Serious safety question about a home-brew scaffold system.

My 83 year-old dad, who is convinced that I will die on a ladder, went bonkers when I described this make-do scaffold system that I rigged up today in my never-ending paint project in the mountain house.

Problem: Painting a high wall over a stairwell to a loft in a post-and-beam log house. There is no way to get any of my ladders (3-ft, 6-ft, 8-ft, 10-ft step-ladders, and a 24-ft extension ladder) to work in that stairwell with those peaked gables.

Solution: The woman I bought this house from had an extra timber beam (about 3.5"x8"x40') placed (resting) over the three post-to-post structural beams in the living room. While I intend to remove this timber and use it in a re-model elswhere, I did find it useful today. I dragged it across the open timbers to a point that its end was 10 feet from the top of the loft stairs.

I then tied down the opposite end of the 40' timber beam. I layed a 24-ft extension ladder, totally collapsed, from the top step of the stairs to the timber beam. I tied down the beam-end of the ladder. I found a 10'x2' plank (2" thick) that fit perfectly between the outside rails of the horizontal extension ladder, on the rungs.

Dad says that an extension ladder should never be used horizontally. Intuitively, I know that. However, from my "Statics" course at Georgia Tech, the collapsed ladder - on vertical rails that look like aluminum "I" beams - supporting a weigh very evenly distributed (155#), looks like a fine platform to finish the damn few square feet involved.

Any ideas? Discussion? I know this is mundane, but I don't want to bust my ass.

I used to be an electrician, and have climbed on things that would make an OSHA representative faint. (good electricians are half monkey, btw)

I'd feel much more comfortable using a fiberglass extension ladder, but you should be fine. One question though, how in the 'open' are you? If there is alot of empty space around you, you could get a bit of vertigo while standing on it and looking up.

Also, is that plank resting on the I beam, or the rungs of the ladder? It shouldn't matter either way.

heck, the 10'*2'*2" plank could support you by itself. if you really wanted to be safe, make a "fall harness" out of rope and tie yourself off to one of the beams, so if you do fall you won't go all the way to the floor. What is it 20' or so? Still, i'd be more comfortable if someone else was there (to cut you down if you fall).

It is very sturdy, and not that high from most of the stairwell. Anyway, I'll do it tomorrow. I'll update this thread then.

would be a better option!

My husband has rigged up all sorts of creative 'scaffolding' when he's worked in our house, including drywalling around the skylight that he installed in the stairwell.

So far, he's still alive.

I'll look at that tomorrow morning.

and put them under the contraption. Make the Demokids (?) and Ms. DemoTex stay busy keeping them positioned under you if you are moving about.

family projects are the best. good luck!
dp

Pad the possible fall.

or they could lie there and look up your shorts.

:)
dp

I am working up here alone. I do take precautions. Cell phone, cordless phone, and 2-meter ham handy-talkie. Mayday, mayday, mayday?

i wasn't trying to sound like i was planning for a fall, but cover all the bases man. That's using the brain.
take care!
good luck
dp

The 24-foot extension ladder is back in the basement. Fini! I moved the 10-ft and 8-ft step ladders into the master bedroom. Fairly safe semi-high work there. It will take a while, too. The dark green walls will need at least three coats of Kilz. No drop cloths, though. The carpet is light green and dog-piss yellow. The woman we bought the house from had an old, incontinent dog. My dogs pissed the carpet when they smelled her dog's piss. I want to do hardwood in the master bedroom, like 90% of the rest of the house.

Your post gave me heebie jeebies remebering my baby brother (6'4") doing a similar death defying paint job over a terra cotta tile floor. My sister almost had a stroke.

Havocdad (much shorter than my bro) suggested we get painball guns and have a paint war when it comes time to paint his and hers workrooms.

I was concerned we might have to enter you for a Darwin Award :) ...Kevin.

extension ladders EXTENDED to cross crevasses (sp?) in ice fields? I know I have seen video of these people walking across what appears to be a normal aluminum ladder. I saw it flexing and thought to myself that there would be no way that I could do that...