If you have an attic in your house, a folding staircase will save space on the ground floor. It can be made independently or purchased in a store. However, the first option is most preferable, since you can make such a design that is suitable exactly for the room in which it will be located.
Dimensions of folding stairs
If you are going to make a folding ladder, then you need to be guided by standard sizes. They are considered the most acceptable, since using the device with them will be most comfortable. 65 cm are the optimal
width of the flight of stairs . If we talk about the height of the stairs, then experts do not recommend making this parameter more than 3.5 meters. Otherwise, it may result in personal injury. Among other things, this design will be inconvenient to lower and raise. The number of steps should be limited to the 14th or 15th. A folding ladder will be most convenient if the distance between the steps is 19.3 centimeters. The thickness of the step should vary from 18 to 22 millimeters. If the upper part of the stairs will be fixed to the ceiling or the opening in it, it is important to choose the correct angle of inclination of the structure. The standard value is a value in the range from 60 to 75 degrees. If you use a more impressive slope, then the design will be dangerous to use, whereas if the slope is less, then the staircase will occupy an excessive amount of free space. When you are going to make a folding ladder, you must consider that it must withstand a mass of 150 kg. As an optimal option, a ladder acts, which is built into the hatch. The width of the structure should be equal to 70 centimeters, while the length is 120 cm, these parameters are considered the most convenient for use.
Making a folding ladder from two sections
Folding
attic stairs can only be made with a certain set of tools. For work, you need a hacksaw, which is designed to work with wood. For measurements, prepare a tape measure. It will take the master and a card loop in the amount of 4 pieces. Prepare two bars the length of which is equivalent to the width of the hatch. The same number of bars should be prepared with a more impressive length compared to the first. The difference between these parameters should be 20 centimeters. The thickness of the bars can vary from 2 to 3 centimeters. As fasteners, self-tapping screws, anchors, and hooks should be used.
Features of the work
If you decide to make folding stairs to the attic, you first need to fix one of the shorter bars on the upper end of the structure using hinges. The other end is rigidly fixed to the bottom. Two rails should be mounted on the flight of stairs, installing them so that they are located obliquely and do not interfere with movement. They will act as stiffeners for the structure. The next step will be to cut with a retreat of 2/3 of the length of the stairs. After that, both parts must be interlinked using loops. It is important to ensure that the mounting is correct. This will ensure correct folding of the structure. The upper block is fixed to the surface of the wall under the hatch. If you make a folding
ladder with your own hands, you need to attach it to the wall surface using a hook. The loop is screwed into the braid directly next to the place where the cut was made, while the hook should be fixed to the wall. The disadvantage of this design is that it will remain in sight. This can be avoided if a product of a more complex construction is used, its sections have to be fixed on the manhole cover.
Making stairs in the hatch
Folding
stairs to the second floor can be made so that they are not visible at the moment when they are not used. For this, the design should be made in such a way that it consists of three separate sections. To do this, you have to make a hatch that will lead to the attic. You can use improvised materials. It is important to determine the location of the opening. As the dimensions of the stairwell, you can use the dimensions limited by the parameters of 125x70 centimeters. In order to cut the hatch, it is necessary to add about 8 millimeters on each side to the specified dimensions. These gaps should ensure easy closing of the lid, but at the same time the thermal insulation will not be broken.
Material preparation
If you make folding stairs to the attic with your own hands, then it will be necessary to prepare square bars with a side of 50 millimeters. These blanks should be 4. Two of them should be less long. You will need a 10 mm plywood canvas, you can apply two panels of the whole sheet. This can help the master, who did not have a single canvas.
