I need Scaffolding Lesson 101

[Cabin Fever]

A friend of mine nearly died last year when he fell from an extended extension ladder. He is lucky to be alive. He was in the hospital for months, part of that time in coma. The dern fool didn't have insurance either...but's thats a whole 'nuther story.

It got me thinking that I'm not too crazy about climbing ladders anymore. So, I bought myself two 5' x 5' sets of standard construction-grade scaffolding and two pfloor planks. I set the scaffolding up by myself today...it wasn't too hard. But, I'm having a difficult time figuring out how to easily raise the flooring planks to the top by myself. I get kinda nervous reaching down for a lower plank and lifting it to a higher level. I fell like I'm going to fall from the higher plank when I reach down and attempt to life the lower plank. Is there some kind of trick of the trade to do this...by one person? Or, perhaps raising and lowering the planks was meant to be a two-person job? Would it be easier to do it by myself if I had three planks instead of two?

At any rate, any tips on using scaffolding...by one person...would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

[Farmerwilly2]

I like a board to stand on at the same level of the board I'm lifting. Bottom line is getting comfortable working on it. I learned being several stages up running a jack hammer and swinging a sledge hammer. The 'pucker factor' was incredible till you get used to it.

[moopups]

First of all the factory issued planks are too short, most scaffolding is 7 foot long, there fore the floor planks can be more than 8 foot to be easily handled by one person. One end at a time. Your image is of rounded 'X' braces, past scaffolding featured 'L' shaped braces, the flat always went to the upper surface, wider contact area in the event of falling, less breakage. It is important that the climbing horizontal areas are place above each other, notice the 3 cross bars? They are placed away from the area that needs work.

The work plank supports can be scooted away so you have free access to the climbing areas. All climbing and support planks need a motion stop facing downward. Such as a 3/4 inch downward piece of angle iron, well bolted into the underside of the walking plank.

A third pair of supports will provide a more safe working environment, circled with a piece of stout rope adds the ability to have something to grab if the event of lost balance, ect. Half height units are available if needed.

[PyroDon]

nothings that easy when doing it alone .
last week to get a piece of siding on the gable peak I had five sections high and still had top stand on a cooler (not reccomended ) but had to finish .

[agmantoo]

From the pic I see you learned to lock the wheels! Get an additional floor plank and install it in the ladder portion of the scaffold at about waist height with the lower floor plank located the same place as in the pic. The X brace and the additional floor plank place at waist height with you standing on the lower floor plank will provide you with a safety cage of sorts. You can stand on the lower floor plank and shoot the 3rd floor plate upward and let it rest on one end of the scaffold then slide the floor plank back to the other end of the scaffold letting the floor plank locate itself on the scaffold rails.

[rambler]

I too have difficulties with ladders. I find heights to be ok - I move slowly, but ok. It is the wobble of the ladder that will lock me up in a frozzen death grip, and might only be 5 feet off the ground....

So I got 3 scaffold sections. Last year when we worked on my sister's barn, friend got a 4th section to get to the peak.....

Dad like home-sawn wood, so I have some 9' long 2x20 elm wood, rough sawn, actual dementions. It won't break, & won't slip. That makes a great bottom plank for me. I got 2 aluminumn planks like you did - just for the liabilty issue, and a bit lighter. With the 3 planks, it is a little easier to stair-step the planks up.

If you are looking for a ladder, those over-priced Little Giant ladders are cool - they only shake a bit in one direction when fully extended, not in all directions, so feel a lot better - for me anyhow. So yea, I bought one of those too - makes the difference from me getting something done, or just hanging on a rung. I guess that is priceless.

--->Paul

[Ross]

Last scaffolding I put up was a little over 30 feet high 7 wide. No idea if I did it right but it was tied off with ratchet tie straps (the big ones) and I had two of the locking planks like yours. Bottom line is it's a two man job minimum, but I'll be buying a third plank for the next job. Do you like those wheels? I look at them and I get a bit nervous. I don't mind ladders, but they have to be the good ones. I have a terrific 45 foot ex-fire truck ladder with out rigger supports, that's a 4 man job to lift! Once it's up though it's like it's part of the building! Incredibly it used to be a 65 foot ladder with a third extension!

[wy_white_wolf]

Might want to checkout the book "Working Alone". He covered this topic.

I lean the planks up against the side for the second level. For 3rd or fourth levels I attach a rope to them and pull them up. I always have enough blanks that I can leave at least 1 on every level. figured I would always need them there when I was taking the scaffolding down.

[de Molay]

It is very important to make sure that the scaffold itself is level and on solid ground. You can also always buy a fall arrest harness. Like industrial workers use, if you still do not feel safe. Depending on what you are working on, you would of course need something to attach your lanyard to. Also always try to put up a handrail behind you.

[Cabin Fever]

Thanks for the replies, they all helped! I do feel the need for a safety cage and/or a safety harness when I'm standing on the very top platform. I've also learned that I will have to leave a plank at a lower level when Im working at a higher level. (My mistake in judgement was thinking that there might be a way to reach down and grav a plank at a lower level and use it at a higher level) So, I think what I'm going to do right away is purchase a third aluminum plank and make a wooden plank (gosh Rambler I wish I had that elm plank of yours!)

This is what I'll do when I want to work at the very top level. I will put the wooden plank on top of the first section of scaffolding and lean the three aluminum planks on end against the scaffolding. Then, while standing on the wooden plank, I will lift the three aluminum planks from the ground to the top level of the second section of scaffolding, probably stacking one or two of the three planks on top of each other. Lastly, I will climb to the top level and lay out all three aluminum planks side-by-side for a wide platform.

Thanks again! You guys are great.....

[John Carter]

Good move on the scaffolding.
30 years ago while residing my two store I had built a complete scaffolding around my house so I could do the whole thing.
It collapse. I was was at the top when it did.
Broke leg, broke ankle and cracked spine.
Be careful

[Country Doc]

I like the idea of the third stage as a cage. Remember, its ok to pay someone to do something particularly dangerous. I bet your friend's medical bills were greater than $1 million. You can buy a lot of help for the cost of a broken ankle or arm not to mention the big stuff.

[Blu3duk]

ive been around contracting for going on 20 years on and off, i understand the hesitancy at the top, and the fear of falling off a ladder, been thre done fell off a 40 foot ladder bucket of paint in one hand and brush in the other, thought i was completely down and stepped backwards off the second rung, landed flat on my back, never spilled a drop of paint nor did the brush touch the ground either.... might have been the time when i broke L-5 which was discovered a couple years later after a car wreck.....

I like 2 planks up top, and one on the levels underneath to get materials up easier when feasible..... once inawhile you wil find the need to work without one side of the bracing on a level, and sometimes it is impossible on an inside job to have a cage around the top and still be able to reach the topmost peaks or big log rafters get in the way or some fool thing..... just remember it aint the fall that hurts, its that sudden stop at the bottom that gets to most people.....

A friend fell off a roof a couple years ago middle of winter in New York, took his leg plumb off about 2 inches above the ankle had about an inch of skin holding it on, he is mostly healed up and walks with a slight limp not bad for a 60+ year old stone mason putting a roof on in february..... he made the ladder, and missed the scaffolding....

William