

 

 

... cuties in every angle ;-)

 

 

Daniel

[xavjar]

Hi Daniel,

I can't thank you enough for taking the time to post such a detail guide!!! 

 

This helps me out a lot, sadley I don't own a micromiller    but I'll have a try at your other methods

 

Thanks again mate, I owe you one

 

Phil,

[dafi]

Instead of the mill, the jig can also be done by glueing separate spacers together. 

 

It is a package step-spacer-step-spa...

 

Just make sure, hat the glue only goes where it belongs ;-)

 

Daniel

[mtaylor]

Daniel,

That's a great set of instructions.