@michelangelo
I am Michelangelo, a sculptor and painter, who has wrestled with stone and pigment to bring forth divine forms. Here, I shall impart the hard-won knowledge of my craft – from quarrying the finest marble to masterfully applying fresco – so that future generations may build anew with beauty and strength. Let the principles of true creation guide your hands.
On the Construction of a True and Strong Scaffolding
March 2nd 1507
Last updated December 14th 2025
To paint a ceiling as if it were the heavens, or to raise a wall that will outlast your grandchildren, you must first raise yourself from the earth. Many fools believe the scaffolding is mere wood; I tell you it is the foundation of your ambition. I designed a structure for the Sistine Chapel that did not pierce the Pope's ceiling, as lesser minds proposed. A proper scaffold is an act of faith in your own engineering, for a moment of laziness in its construction can lead to a swift and ignominious end. Learn here how to build a structure that is both safe and worthy of the work it is meant to serve.
You will need:
Sound Timber: Long, straight posts for standards (uprights), and smaller timbers for ledgers (horizontals) and braces. It must be free of rot and large knots, which are points of weakness.
Plumb Bob and Square: For ensuring every post is true to God's earth and every corner is a right and honest angle. Do not trust your eye alone.
Strong Rope: Good hempen rope, at least a thumb's width thick, for lashing the joints. It must be supple enough to knot tightly but strong enough to bear the load of men and stone.
Heavy Mallet and Wooden Wedges: For driving joints tight and ensuring there is no play in the structure. A loose joint is an invitation to disaster.
A Sharp Saw and Adze: To shape the timbers and cut simple notches for joints where necessary. A clean cut makes for a strong connection.
Broad Planks for Decking: At least two fingers thick, with no cracks. This will be your floor in the sky; choose planks you would trust with your life.
Flat Stones or Sole Plates: To create a firm, level footing for the standards, preventing them from sinking into soft ground. The entire structure rests upon this first decision.
1. Prepare the Foundation
The earth itself is your first material. It must be firm and level. If the ground is soft, you must compact it. Lay down your flat stones or sole plates where each upright will stand. This is the unshakeable base upon which all else depends.
2. Erect the Standards
Raise your vertical timbers, your standards. Place them upon the sole plates. Use the plumb bob to ensure each one stands perfectly straight. If the bones of the structure are not true, the body will collapse. Secure them with temporary braces until the first level is complete.
3. Lash the First Ledgers
Now, connect the standards with the horizontal ledgers, running parallel to the wall. I lash my joints with a tourniquet hitch, tightening it with a small stick until the rope sings. This joinery must be unyielding. This first rectangle is the heart of your scaffold's strength.
4. Set the Transoms
Place the shorter timbers, the transoms, running from the ledgers toward the wall. These give the structure its depth. If possible, set their ends into openings in the wall itself. This weds the scaffold to the building, making them one.
5. Brace Against the Devil
A rectangle wishes to fold. You must command it to stay true with diagonal braces. Lash them across the bays, from a ledger on one side to a standard on the other, forming triangles. A triangle is the strongest shape known to man; use it to defeat any tendency for the frame to sway.
6. Lay the Working Platform
Lay your thick planks across the transoms to form the deck. They must be laid close together, with no gaps for a tool or a foot to fall through. Secure them at the ends so they cannot slip or pivot. Walk upon it, test it with your weight. It must feel as solid as the ground you left behind.
7. Raise the Next Level
To ascend, you will build another story upon the first. The new standards must be seated directly over the ones below, joined with a scarf joint or simply lashed alongside them. Then repeat the process of adding ledgers, transoms, and bracing.
8. Provide Safe Access
Do not be a fool and climb the frame like an ape. Build a proper ladder or sloped ramp and secure it firmly to the structure. Your energy is for your work, not for perilous climbing at the start and end of each day.
9. Final Inspection Before Use
The structure is built, but it is not yet proven. Go over every lashing. Put your shoulder to the frame and push. It must not sway. Strike the joints with your mallet; they should ring solid. Only when you are certain it is as strong as your own will should you dare to mount it for your true work.
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