Versatile vertical storage for your everyday textiles
The blanket ladder is a simple storage workhorse for just about any room in your house. In a bedroom you can employ it as a valet for the next day’s outfit, as a place to throw those not quite dirty—but not quite clean—clothes (it’s ok to admit it), or even as a spot to store actual blankets. In an entryway, it becomes a coat rack; in the den, a place to drape cozy throws or magazines. I built my five-rung ladder out of Port Orford cedar (see Woodsense), a fragrant wood that is a joy to plane, and whose delicate weight belies its strength. With shoulder-less, wedged-tenon joinery tying the rungs to the rails, you don’t need a lot of big power tools to build this quick project for a home that’s cozy and organized.
Illustrations: Greg Maxson
A simple build of rails and rungs
Mill stock for the rails and rungs, cutting the rails to final size but leaving the rungs 1/8” overlong. Clamp the rails together on a spoil board before laying out and drilling holes for the rungs. Shape the bevel at the foot of each rail and the radius at the top with a block plane. File a chamfer on the ends of each rung as shown. Chuck a 5/8” tenon cutter (see Buyer’s Guide below) in a hand drill and cut a round tenon on both ends of each rung. Handplane the rungs until cylindrical.
Drill the rails together. Ensure the rail holes line up by drilling both rails at the same time, clamped together. I used a drill guide for perpendicular drilling, but a drill press is even better.
Chamfer the rung ends. File a 1⁄16” chamfer on the ends of the rungs. This will help center the tenon cutter in the next step.
Cut the tenons. Cut the tenons to a length of 11⁄16”, taking care to hold the cutter parallel to the length of the rail and centered on its end.
Round the rungs. Build a bench hook long enough to support the entire length of a rung, with a v-groove to prevent rolling, and handplane each rung until cylindrical.
Glue, wedge, and finish. Drill relief holes in each tenon before handsawing the kerfs for the wedges. Cut wedges from 5⁄8” thick hardwood. Glue the rungs into the rails as shown, before flush cutting the protruding tenons and wedges. Sand and finish the ladder. I used a soap finish (see OnlineEXTRAS) for a soft look and feel. Then just lean your ladder against a wall and start organizing.