2-Step Ladder (Attic)

 I needed to do this quick one-day project for a ladder in between two levels of ceiling at the attic. The average homeowner rarely venture to the attic but for a few times a year. The latest storm caused a leak between the chimney and roof that I knew needed several trips there so I decided to make this permanent step ladder between two levels of the attic. The techniques here will apply for other 2 or 3 step ladders that need to be put in permanently. This one here had a little wrinkle in that the support base is not a flat surface. The two ends of the ladder must be located into the rafters and vertical studs at precise locations and angle. The angle cuts for the top and bottom of the ladder must be determined and there is an easy way without having to determine the precise angles with a protractor or sophisticated calculation.

Imagine a right triangle that is formed by the ladder (inclined hypotenuse) and the 90-degree legs: the long vertical and the short horizontal. Measure the vertical as the distance along the stud from top to the rafter below.  Measure from the edge of the stud to the nearest rafter. In this case they were 30 X 16 inches (shown below in green chalk). Draw the triangle on a wide enough board to show actual-size layout.  With a bevel gauge you can draw the actual angle of the cuts without even determining precisely the number of degrees.  The cuts can be made on the table saw or with a hand saw.  I used 2 X 4 stock lumber.

Use the bevel gauge to layout pencil lines along the two legs to determine the exact inclination of the steps.  Pocket hole joinery will make quick work of fastening the steps to the two ladder legs. Note: The width of the ladder is determined by the distance between the studs (in this case, 15-1/2 inches apart from the inside).

I used a strip of 3/4 inch plywood to reinforce the steps from below each one. Glue and pocket hole screws secure the reinforced "rib".  See photo below:

Note from the next photo. Dado or channel cut into the legs to secure the position of the steps would have been a sensible option but this was a quick project. Besides there is an effective alternative that does not require much setup. I cut 1/2 plywood boards with the exact angle as the position of the steps. Screws and glue made these flat boards effective support for the steps.

I created a "toe" at the bottom of each leg to secure the location to the rafter.  Again this could have been done with an angle cut into the legs but a quicker and just as effective alternative is to cut a piece of the 2 X 4 material, apply glue and screw to secure them as shown.

For additional support between the legs and the steps I drilled holes as shown bwlow to accommodate 3-inch bolts.  Actually, if you do not have the pocket hole jig (though I recommend it highly) the bolts will be excellent; use perhaps two or three of them per step location.