From Newsgroup: uk.d-i-y

I want to hinge an Aluminium ladder at the top so I can swing it up into
the loft. This won't be load bearing other than the <10kg weight of the ladder.

The most convenient way would be to drill a hole through near the top of
the stiles and use a bolt either side about which the ladder can rotate,
but that's a bit crude. While this won't see very much use, it seems
that a threaded steel bolt on Aluminium section would be prone to wear
and distortion.

Would Nylon bushings/shoulder washers be ok? Or bronze? Or is there something made for the job?
--
SS


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From Newsgroup: uk.d-i-y

Simon Simple wrote:

I want to hinge an Aluminium ladder at the top so I can swing it up into
the loft.-a This won't be load bearing other than the <10kg weight of the ladder.

The most convenient way would be to drill a hole through near the top of
the stiles and use a bolt either side about which the ladder can rotate,
but that's a bit crude.-a While this won't see very much use, it seems
that a threaded steel bolt on Aluminium section would be prone to wear
and distortion.

Would Nylon bushings/shoulder washers be ok?-a Or bronze?-a Or is there something made for the job?

Use bolts (8 or 10mm, perhaps) with a plain shank and arrange washer
shims to make sure the ladder operates on the plain portion, rather than
the threaded bit. This will last several lifetimes of loft access
provided that it doesn't frequently get wet.
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From Newsgroup: uk.d-i-y

On 20/02/2026 11:26, No mail wrote:

Simon Simple wrote:

I want to hinge an Aluminium ladder at the top so I can swing it up
into the loft.-a This won't be load bearing other than the <10kg weight
of the ladder.

The most convenient way would be to drill a hole through near the top
of the stiles and use a bolt either side about which the ladder can
rotate, but that's a bit crude.-a While this won't see very much use,
it seems that a threaded steel bolt on Aluminium section would be
prone to wear and distortion.

Would Nylon bushings/shoulder washers be ok?-a Or bronze?-a Or is there
something made for the job?

Use bolts (8 or 10mm, perhaps) with a plain shank and arrange washer
shims to make sure the ladder operates on the plain portion, rather than
the threaded bit. This will last several lifetimes of loft access
provided that it doesn't frequently get wet.

Why not buy a custom made loft ladder? https://www.screwfix.com/p/essentials-3-12m-loft-ladder/7431P
--
All political activity makes complete sense once the proposition that
all government is basically a self-legalising protection racket, is
fully understood.


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From Newsgroup: uk.d-i-y

On 20/02/2026 11:28, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

On 20/02/2026 11:26, No mail wrote:

Simon Simple wrote:

I want to hinge an Aluminium ladder at the top so I can swing it up
into the loft.-a This won't be load bearing other than the <10kg
weight of the ladder.

The most convenient way would be to drill a hole through near the top
of the stiles and use a bolt either side about which the ladder can
rotate, but that's a bit crude.-a While this won't see very much use,
it seems that a threaded steel bolt on Aluminium section would be
prone to wear and distortion.

Would Nylon bushings/shoulder washers be ok?-a Or bronze?-a Or is there >>> something made for the job?

Use bolts (8 or 10mm, perhaps) with a plain shank and arrange washer
shims to make sure the ladder operates on the plain portion, rather
than the threaded bit. This will last several lifetimes of loft access
provided that it doesn't frequently get wet.

Why not buy a custom made loft ladder? https://www.screwfix.com/p/essentials-3-12m-loft-ladder/7431P

I need a 3.5m ladder. The loft is boarded and re-joisted which adds 'thickness' to the floor/ceiling, and the ladder has to land on a
landing two steps down from the floor; there is nowhere else it can
land. There's no realistic possibility of moving or enlarging the
hatch. Few of the many off-the-shelf loft ladders fit all the
requirements and those that might are very pricey.

I have a single section 3.5m Aluminium ladder. This is my plan, not to scale...

|X| Loft
|X| .____________.___
|X|###### /########################
|X| /
|X| /
|X| /
|X| /
|X| /
|X| /



|X| is the outside wall
### is the loft floor/ceiling below
/ is the deployed ladder
. are hinges, one at the ladder top. This is where the bushings might be.
__ is probably 12mm ply, a bit wider than the ladder and 1.8m between
hinges. The shorter length is fixed to the floor.


