Know what gets me down? Every time I put something on top of a ladder, I forget about it. Then in the heat of the moment, I move the ladder and off tumbles everything I’m using — hammer, channel-locks, copper fittings and the nastiest of all: open cans of PVC cement.
Not long ago I found the solution to this problem. As shown in the drawing, I’ve affixed a 7-in. by 10-in. plastic basket for tools and parts to the bars of the fold-down paint shelf at the top of my ladder. The ones I use, called Stak-N-Tote, cost about a buck at my local hardware store. I use a couple of selftapping screws to mount the basket. That way I can replace a worn-out basket in a matter of seconds.
Paul Penfield, Willoughby, OH
Edited and Illustrated by Charles Miller
From Fine Homebuilding #61
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Some of the best advice I ever got when entering the trades was, NEVER, EVER put tools on top of a ladder, and I have tried to instill this in all the people I teach. I happen to have an implant front tooth from a rock climbing fall and that tooth cost over $4000.