Any Beaver superstructure is going to need ladders. They add a touch of class, don't you think? Look at
Setsunakaede's Tamar in the Pictures section. But brass isn't cheap.
I decided to see what I could do with a bit of house wiring I found in a skip. It has 1mm copper in it...
Here everything is in place. But soldering everything at right angles is going to be tricky. What we need is a jig...
And here is the answer - an eezebilt jig! It's actually three scraps of soft balsa.
Look closely. The middle bit has groves in which will take the rungs. And the wire frames have dug into the some soft balsa sides, so they are held quite positively. Just drop the rungs into the grooves, tighten the vice until the rungs touch either side, and solder...
like this...
Here I am, cutting the lengths out. These pliers have a wire-cutter in the hinge which can easily cut repeatable 1/4" lengths. And the block of wood is 3/4" wide - just right to bend the wires over for a former..
The ladder plans and sizes are given here...
And there we are. These ladders are for the modern superstructure, so they have handrails on top. You can see the little chuck key I bent them around. And I don't think you'll find a cheaper 'purpose-built' jig than this...
