A log ladder has many advantages over products made from other materials. Wood is environmentally friendly, strong enough and durable. This design is suitable for any interior.
But most often it is chosen for rooms that are decorated in a country style. If you make such a staircase yourself, you can save money, as well as make the room more comfortable. Before mounting the structure, it is necessary to process the wood so that it can last even longer.
Tool preparation
Before you make a ladder from a log, you need to prepare all the tools and materials, among them:
- saw;
- Grinder;
- carpentry tools.
It is better to choose an electric or chainsaw, which will not only facilitate, but also accelerate the process. As for the grinding machine, it will allow the wood to be processed, otherwise splintering cannot be avoided.
Recommendations for the manufacture of wooden stairs
A ladder made of logs should be made of half logs, which will be able to give the structure massiveness and solidity. In this case, you can use the product for several decades, and in the process the material will not lose its appearance. If the steps are made of half logs, then you will need a kosour or a powerful bowstring. In this case, the product can be located not only inside, but also outside the room.
Before starting work, it is necessary to determine the slope, the size of the future staircase and the number of steps. It is important to choose fasteners and support elements. To determine the length, it is necessary to calculate the height between the ceiling and the floor of the first floor. A gentle and wide staircase will be the best solution, because a steep structure can be dangerous.
The width of the steps should be chosen taking into account that the person has the opportunity to conveniently put his foot on one of them. The average value ranges from 25 to 30 cm. If the width is too large, then the person will stray from the step, going up.
Material selection
Before you make a ladder from a log, it is important to choose the material. Wood with a high moisture content should not be purchased, as mold and fungus will appear in it over time. But after drying such logs, cracks can occur in their base, as a result, the product is deformed and will lose its original shape.
Sometimes logs from disassembled log cabins are used for construction, however, it is important to first remove nails and old fasteners from them. If there is blue and mold on the wood, it is necessary to treat the surface with chemical bleaching compounds. At the next stage, the material is ground, cleaned from deformation formations and knots. For protection, you can use antiseptic solutions. The ends of the material are coated with resin, and the logs that are installed on the ground must also be processed.
If the ladder from the log will be outside, then its surface should be completely covered with resin. And after installation, the structure is opened with paint or varnish, which will protect the material from moisture. If the staircase will be subjected to high operational loads, then for work it is better to choose hardwoods like beech or oak.
Coniferous species are perfect for outdoor staircases , because they contain a larger amount of resin, which can protect the material from moisture. In addition, this substance produces an antiseptic effect. A log ladder, the photo of which is presented in the article, can be made of inexpensive larch, but a half-log can go for steps.
Assembly
At the first stage of installation, it is necessary to fix the supporting elements, which can be a braid or bowstring. After you can start to cut a recess on the base for laying logs.
The step is fixed by self-tapping screws or special hexagonal screws. Their thickness can be equal to 8 or 10 mm. Deepenings are preliminarily prepared, after these places are decorated with wooden corks.
Methodology
The most suitable value for the angle of inclination of the bowstring is a limit from 25 to 35 °. When determining the width of a staircase, it must be taken into account that two people should freely stretch on it. The width of the tread should be determined in relation to the average size of the foot, it is important to determine the height of the steps, the last of which will be the limit of 15 to 20 cm. The most convenient value for the height of the railing is 90 cm. The distance between the balusters should be 12 cm.
For the manufacture of steps, logs are used, which are sawn and supplied with special grooves for fastening. Kosour should be located in the place where the staircase will be. Through holes, it is necessary to make through holes, covering the cup sections with adhesive. When a ladder is made of a log with his own hands, the steps are fixed not only with glue, but also with anchors, as well as washers for each step. The upper part of the kosour on the floor is not fixed, because during operation the wood will shrink. The railing is fixed on the screws, and the hats can be hidden under corks of wood. Once the glue has dried, the structure can be varnished.
Conclusion
The staircase to the log house should be not only strong and durable, but also convenient for operation. Therefore, one of the important values is the span. The smaller it is, the less freedom a person will have. The minimum indicator is 0.9 m, in this case it will be possible to get a single staircase.
The width is not recommended to be made smaller, because this parameter is dictated not only by the ease of use, but also by the comfort of moving furniture and other bulky items. If the house has a sufficient amount of free space, then this value can be increased to 1.5 m. The span is limited only in the direction of reduction, but if you want to go beyond the recommended range by more than 10%, then additional amplifications should be used.