Getting thin very strong flexible wood like the old Ladders?

Old extension ladders were mostly Oregon as far as Iv'e seen- I Gather because it was straight & light. Technically aluminium will surpass. But if you must. Modern plantation species should be straighter for their strength -but weaker for their rapid growth. Want a ladder that works - get an aluminium one. Want one that looks good - Go pretty & over design. Yes I have dealt with old -say 60s or earlier ladders. Yes light But normally reinforced with fencing wire scale steel -both in length as well as every few steps. There was a reason for the metal Twas needed for tensile strength Oregon not famed for it. (light and straight (Yes - not Iron wood for instance -not light at all so going to make a pain in the ass ladder to cart around. Won't break in a hurry but nether less unsuitable for the job in hand. :)

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Originally Posted by Tegmark

Hi all, Can someone confirm this side of the ladder is Oregon? The hardness of Oregon is way below spotted gum, but does that mean its strength is too? This piece is pretty strong & flexible. I think it would hold up better over hard stiff wood.

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Oregon while light is fairly straight and therefore innately suited to be carted about -light. Spotted gum is always going to be heavy - even if the sizing is reduced to give similar strength for the given purpose. Ladders have always favoured light over maximum strength. Otherwise even old ladders would be solid steel or such (very thin steel tube excluded) - but they rust out.
By the way have made a crude - practical 7' ladder out of Oregon - because I needed one & materials were on hand. Didn't make it even a bit pretty -was needed. But given the choice -weight for strength Oregon is there for a reason.

Back again,
Forgot to mention, that after a Ladder was repaired for some reason, it was always tested for strength.
Extended to it full length, with a box under either end & a 12 stone man had to walk across the length of the ladder.
As for safety, it was only Inches from the ground.

The reason for Imperial, is because they were.
No Metric those days.

Is $60/metre for 70mmsq beam spotted gum way overpriced? I guess not as a shoval handle sells for 40 alone.

Tas oak is 30/meter in bunnings. But too short.

I used to replace my 40 foot pole ladders and 18 foot wooden extension ladders every five years or so. They varied in price depending on quality. I only ever bought "best" ladders which were made of European Larch. Larch is lightweight, very straight grained and capable of deflecting incredibly before failing. All the wooden ladders had a 5mm groove machined centrally in the backs of the strings. multi-core galvanised wire was stapled into the grooves. When new, the ladders had a slight end to end upward curvature which was presumably done by preloading the ladders when turned upside down.

Larch looks pretty close to my pic I uploaded. I seem to think my ladder sides are larch, as they are very strong.

Here's an old Victorian Railways drawing that call out Oregon sides and hardwood rungs.

Attachment 348856

Regards
John

If, by "Oregon," you refer to Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), the fiber length is an order of magnitude (10X) longer than most hardwood cell fibers.
Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) is another conifer with similar fiber length but it lacks the spiral thickening in the S2 cell wall layer of Doug-fir.
Their elastic properties are similar and they do not exhibit the brashness of any hardwoods from anywhere.
Hardness by any scale has very little to do in the prediction of mechanical strength in service.

Is Spotted Gum ring porous or diffuse porous? Whole lot of difference in mechanical properties as a result.

How was the wood sawn? Flat, radial or quarter? Most woods are cut to maximize the yield from each saw log.
They don't give a sweet rat's patootie about specialty applications.