Jacob's Ladder

Beginner - Less than 1 hour -

Keywords :

Wooden boards - Ribbons - Toys - Assembling - Brico d'ado

A Jacob's Ladder is a traditional toy (it's rumored that a version of it was found in Tutankhamun's tomb) crafted from wood and ribbon where, when the top block is held and flipped, the connected blocks "fall" in an optical illusion.This version can be made by older children with an adult's help. Once it's assembled, it provides hours of tumbling fun!

Supplies

Tools

Small hammer
Ruler or carpenter's square
Pencil
Scissors
Hacksaw or power saw
Sandpaper

Materials

Wooden board measuring 1.25 x 5 x 61 cm (1/2 x 2 x 24 inches)
Small nails or brads, flat-headed
! : These need to be small enough not to split the smallest dimension of the board
2.75 m (9 ft) ribbon, 1 cm (3/8-inch) wide

Directions

Make the parts of the Jacob's ladder

Measure and mark off 8 segments of board measuring 7.6-cm (3-inch) each.

Cut the board into blocks with the saw.

Smooth ragged edges with sandpaper.
NB : Make sure not to round the edges.
Lay the blocks in a line, leaving 1.25 cm (1/2 inch) between each of them.

Cut 3 ribbons just longer than the length of the line of blocks.

Assemble the Jacob's ladder

Hammer the ends of 2 ribbons onto 1 end of a block. They should be on the far ends of the edge they're nailed onto.

Hammer the end of the third ribbon onto the opposite end of the block, in the middle of that edge.

Lay this block flat, with all 3 ribbons on the same side.
Put another block on top of this block.
Cross the ribbons back across the second block and hammer them into the far edges (opposite edge of the first nail for each ribbon).
NB : The ribbons should be a little loose, not pulled tight.