Household Repairs Note. Don't break your neck because of a patched-up job. Make repairs properly.

Ladder wobbly. The rivets holding the side rails to the iron angles under the top step are undoubtedly loose. Remove them by filing off the heads and replace with bolts. Brace the iron angles, if necessary, by screwing wood blocks to the bottom of the step and tight against the iron angles.

Also replace rivets or screws holding the spreader to the rails with bolts. Tighten cross braces, if any, on the back of the ladder.

Step of wood ladder broken. Loosen nut which holds the steel tie rod under the step. Cut step in two and carefully pull pieces out of mortises in side rails. If they resist, split the pieces into narrow strips. Remove nails holding the step. Cut new step out of clear white pine. Coat ends with Weld-wood plastic resin glue and spread glue in the mortises. Set the step into the rails and secure with a couple of small finishing nails. Tighten tie rod.

Rail of wood ladder broken. Out of clear white pine cut a splint that overlaps both ends of the break at least 24". Spread epoxy glue on broken edges of rail and press them together. Then screw splint to outside of rail.




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December 3, 2008