So the ladder top describes an arc. When stowed with the bottom of the
ladder on the wall side of the hatch, the ply board is just over
vertical. The trig all works out well. Having the ladder stowed at an
angle means I don't need so much floor space, and when it's deployed you
need a 'corridor' anyway.
--
SS

--- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: uk.d-i-y

On 20/02/2026 10:09, Simon Simple wrote:

I want to hinge an Aluminium ladder at the top so I can swing it up into
the loft.-a This won't be load bearing other than the <10kg weight of the ladder.

The most convenient way would be to drill a hole through near the top of
the stiles and use a bolt either side about which the ladder can rotate,
but that's a bit crude.-a While this won't see very much use, it seems
that a threaded steel bolt on Aluminium section would be prone to wear
and distortion.

Would Nylon bushings/shoulder washers be ok?-a Or bronze?-a Or is there something made for the job?

When you pull down the ladder and it drops rapidly (maybe by accident if
you are using a tool/hook on a pole) the hinge could be subject to a
large dynamic load and not just the 10kg weight of the ladder. If the
ladder swings backwards from the vertical as a result the forces on the
hinge could be at right angles to the ladder.

You may also need a dampening or arresting mechanism.

My 3 section loft ladder is hinged 6 inches from the top of the ladder
but with the hinges* attached to the back of the stiles. The top of the
ladder is above the floor of the loft in the climbing position. Attached through two holes in the top of the stiles is U shaped rod (5mm
diameter) with the sides of the U being around 600mm long. The top of
each side of the U is also bent 90 degrees to to fit the holes in the
ladder The bottom of the U section is fixed firmly to the floor of the
loft further back from the loft hatch. The fixing of the U section to
the ladder and the fixing to the loft floor allows the U section to
rotate freely. Its purpose is to stop the top of the ladder moving too
far forward so if the ladder drops suddenly when lowering down the top
of the ladder cannot swing into the open hatch space (forward of the
hinges). While this works with the design and offset hinge arrangement
on my ladder a similar arresting mechanism could be fabricated from non-stretching rope etc.

* the hinges on my ladder are fairly substantial thermo-plastic
construction with the moving part being a thick metal rod between the
two hinges. Once when the ladder dropped fast one of them split. It is
now repaired with two part epoxy and a metal builders band wrap and has remained repaired for 10+ years of occasional use.:)
--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk
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From Newsgroup: uk.d-i-y

On 20/02/2026 12:02, Simon Simple wrote:

On 20/02/2026 11:28, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

On 20/02/2026 11:26, No mail wrote:

Simon Simple wrote:

I want to hinge an Aluminium ladder at the top so I can swing it up
into the loft.-a This won't be load bearing other than the <10kg
weight of the ladder.

The most convenient way would be to drill a hole through near the
top of the stiles and use a bolt either side about which the ladder
can rotate, but that's a bit crude.-a While this won't see very much
use, it seems that a threaded steel bolt on Aluminium section would
be prone to wear and distortion.

Would Nylon bushings/shoulder washers be ok?-a Or bronze?-a Or is
there something made for the job?

Use bolts (8 or 10mm, perhaps) with a plain shank and arrange washer
shims to make sure the ladder operates on the plain portion, rather
than the threaded bit. This will last several lifetimes of loft
access provided that it doesn't frequently get wet.

Why not buy a custom made loft ladder?
https://www.screwfix.com/p/essentials-3-12m-loft-ladder/7431P

I need a 3.5m ladder.-a The loft is boarded and re-joisted which adds 'thickness' to the floor/ceiling, and the ladder has to land on a
landing two steps down from the floor; there is nowhere else it can
land.-a There's no realistic possibility of moving or enlarging the
hatch.-a Few of the many off-the-shelf loft ladders fit all the
requirements and those that might are very pricey.

Ah. OK

I have a single section 3.5m Aluminium ladder.-a This is my plan, not to scale...

|X|-a-a-a-a-a-a Loft
|X|-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a -a-a .____________.___
|X|###-a -a-a /########################
|X|-a-a-a-a -a-a-a -a-a /
|X|-a-a-a-a-a -a-a /
|X|-a-a -a-a-a-a /
|X|-a-a-a -a-a /
|X|-a-a-a-a /
|X|-a-a-a /

|X| is the outside wall
### is the loft floor/ceiling below
-a/ is the deployed ladder
-a. are hinges, one at the ladder top.-a This is where the bushings might be.
__ is probably 12mm ply, a bit wider than the ladder and 1.8m between hinges.-a The shorter length is fixed to the floor.

