The last time I built a stair, Part II
Okay, now that we solved the skirt board to “speed” base issue…
I read through some old posts on stair boogerin, which lead me to Andy Engels #114 article, in which he builds a stair, open one side & housed stringer on the other; he lays out the open stringer first & then transfers the layout from that to the routed stringer..
Now if you aren’t cutting an open stringer, but building a housed both sides stair, do you strike an arbitrary line parallel to one edge of the stringer, and do your layout to there? Is there some rule of thumb dimension for where the arbitrary line is?
Seems right to me, but thought I’d ask…before buggerin up some expensive oak…
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If I am understanding you properly, you are asking how to determine the amount of wood in front of the tread, parallel to the slope of the stairs.
I don't know if there is a standard or a formula for figuring this out, but it is usually limited by the width of a 1x12, because that is usually what you would use for your housed stringer. So... all this to say, when I build a housed stringer stair, I lay out the treads and risers as far down (or back) as I can.I think ideally the measurement for the amount of stringer above the treads would be determined by the height of your base,i.e. if your base is 5 1/2 inches tall then that's what your measurement should be from the tread nosing out to the top edge of the skirtboard. But when you use a 1x12 the max could only be 3 or 4 inches, so in the real world that's what you get.
Thanks Alan...it may be moot as my friends wife is now talking him into building rough stairs & then tiling them...his tile setter says he does that, but doesn't like to bullnose the steps so he adds a wood bullnose (it's a three step stair in a mudroom entry) -I told him that was, IMHO, bad both from a looks and safety and durability standpoint, but what do I know
BTW, I was looking at the housed yellow pine stairs in my house & unless I am mistaken the stringers are 1x10....surprised me but having priced 5/4 x 12 oak, maybe not so surprising...seems like 3/8 dados wouldn't be enough....what' d'ya say?