The quilt ladder in the glue clamps.   Sorry, I didn't get pics of the 1-1/4" rung mortises but, most folks have seen holes drilled in wood before.   I used a 1-1/4" Forstner bit so the hole would have a flat bottom.  

The 4 bar clamps are putting about 1600Lbs. of pressure on the ends of the rungs..  

Closer look at the top of the ladder with a 36" Irwin.  

On painters blocks, sanded and ready to stain.   The rungs are 1-1/4" poplar dowels.   I drilled blind 1-1/4" rung mortises 1.05" deep, so nothing shows on the outside.  

Note all the edges are rounded with a 1/4" radius.  

Golden Oak stain applied.   The poplar rungs aren't quite the same color as the fir uprights.

The uprights look nice.   I'll let this dry for a day or two then sand and start applying finish coats.   Its cool outside (47°) and I have the heater on in the shop (70°) so stain etc. will apply and dry correctly.

1st coat of poly.  

Closer look after 1st coat of poly.   You can see how the rungs fit into the mortises.

Getting there.  

Good coat of poly.  

Even the rounded edges are smooth.