Manufacturing stairs
When a do-it-yourself folding ladder is made, drawings must be prepared by the foreman in advance. At the initial stage, cuts should be made at the ends of the bars, which should have a depth of 1/2 thickness. After that, it is necessary to process with glue and fix everything with self-tapping screws. First you need to analyze whether the diagonals correspond to each other. In order to exclude a change in the diagonals, it is necessary to temporarily install scarves that are made of 4 mm plywood. After that, they will need to get rid of, strengthening the canvas with 10 mm plywood, using self-tapping screws installed around the perimeter. At the next stage, you can begin to try on the opening. In order to ensure good closing of the hatch, a door latch must be inserted into the cover.
Work on the mechanism of a folding ladder with a hatch
Drawing a folding ladder allows you to do the job right. At the next stage, you need to start manipulating the opening mechanism. You can purchase components before the start of the process in the store, but it is possible to make them yourself. Initially, on a cardboard, you need to depict a design diagram, in the manufacture of which corners will be used. Next, the cardboard parts are cut out, which allows them to be tried on. This ensures accurate determination of the length of the joints. You can find iron corners, pieces of metal in your garage, as well as scraps of tin strips. All this may be necessary for the manufacture of stairs.
Material preparation
The process will require one corner, strips of different lengths in the amount of two pieces, as well as a piece of sheet steel.
Recommendations for work
At the next stage, it is necessary to note the location of the holes for the hinges. The distance between them must be determined empirically. Next, you need to make holes for installing the M100 bolt. When assembling, fasteners do not need to be tightened much. Now you can fix the required opening angle of the hatch and push the future mechanism to the desired angle. Then, on the metal, it should be noted the area that, when opened, the corner will overlap. This will allow you to cut the item with a jigsaw. Now the metal strips should be brought into proper shape, for this it is necessary to cut off the extra length from them, and their ends should also be rounded. This will exclude touching the corner and will not impede the movement of the structure. The next step is to reassemble the entire mechanism. On this, we can assume that one mechanism is ready, we can proceed to work on the second.
The manufacture of the second mechanism
It is important to make it according to the same principle, so that it turns out to be exactly the same as the first, only in a mirror version. To do this, connect all the parts with clamps and drill the necessary holes. After one hole is ready, you need to install a bolt in it and drill another. Then the parts are twisted together and are equal in length. Using this technology, you need to make all the details. As a result, the master should get a couple of exactly the same mechanisms.
Final work
If you decide to make metal folding stairs yourself, the next step is to install the manufactured mechanisms on the hatch and try on everything to the opening. It is important to consider the height of fixation on the floor beam. This indicates that the part should not go beyond the overlap. If an error was still made, then you can install temporary bars. The hatch will have to be adjusted so that it opens well and does not touch the walls of the opening.
Fabrication of a support mechanism
If folding aluminum stairs are made, then a supporting mechanism will also be necessary for them. To do this, prepare two strips of metal, the width of which is 20 millimeters. A corner is also useful in this process. To do this, at the end of one of the strips, a piece of metal should be strengthened by welding, which will abut 2 strips. From the corner to make a kind of supporting platform. In the end, you should get a hinge that, when you open the hatch, will remain somewhat bent, but it will hold the load securely. Subsequently, this node must be installed so that it is completely unfolded when the mechanisms are open as much as possible. This will ensure even load distribution between the elements when the folding ladder is open.
Features of manufacturing ladders on bowstrings
You can make aluminum folding stairs, such structures are lightweight and do not take up much space. However, quite often stairs are also made using wooden boards. In this design, not only steps, but also a bowstring can be used. Both of these constituent elements must be prepared from an inch board whose width is 100 millimeters. The length of the first section should correspond to the dimensions of the hatch, while the second will be slightly less, however, it should not touch the ceiling when folding. The third section will be of such a length that allows it to remain on the surface of the floor. In order to provide a more aesthetic appearance of the structure, it is possible to grind the faces using a milling cutter. On the bowstrings, a small indentation should be made to set the steps. Self-tapping screws and glue will allow you to combine all the details in a single design. The hinges will connect the sections of the march, and also allow the stairs to unfold and fold. If you take these rules into account, then the work will be successful, and you will achieve the expected result.