$15 DIY Blanket Ladder | 3

Hey, what's going on guys. My name is Zach Hendrickson, and today we're building two of these rustic blanket ladders on this week's episode of the cutting board. So one more thing before we actually dive into this video, one thing I want to point out is that I build a very specific style of ladder in this video, but the cool thing about the project is is how adaptable it is to whatever living space you have. You can change the height of it, the type of materials that you use or the width or the number of ladder rings in it or the overall shape of it to fit a corner if you feel like or the stain color to better match the furniture in your home. So when you're watching this video, think of it less as a video where I have to build this exact ladder and instead follow along with how I actually construct it and assemble it together and be thinking about how you might be able to adapt the project to your specific living space. And at the end of it, I hope you're inspired to go out and build something similar to it, but that is unique to your home and that you love. So let's get onto the build. So in this video, I'm actually going to be building the ladders in two slightly different ways. I started out by measuring my one by threes to length since I wanted my ladders to be six feet tall. I needed to cut off two feet from all four pieces. I measured out the space and clamped all four pieces together because my circular saw only cuts to two inches deep. My plan was to cut one side, flip it over and cut the other side so that the cut would go all the way through. Next I used my circular saw to cut steps out of my one by twos. Each piece of whitewood should give you four steps. And because I wasn't using my miter saw, I chose to clamp the pieces together and sand them all down so that they were all even length. Now for the first version of the ladder, I chose to connect the steps using pocket screws. You can see the 15 degree angle that the pocket hole jig allows you to drill. And for my second version, I wanted to use countersunk wood screws and hide them using dowels that go halfway into the pieces of wood. I used my three quarter inch drill bit to drill the hole about halfway down. I drilled the pilot hole in the step slat and then using my wood screw, I attached the pieces together. It seems sturdy enough. And since I knew the depth was good, I went ahead and used a piece of painter's tape to help mark the depth at which I knew I should drill to. And then it was onto the real thing. I measured out holes 12 inches apart and drilled to the depth that I knew would work. And this is where having a drill press would be much more efficient. Then I marked up and drilled all the pilot holes in the step slats and I set up the ladder for final assembly. Once that was done, it was onto assembling the pocket hole version. And here I am using my rafter square just to make sure that all of my attachments are all perpendicular. Then it was onto stain and paint. I chose these three colors for the project. I started by giving each ladder a base of Minwax's special walnut stain. And while they dried, I could cut up my three quarter inch dowel pieces. And when the stain was dried, I mixed up some primer paint and water to whitewash my dowel version ladder. And then I wiped on some of Minwax's classic gray stain to my pocket hole version. Lastly, I could glue and hammer in my dowel pieces. And once they dried, I could use my small coping saw to cut them flush to the sides and then add a bit of classic gray stain to help contrast the whitewash paint. And then I was done and I'm super stoked about how both of these came out. Thanks so much for watching this week's episode, guys. If you are new to the channel or watching these videos for the first time, I would love it if you would subscribe because I put out videos every two weeks. My name is Zach Hendrickson and I'll see you guys next time on The Cutting Board.