making rungs?

[EaTDuRRRT]

See I was making some stunts this summer and I wanted to keep the woodwork all natural but the rungs I was making seemed kinda odd.

The way I did it was by taking a tree maybe 10cm in diameter and then I would hacksaw off say like 15inch sections and then takes these and split them right down the middle with an axe so that one side is generally flat, while the other is side is rounded.

In theory this seemed like an efficient way of doing things but I found that the rungs didn't split well (was using cedar) and that I wasn't necessarily sure what side of the rung to use.

What kind of methods are other people out there using and am I on the right track or completely doing it wrong?

cheers, dave

[Darryl]

Old cedar dead fall.
It should be elevated off the dirt so it isn't rotten. it should be green from all the moss. cut off the size sections you need, and split it with a wedge. If you can get the closer to the bottom of the tree the better. there are less knots there, so it will split like a dream. it should be redish inside and you can't miss the smell of freshly cut old cedar.

[EaTDuRRRT]

is it important to split it so that both sides of the rung are flat or can you leave one side rounded from the shape of the tree?

[Niggz]

dont use little trees. get rungs from deadfall like 3 feet+ in diameter. split chunks off, the width you need, using chainsaw or else bowsaw and a whole bunch of wedges, then split these large chunks into rung sized pieces. with a little practice you can make nice, chunky, 2x4 resembling rungs. if you need further clarification i can make you a pretty MS Paint drwaing when i'm not feelign so lazy.

[well ridden]

some big dead fall trees the cedar rips of in rectangular shapes so its really easyu

[synchro]

Dude, where were you getting the 10" diameter cedars from. Please don't say you were cutting down young cedars, a big no-no. You should get your rungs from blowdown or deadfall cedar. Try and find something that is about 2-4ft in diameter. The rungs should be basically square.

Rung how-to

Buck up your log into sections that will be the same length as your rungs are wide. Take an axe and a small sledge hammer, and score a line accross one end of the log. Use the sledge to knock the blade of the axe into the log only about 1/4 of an inch.

Once you have made a line accross the log section, pound the splitting wedges into that line. It works best if you have four wedges. You have the wedges in a row along the line and hit them once each in order with the sledge. First one, second one, third one , fourth one. Then go back to the first one and hit them all again. Keep doing this until the side splits off.

Depending on the diameter of the tree and the width of the rungs, you will have a slab of cedar that is about 3 ft tall, 2-3 inches thick and about 2-3 ft wide. Then split the slab into rungs.

I will include some drawings to give you a rough idea. The best thing to do is go out on a trail day and learn from an experienced builder. There is an art to splitting runs - I consider myself a Michaelangelo.

If you want your ladder to look good don't make all the rungs exactly the same size. If they are all a little different the ladder will look more natural.

[ReCkLeSs RiDeR]

very nice .....make em beefy:)

[EaTDuRRRT]

Originally posted by synchro
Dude, where were you getting the 10" diameter cedars from. Please don't say you were cutting down young cedars, a big no-no. You should get your rungs from blowdown or deadfall cedar. Try and find something that is about 2-4ft in diameter. The rungs should be basically square. .

All the stuff I was using was available deadfall from the surrounding area. I just checked around for qood wood that I could use and hauled it up to where I was building the stunt...I have never cut down a tree for rungs or any other building material.

Ah, thanks for your advice...nex time I try building something, I'm gonna look for larger sections to make rungs with.

[RMFanatik]

Great Thread, very educational, hope to see more stuff like this. :D

[Tonestar]

Synchro, I can't open your picture, can you open and copy it for me.
I'm very interested to see your technique.

[Ewan]

We have found the best way to split rungs is by going across the grain so you end up with edge grain wood, its grippier than flat grain when wet and looks purdy. To do this just split perpendicular to the natural grain of the wood. This works best when using large slabs of wood but it can be done with smaller (ie 2-3ftdiameter) trees too. If you can find it go for old growth deadfall with clear grain (no knots), if you find a good slab you can get rungs literally as long as you want. On platinum weve got some that are like 4-5 feet in length and perfectly flat. Oh and rungs from smaller trees will not last as long as there is not as much of the natural oil that preserves cedar in them.

[EaTDuRRRT]

Those are some great tips Ewan, thanks for your advice. I guess the way to see it is to always go with big trees and then you have more flexibility in splitting them down into rungs.

It's too bad I dont have any pictures of what I was building cause then everyone could see the type of rungs I had.

I built a ladder-bridge, a lonnnnnngggg skinny from this big ass tree that had fell over and a 7 foot drop. They were all in this rocky/forested area behind Caulfeild elementary school. Now I totally appreciate the stunts on trails so much more now. It takes a hell of a lot of work. :P

[wilkez]

the bigger the tree, the manlier the rungs. ive discovered along with nigel that rungs the thickness of fence posts work best. those only come from trees that are 4 feet thick and take a lot of frickin work to split, but it pays off.

and mark, your pictures always crack me up, even tho they arent supposed to be funny haha

[pete]

hahah so true. very funny pics mark

[synchro]

Originally posted by wilkez
the bigger the tree, the manlier the rungs. ive discovered along with nigel that rungs the thickness of fence posts work best. those only come from trees that are 4 feet thick and take a lot of frickin work to split, but it pays off.

and mark, your pictures always crack me up, even tho they arent supposed to be funny haha

The DNV has asked me to take down some illegal stunts on the lower slopes of Fromme. I wonder where I should start. This will really cripple some of the trails out there. ;)

[Putty]

Originally posted by synchro
The DNV has asked me to take down some illegal stunts on the lower slopes of Fromme. I wonder where I should start. This will really cripple some of the trails out there. ;)

shouldn't you be putting your energy into "it's coming"

[Zedbra]

Originally posted by putty
shouldn't you be putting your energy into "it's coming"

i could add to this, but im feeling lazy

[Putty]

ladies and gents: please welcom the injured and lazy ZEDBRA!

is it true you were mauled by a white lion in Las Vegas?

[wilkez]

Originally posted by synchro
The DNV has asked me to take down some illegal stunts on the lower slopes of Fromme. I wonder where I should start. This will really cripple some of the trails out there. ;)

i heard theres some pretty crazy stuff on the baden powel...