Comments on: April 12, 2007 http://www.redecho.org/2007/04/12/118/ my life, reflected and filtered Sat, 22 Nov 2008 08:50:11 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.5 by: norm http://www.redecho.org/2007/04/12/118/#comment-128 Sat, 14 Apr 2007 03:01:29 +0000 http://www.redecho.org/2007/04/12/118/#comment-128 Sounds like you could have hung the Titanic off that :) Sounds like you could have hung the Titanic off that :)

]]> by: mars http://www.redecho.org/2007/04/12/118/#comment-126 Fri, 13 Apr 2007 16:55:11 +0000 http://www.redecho.org/2007/04/12/118/#comment-126 Ah, thanks for the heads-up, Rachel. Maybe we'll end up replacing it with a proper fixed stairway someday. Well, it was only $80 in parts and about two hours of labor, so even if it only gets us through the summer while we're setting the place up, I think we can call that a success. Ah, thanks for the heads-up, Rachel. Maybe we’ll end up replacing it with a proper fixed stairway someday. Well, it was only $80 in parts and about two hours of labor, so even if it only gets us through the summer while we’re setting the place up, I think we can call that a success.

]]> by: mars http://www.redecho.org/2007/04/12/118/#comment-125 Fri, 13 Apr 2007 16:51:51 +0000 http://www.redecho.org/2007/04/12/118/#comment-125 Hmmm, yes, that was a hasty description. We built this loft on top of one of the building's main structural members, a pair of 3x10s spaced about 3 inches apart, which conveniently happens to run 8 feet off the floor of the shop and about 6 feet away from the wall. The loft joists run from the wall across the big beam. Further, there is a 6x8 crossmember running from the main beam through the interior wall out to the next main beam, off in someone else's space. The attic ladder thingie comes in a frame about 22" wide by 4' long. We mounted it at the corner of these two beams. We attached one long side to the crossmember, one short side to the one of the 3x10s, and the other long side to one of our floor joists. Only the other short side is actually suspended from a 2x4, which runs between the floor joist and the big crossmember. Hmmm, yes, that was a hasty description. We built this loft on top of one of the building’s main structural members, a pair of 3×10s spaced about 3 inches apart, which conveniently happens to run 8 feet off the floor of the shop and about 6 feet away from the wall. The loft joists run from the wall across the big beam. Further, there is a 6×8 crossmember running from the main beam through the interior wall out to the next main beam, off in someone else’s space.

The attic ladder thingie comes in a frame about 22″ wide by 4′ long. We mounted it at the corner of these two beams. We attached one long side to the crossmember, one short side to the one of the 3×10s, and the other long side to one of our floor joists. Only the other short side is actually suspended from a 2×4, which runs between the floor joist and the big crossmember.

]]> by: Rachel http://www.redecho.org/2007/04/12/118/#comment-124 Fri, 13 Apr 2007 16:40:09 +0000 http://www.redecho.org/2007/04/12/118/#comment-124 Just an FYI. If the stairs you got are the kind that fold up into the ceiling you may want to be careful about how frequently you raise and lower the stairs. From past experience with those types of stairs, the hinges tend to break after frequent use. Hopefully the design has been improved since I've had to deal with one. Just an FYI. If the stairs you got are the kind that fold up into the ceiling you may want to be careful about how frequently you raise and lower the stairs. From past experience with those types of stairs, the hinges tend to break after frequent use. Hopefully the design has been improved since I’ve had to deal with one.

]]> by: norm http://www.redecho.org/2007/04/12/118/#comment-123 Fri, 13 Apr 2007 15:33:11 +0000 http://www.redecho.org/2007/04/12/118/#comment-123 I hope you used something more substantial than 2x4's to hang the stairs from. Hard to tell from your post. Stairs should be hung from something as substantial as a joist and really from something that has been doubled up to bridge between two joists. That way you can drive in nice big screws (3" wood screws) as all the weight is held by the upper end of the hangers. That makes it about a 2 x 10 or more depending on the age of construction I hope you used something more substantial than 2×4’s to hang the stairs from. Hard to tell from your post.
Stairs should be hung from something as substantial as a joist and really from something that has been doubled up to bridge between two joists.
That way you can drive in nice big screws (3″ wood screws) as all the weight is held by the upper end of the hangers.

That makes it about a 2 x 10 or more depending on the age of construction

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