Replies

1. 
   PenobscotMan | Mar 11, 2003 12:33am | #1

   Last summer I built a staircase with winders in our summer cabin and I felt pretty proud of myself. Now I feel like a worm.

   Is your staircase shown in the place where it will live or are those studwalls, etc. temporary? I mean, is this a shop-built or site-built job? In either case, the stairs are beautiful!

1. 
   StanFoster | Mar 11, 2003 12:39am | #2

   javier:  That is shop built. I will be installing it shortly. 

2. 
   Mattohio | Mar 11, 2003 02:24am | #3

   Nice work!  What did you laminate the carriages with?  (what type of wood and what type of glue?)  I built a couple of staircases similar to this for a Broadway set, and I was wondering how diferent our projects might be.  I laminated my carriages from 12 layers of 1/8 inch ply, using regular wood glue.  I covered the final layer with a ash veneer that I applied with contact cement.

   thanks

   matt

1. 
   StanFoster | Mar 11, 2003 03:53am | #4

   Matt:   The stringer face is a solid laminate of oak sandwiched with a core of luan laminates. The exposed stringers edges have oak strips to hide the luan core. These stringers will be fully supported by the walls under them so they do not have to be extra strong.   I used titebond glue for the glueup.

1. 
   DougU | Mar 12, 2003 04:46am | #5

   Stan

   What would you do different if they were going to stand freely. You said that they will be supported by the wall, certainly you can do it with out the support of the wall cant you?

   Thanks and I always injoy your pics more than any others

   Doug

1. 
   StanFoster | Mar 12, 2003 05:16am | #6

   Doug:   I would have smaller laminates..and more of them....the laminates would not be luan....each laminate would either be one continuous length or  scarf-jointed.  The stringers would also be wider and thicker as necessary.  I have even sandwiched a continuous layer of steel between the other laminates.

   Also to make it freestanding..one can also laminate a beam under the treads as thick as necessary also.

   One major technique is to cantilever some beams out of both the first and second level floor system inside the belly of the stairway.

   This is the biggest freestanding stairway I have ever built. It was 154 inches floor to floor,,and had very heavy Enkeboll railing and balusters. 

1. 
   DougU | Mar 12, 2003 07:13am | #7

   Stan

   Thanks, I was planing on doing a curved stairway in the house that we were going to build here in Iowa but now moving to Texas and dont know what the plan will be for a house. We built a few curved stairways at the place that I just left but they dont hold a canldle to yours, I'm just picking your brain in case I need the info later.

   As always I find your stuff  impecable

   Doug

3. 
   kenf | Mar 12, 2003 04:54pm | #8

   stan,

   very nice work.   I am working on a curved stair right now .   I have all the stringer material scarfed to length and  each tread height marked on the corresponding stud in the form to get the proper angle for the stringer.  Before you do the glue up do you make the plumb and level cuts(roughly) on each ply?   Also, do you drop the tread marks down each stud to the level where the back edge  of the stringer would sit ?  I am  having some pre glue-up jitters.  This is the first curved stair I've done on my own.  Any advice would be much apprec.

   ken

1. 
   StanFoster | Mar 13, 2003 06:10am | #9

   Ken:    I glue up the stringers...then transfer vertically from the floor...the layout of the risers.  The treads are layed out with a story pole and a laser.  I then route the mortises with a template that guides my bearing equipped flush cutting bit.

   Here are some pictures of another stringer I glued up some time ago. You can see I routed after the glue up.

   
1. 
   ProDek | Mar 13, 2003 07:28am | #10

   Love those shop pictures Stan- Thanks for posting. As I said before, I would love to spend a day watching you figure these beautiful stairs out. You really should write an article for Taunton.

   How many clamps did you say you had?  :-)

   "A step above the rest"

   Bob

   "Rather be a hammer than a nail"

1. 
   StanFoster | Mar 13, 2003 12:51pm | #11

   Bob:         Thanks.  I have a bunch of clamps...but guess what?  Not enough...

1. 
   kennedy136 | Mar 14, 2003 02:02am | #15

   Stan,

           I heard one woodworker said he wished he was in heaven, cause then he would have enough clamps.

                                                            Mark

2. 
   kenf | Mar 13, 2003 03:40pm | #12

   stan,

   thanks for the help.  Does your router have a curved baseplate to match the curve of the stringer and template or does that not matter ?  do you have any shots of the template for routing the stringers.  My steps will be housed on both sides.

   thanks

   ken

1. 
   StanFoster | Mar 14, 2003 12:49am | #13

   Ken:   I warp my router base slightly with some cardboard shims place so as to make the base follow the curved stringer.

   I can take some pictures of my router jig tomorrow and post them.

1. 
   allenschell2 | Mar 14, 2003 01:26am | #14

   Stan, do you have much competition over there in the circle stair trade?  Around here it's pretty cutthroat.  People kicking each others butts lowballing prices.

2. 
   StanFoster | Mar 14, 2003 04:50am | #16

   Allen:   I am pretty much a loner in central Illinois. I do bid against some of the big stair hatheries out of Chicago.  My main advantage is I offer a "mom and pop" atmosphere...and I just try to deliver a good product on time...and follow up afterwards.

   Under promise and over produce....kind of how I try to operate.

3. 
   BungalowJeff | Mar 14, 2003 07:10am | #17

   One of my co-workers does a great impression of her Louisana-born husband who buys clamps whenever he is in a hardware store. Start over-done drawl now: "They're our silent partners."...that's not a mistake, it's rustic