# home made scaffold



## saltysenior (Sep 14, 2010)

are there plans available or does anyone know the proper name for a ''scaffold''that leans into the building for support......it looks like a overgrown sawhorse cut in half,w/ the cut end leaning into the structure supported by a ''cleat''.......


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## mrgins (Jan 19, 2009)

I believe you are talking about the 2 2x4s nailed into an L shape with 3/4" triangular cdx nailed to both sides. You nail it to the structure with construction nails and then jamb a long 2x4 into the crutch of the L and the other end gets pegged into the ground. I've made/used these, but I wouldn't take responsibility for anyone else using them.


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## dtsman (Jan 1, 2011)

Is this what you are talking about?

Also, if you line the edges of the 2x12 plank with 2x4s it is alot more rigid and you can easily use a long piece like 14ft and feel safe.





Bo

Remember,
If the women don't find you handsome,
they should at least find you handy. 
(Red Green)


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## Gary in WA (Mar 11, 2009)

You mean lean-to scaffold: http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/scaffolding/slides/slide51.html

No longer safe.

Gary


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## saltysenior (Sep 14, 2010)

yes!! that is it...a ''lean to scaffold''.................thank you.:thumbsup:


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## Joe Carola (Apr 14, 2006)

saltysenior said:


> yes!! that is it...a ''lean to scaffold''.................thank you.:thumbsup:


Are you planning on building one like that?


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## saltysenior (Sep 14, 2010)

no, not that high.....need one about 6' high.....used them back in the '60s on a low cost housing project in neptune n.j.


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## Joe Carola (Apr 14, 2006)

saltysenior said:


> no, not that high.....need one about 6' high.....used them back in the '60s on a low cost housing project in neptune n.j.


6' is still high to work off an unsafe scaffold and can cause serious injury. You must be up there in age to work off of that. I sure hope you're the only one going to work on that.


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## Tom Struble (Dec 29, 2008)

here's the new version,i have these but they scare me so i stopped using them


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## loneframer (Mar 27, 2009)

tomstruble said:


> here's the new version,i have these but they scare me so i stopped using them


 Let's make a deal Tom.


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## saltysenior (Sep 14, 2010)

Joe Carola said:


> 6' is still high to work off an unsafe scaffold and can cause serious injury. You must be up there in age to work off of that. I sure hope you're the only one going to work on that.



thank you for your concern......actually they are a safer than what they look....mine will be anyhow ....the ''a frame''legs are held in place by fastening them to a secured plank on the ground.....the 2x4 piece running into the building is supported on the end with a ledger board, and the held in place with 2 shelve brackets...it will take 4 times longer to build them than doing the repair work needed.........i see a bunch from jerzzy on here......came to fl. in '65 after one bitter day on a 5 story roof working out of the red bank local.....


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## katarina (Nov 1, 2011)

If you hired me to do the job, I would just rent the scaffolding. Very inexpensive to rent. Most good rental places will have it. To go 16' you will need 6 frames, 4 safety braces, and 2 aluminum plank. You can rent it cheaper then you can buy the 2x4's. Scaffolding is nothing to mess around with. do not build your own. 










rent scaffolding cost | scaffolding rentals prices


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## gregzoll (Dec 25, 2006)

saltysenior, hope your life & medical insurance is paid up. You can use two ladders with a 2x10 or 2x12 across them, but safer to give more platform, is just use regular scaffolding, or rent a lift, which is even better, if just going six feet in the air.


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## oldphart (Jun 30, 2014)

*Diy*

Old post, I know... but for others, see "Speed up house painting on a scaffold you build" on page 139 of the May issue of Popular Mechanics for plans on building your own set of lean-to scaffolds (books.google.com/books?id=d88DAAAAMBAJ). You can't legally use these for commercial work but for your own use, I believe that they're perfectly legal. As to safety concerns, ANY scaffolding is only as safe as its operator is mentally competent. I personally don't find working on a 12 or 15 inch wide (deep?) working surface or "floor" to be safe and yet rarely does anyone complain about the relative ease with which someone could mis-step and break a leg as a result of this... Fact is, a number of things can be done to make lean-to scaffolds just as safe as using a ladder (which by the way is in effect a "lean-to" itself). In addition to the notes in the article regarding safety, you should always "block" the 2x4 lumber that you use to make the working surface. By that I mean, use a couple of large, heavy duty C-clamps to attach two 2x4's across the center line (front to back) of the working surface--one above and the other beneath it. That way, all 6 or 7 2x4s that make up the working surface, move in unison and share the entire load... It takes just a couple minutes to do this... Also, there's nothing stopping anyone from tethering a lean-to's legs to stakes set in the ground to keep them from moving away from the structure being repaired. One could even support the scaffolds where they contact the structure, although I find this to be overkill if the above precaution is already being taken. .


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

I'd run away from anyone expecting me to work off of a DIY scaffold.
Only takes one fall to mess your whole life up.


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## kwikfishron (Mar 11, 2010)

joecaption said:


> I'd run away from anyone expecting me to work off of a DIY scaffold.
> Only takes one fall to mess your whole life up.


Yes, I prefer the commercial stuff too.


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## oldphart (Jun 30, 2014)

@joecaption: Again, these are not legal for commercial use so I have difficulty imagining how you'd be expected to work off a set that either you, a family member or a close friend had built. As for safety, obviously, you can fall from ANY scaffolding--DIY or otherwise. I've done a ton of work on my own property using lean-to scaffolding and I've never felt the least little bit unsafe using them because I know what I'm doing. If a person isn't competent in their ability to construct a modest, home-use, DIY scaffolding system that's safe for them to use, then they have no business using one in the first place. And they certainly have no business doing carpentry repairs on their house, let alone anyone elses!


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## oldphart (Jun 30, 2014)

@kwickfishron: LOL. You might try the search for "bamboo scaffolding" on google images and see what surfaces.


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