So the ladder top describes an arc.-a When stowed with the bottom of the ladder on the wall side of the hatch, the ply board is just over
vertical.-a The trig all works out well.-a Having the ladder stowed at an angle means I don't need so much floor space, and when it's deployed you need a 'corridor' anyway.

I still didn't really follow that - you need to slide as well as hinge surely? ... BUT can you 3D print some plastic bushings? plenty so if
they wear our...

Or...buy some nice pro ones made of zinc plated steel.

https://www.technobotsonline.com/makertronics-10mm-shaft-mounting-hub.html

And buy bolts with plain shanks instead of screws.
--
"An intellectual is a person knowledgeable in one field who speaks out
only in others...rCY

Tom Wolfe

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From Newsgroup: uk.d-i-y

On 20/02/2026 12:28, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

On 20/02/2026 12:02, Simon Simple wrote:

On 20/02/2026 11:28, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

On 20/02/2026 11:26, No mail wrote:

Simon Simple wrote:

I want to hinge an Aluminium ladder at the top so I can swing it up >>>>> into the loft.-a This won't be load bearing other than the <10kg
weight of the ladder.

The most convenient way would be to drill a hole through near the
top of the stiles and use a bolt either side about which the ladder >>>>> can rotate, but that's a bit crude.-a While this won't see very much >>>>> use, it seems that a threaded steel bolt on Aluminium section would >>>>> be prone to wear and distortion.

Would Nylon bushings/shoulder washers be ok?-a Or bronze?-a Or is
there something made for the job?

Use bolts (8 or 10mm, perhaps) with a plain shank and arrange washer
shims to make sure the ladder operates on the plain portion, rather
than the threaded bit. This will last several lifetimes of loft
access provided that it doesn't frequently get wet.

Why not buy a custom made loft ladder?
https://www.screwfix.com/p/essentials-3-12m-loft-ladder/7431P

I need a 3.5m ladder.-a The loft is boarded and re-joisted which adds
'thickness' to the floor/ceiling, and the ladder has to land on a
landing two steps down from the floor; there is nowhere else it can
land.-a There's no realistic possibility of moving or enlarging the
hatch.-a Few of the many off-the-shelf loft ladders fit all the
requirements and those that might are very pricey.

Ah. OK

I have a single section 3.5m Aluminium ladder.-a This is my plan, not
to scale...

|X|-a-a-a-a-a-a Loft
|X|-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a -a-a .____________.___
|X|#####-a-a -a-a /########################
|X|-a-a-a-a -a-a-a-a /
|X|-a-a-a-a-a -a-a /
|X|-a-a -a-a-a-a /
|X|-a-a-a -a-a /
|X|-a-a-a-a /
|X|-a-a-a /

|X| is the outside wall
### is the loft floor/ceiling below
-a-a/ is the deployed ladder
-a-a. are hinges, one at the ladder top.-a This is where the bushings
might be.
__ is probably 12mm ply, a bit wider than the ladder and 1.8m between
hinges.-a The shorter length is fixed to the floor.


So the ladder top describes an arc.-a When stowed with the bottom of
the ladder on the wall side of the hatch, the ply board is just over
vertical.-a The trig all works out well.-a Having the ladder stowed at
an angle means I don't need so much floor space, and when it's
deployed you need a 'corridor' anyway.

I still didn't really follow that-a - you need to slide as well as hinge surely? ... BUT can you 3D print some plastic bushings? plenty so if
they wear our...

From deployed, you lift the ladder up. The top describes an arc with a radius of 1.8m as defined by the plywood which hinges up from the floor
1.8m from the hatch. The ladder bottom doesn't hit the wall if you
don't let it - you'd keep the ladder in more-or-less contact with
non-wall (right) side of the hatch, works out there's plenty of room.
If you stow it with the bottom against the wall side (left) of the
hatch, the top end is a little under 1.8m above the floor and the
plywood is just past vertical.

I know, but the diagrams and trig do work out.

Or...buy some nice pro ones made of zinc plated-a steel.

https://www.technobotsonline.com/makertronics-10mm-shaft-mounting-hub.html

That's a good idea. I was thinking of something like externally
threaded tube with nuts, but that sort of hub would probably be better
with self-tappers into the Aluminium.

And buy bolts with plain shanks instead of screws.

