How to Make Wooden Stepladder Hinges

Check your hinges regularly to ensure they still have structural integrity.

Wood is a readily available material for making stepladder hinges because you need very few tools and little woodworking experience to create them. With proper construction, they can support your weight just as well as metal hinges when you use your stepladder. The wood hinges help increase the visual appeal of your stepladder as well. Instead of having ordinary metal hinges, your stepladder will feature a pure wood look down to the hinges for you to enjoy.

Things You'll Need

• Oak wood
• Pencil
• Goggles
• Hair tie
• Scroll saw
• Drill
• Drill bit
• Metal wire
• Pliers

Instructions

1. Draw an outline for your hinge on a 1-inch-thick piece of oak wood. The outline should look somewhat like a blocky "u" with two prongs that are 1 inch long and 1/2 inch wide, separated by 1 inch with the side of one prong resting against the edge. The bottom should end in a square that extends 1 1/2 inches down from the separation between the prongs.

2. Draw an additional rectangle on the square base. Make it 1 inch wide and 1 inch long. Center it on the bottom of the original sketch so it looks like the handle of a tuning fork.

3. Turn the block of wood on its side with the side that has the sketch resting against it facing up. Draw a 3/4-inch-wide circle on one end of the block where the prongs end on the original sketch. The top of the circle should end where the prong ends. One end of the circle should sit against the edge of the wood block that has the original sketch.

4. Draw another circle the same size as the first on the other end of the block, right where the handle-shaped piece of the original sketch ends. Position it so one end of the circle touches the side of the wood block with the original sketch.

5. Draw a straight line from the center of one circle to the other. Draw a line that extends down from the edge of the block with the original sketch to the top edge of the second circle you drew. This creates a squared edge on one side that will help the hinge catch properly.

6. Put on a pair of goggles and tie your hair into a ponytail if it hangs lower than your shoulders. Start your scroll saw and let it reach full speed before you continue.

7. Place the wood block flat once again with the first sketch facing up and feed it into the saw. Run the saw along the lines in the original sketch. Flip the wood block so your second sketch faces upward. Start feeding the second circle with a straight edge through the saw and continue cutting it out until you have a piece of wood with two rounded edges (aside from the edge that has one pointed corner) and a flat section in the middle.

8. Divide the outline in half widthwise so one side has the squared base while the other side has the two wooden prongs. Draw a straight line across the center as your guide. Cut the wood in half, leaving two pieces.

9. Lay the two remaining pieces of wood with the rounded edges on their sides. Draw a dot in the center of the circular edges. Drill all the way through the rounded pieces with a 1/4-inch-thick drill bit.

10. Place the rounded prongs around the solid rounded piece on the second piece of wood. Drive a 1/4-inch-thick metal wire through the holes in the rounded edges that has 1/2 inch of slack on each side of the holes. Bend the wire over, securing it in place and connecting the wood pieces together.

References

• Woodcraft Supply LLC: Making Wooden Hinges