Bookcase Ladder
My client has a workspace where he also exercises. When he is exercising he covers everything up so he can take his mind off of work, but when he is working he wants everything opened up again and wants to be able to reach all his books and documents.
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He wants his workspace to easily switch between these 'modes'. So every part has to be able to move aside. For his bookshelf of 6 meters wide and 3 meters high, I designed a ladder with a max. carrying weight of 150 kg. The ladder is made of the wood that does not splinter: beech wood. In addition, the two stiles of the ladder have an ergonomic shape, so you can easily slide your hands along them.
The ladder can move over the entire bookshelf due to the 4 wheels that are located along the axis of the cabinet. The upper wheels are also clamped in a rail so that the ladder cannot go in the wrong direction.
Process
Digital visualisation
The ladder is 3,15 meters tall and the stiles have a profile of 70mm x 50mm.
It's near impossible to find straight planks of this length with this profile size.
That's why the stiles are made out of thinner planks, that do reach the required length at least.
The structure of the ladder itself is fairly easy, only parallel planks with a 90 degree turn at the top. For this connection I used a half timber joint integrated with a steel pipe, which is also where the top wheels are connected to. Each ladder step is also made out of thinner planks put together, but placed vertically to offer more carrying capacity. These steps are glued in place by using a mortise and tenon connection.
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The rails on top of the bookcase consist of aluminum corner profiles and wooden planks. The top wheel are clamped between these component so the ladder only moves in the axis along the bookcase. The bottom wheels are adjustable and possess a spring so the ladder has a little slack. ​
Assembling the stiles
Putting the stiles and steps together after rounding the corners and making the mortise and tenon connections
The finished ladder with the aluminum profiles and standing tables which use the plates of the bookcase as a tabletop.
Top wheels
Bottom wheels