--
ss

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From Newsgroup: uk.d-i-y

On 20/02/2026 10:09, Simon Simple wrote:

Would Nylon bushings/shoulder washers be ok?-a Or bronze?-a Or is there something made for the job?

A pair of steel L brackets, one at either side of the ladder. Find a
piece of threaded rod, as wide as the ladder, plus some, four nuts and washers. Carve two bits of wood, to make for a tight fit, through the
top rung, and drill a holes, to match the threaded rod. Fit heat-shrink
tubing shrunk over the thread, to prevent wear where the rod hinges.
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From Newsgroup: uk.d-i-y

On 20/02/2026 14:18, Simon Simple wrote:

On 20/02/2026 12:28, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

On 20/02/2026 12:02, Simon Simple wrote:

On 20/02/2026 11:28, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

On 20/02/2026 11:26, No mail wrote:

Simon Simple wrote:

I want to hinge an Aluminium ladder at the top so I can swing it
up into the loft.-a This won't be load bearing other than the <10kg >>>>>> weight of the ladder.

The most convenient way would be to drill a hole through near the >>>>>> top of the stiles and use a bolt either side about which the
ladder can rotate, but that's a bit crude.-a While this won't see >>>>>> very much use, it seems that a threaded steel bolt on Aluminium
section would be prone to wear and distortion.

Would Nylon bushings/shoulder washers be ok?-a Or bronze?-a Or is >>>>>> there something made for the job?

Use bolts (8 or 10mm, perhaps) with a plain shank and arrange
washer shims to make sure the ladder operates on the plain portion, >>>>> rather than the threaded bit. This will last several lifetimes of
loft access provided that it doesn't frequently get wet.

Why not buy a custom made loft ladder?
https://www.screwfix.com/p/essentials-3-12m-loft-ladder/7431P

I need a 3.5m ladder.-a The loft is boarded and re-joisted which adds
'thickness' to the floor/ceiling, and the ladder has to land on a
landing two steps down from the floor; there is nowhere else it can
land.-a There's no realistic possibility of moving or enlarging the
hatch.-a Few of the many off-the-shelf loft ladders fit all the
requirements and those that might are very pricey.

Ah. OK

I have a single section 3.5m Aluminium ladder.-a This is my plan, not
to scale...

|X|-a-a-a-a-a-a Loft
|X|-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a -a-a .____________.___
|X|#####-a-a -a-a /########################
|X|-a-a-a-a -a-a-a-a /
|X|-a-a-a-a-a -a-a /
|X|-a-a -a-a-a-a /
|X|-a-a-a -a-a /
|X|-a-a-a-a-a /
|X|-a-a-a-a /

|X| is the outside wall
### is the loft floor/ceiling below
-a-a/ is the deployed ladder
-a-a. are hinges, one at the ladder top.-a This is where the bushings
might be.
__ is probably 12mm ply, a bit wider than the ladder and 1.8m between
hinges.-a The shorter length is fixed to the floor.


So the ladder top describes an arc.-a When stowed with the bottom of
the ladder on the wall side of the hatch, the ply board is just over
vertical.-a The trig all works out well.-a Having the ladder stowed at
an angle means I don't need so much floor space, and when it's
deployed you need a 'corridor' anyway.

I still didn't really follow that-a - you need to slide as well as
hinge surely? ... BUT can you 3D print some plastic bushings? plenty
so if they wear our...

From deployed, you lift the ladder up.-a The top describes an arc with a radius of 1.8m as defined by the plywood which hinges up from the floor
1.8m from the hatch.-a The ladder bottom doesn't hit the wall if you
don't let it - you'd keep the ladder in more-or-less contact with
non-wall (right) side of the hatch, works out there's plenty of room. If
you stow it with the bottom against the wall side (left) of the hatch,
the top end is a little under 1.8m above the floor and the plywood is
just past vertical.

I know, but the diagrams and trig do work out.

Ah. I thought the plywood was fixed. All is clear

Or...buy some nice pro ones made of zinc plated-a steel.

https://www.technobotsonline.com/makertronics-10mm-shaft-mounting-hub.html

That's a good idea.-a I was thinking of something like externally
threaded tube with nuts, but that sort of hub would probably be better
with self-tappers into the Aluminium.

Use epoxy as well?

And buy bolts with plain shanks instead of screws.

--
You can get much farther with a kind word and a gun than you can with a
kind word alone.

Al Capone



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