It started out as a sort of hum-ho regular set of stairs employing my usual polished components. About midstream through the design process the customer decides his log home needs a more rustic version and sends me an e-mail instructing us to build a set that would make a beaver proud. I almost hurled at the thought of having to resort to prehistoric stair building. As a compromise I merged my captured bark rustic stringer with hand peeled Diamond Willow newels, railing and twig balusters, stopping just short of using mud and grass for putty.
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Surprisingly enough once I got started the project turned out to be a lot of fun. Since the ways of the beaver was foreign to me I enlisted the help of Fred, a friend of mine who builds rustic furniture with an artistic flare. Fred concentrated on dragging the material out of the bug-infested swamps while I labored in the climate-controlled environment of my shop building the structural components. Fred lost so much blood from the mosquitoes that his eves cleared and for a moment I though he might turn into a republican, turns out this was not to be the case.
The biggest can of worms was dealing with the shrinkage problem since the treads were only dried down to 20% mc. I opted for using a floating tennon connection between the stringer and log tread, going with the assumption that as the log shrinks it will tighten itself around the tennon and remain firmly locked in place thus eliminating the customary loose stair tread scenario. Photo below shows tread tennon mortise.
Photo shows stringer mortise & caps (edging) on laminated stringer
Ya big show off!!
Where do you get off showin' work like that, it looks like a bunch of beavers worked on it!
Armin, absolutely great work!!
Edited 8/13/2003 8:48:48 PM ET by Resurrected
Cool.
Armin
Thats quite the stairway, really good looking.
Doug
Thanks guys, the client is having a life like beaver carved out of a wood block. I hear he's standing up on his hind legs leaning back on his tail looking up at the stairs admiring his handy work, probably going to have a can of beer in his paw as well. Nothing like customers with a sence of humor.
Great for learning or adapting techniques and for admiring the work, Armin.
What I want to know, is whether you built this under the IBC (Intenational Beaver Code) or the UBC ( Underwater Beaverbuilders Congress) and whether the inspector approved it with a signature, or a slap of his tail.
;).
Excellence is its own reward!
What I want to know, is whether you built this under the IBC (Intenational Beaver Code) or the UBC ( Underwater Beaverbuilders Congress) and whether the inspector approved it with a signature, or a slap of his tail.
LOL! That's good.
The stairs do pass code, the balusters were layed out to meet the 4" sphere requirements, took time and a large assortment of twigs. The log treads also pass the 4" rule so risers are not needed. The big headache was finding a stair rail of the right diameter. The first one is still in the woods, didn't see the hornets nest until it was to late, decided against relocating them, or debating ownership rights.
Those darn wasps think they own everything. Don't leave much opportunity for us minorities. Only way to beat'em is to get up earlier in the morning than they do - that and smoke'em out..
Excellence is its own reward!
Yes, many a time have I been in thick young woods, chainsaw running, earprotection, and can't hear a thing. Then I start thinking those pine needles are pricking my head pretty good, and then . . . RUN LIKE THE WIND!
Why can't I see the photos? When I click on the icon for the photo, I get a message, "You are not authorized to view this page." Never happened before in viewing your pics. What's up?
Micro
Its cause you didn't pay admission, send me $20(good for 1 year) and I'll make sure you get to see them, and their worth every penny of it.
Doug
Too Too Cool.
Work of Art
Marv
You should direct that compliment to Armin, he's the one that did the work!
Doug
Don't know Mr. Micro, maybe the system is off, it took me several tries to upload the photos, who knows maybe the beaver chewed the wires.
Sounds like the beavers have got your number, old boy!
LOL
I get that message occasionally. Don't know if it is on the server end or mnine, but when I restart and come back to it later, I can always load up..
Excellence is its own reward!
Armin,
Truely impressive work. Thanks for posting the pics.
J.
Do those spindles meet code? LOL!
Armin, is that Cruella de Ville's house?
Armin- You get all the fun jobs. How is it you get all these very unique jobs? There must not be a 4" spacing rule on your balusters. Your beaver left some of the bark on that rail cap.
Excellent work!
I really like the mortise work you did on the treads.
Looks like a very labor intensive job.
"Rather be a hammer than a nail"
Bob
He doesn't need to worry about somebody saying, "Hey, that balluster doesn't look straight!"
;).
Excellence is its own reward!
He doesn't need to worry about somebody saying, "Hey, that balluster doesn't look straight!"
Yup, the upside of the beaver job, no level required.
How is it you get all these very unique jobs,
It helps to be eccentric.
There must not be a 4" spacing rule on your balusters.
It passed the 4" beaver head rule.
Your beaver left some of the bark on that rail cap.
Part of the tree had died off leaving the bark firmly fused to the log, once the oil finish is applied it will turn a nice redish brown, gives it character.
Armin: Nice seeing your beautiful work. I knew you were busy doing something. That is a very unique stairway...good job..
Thanks Stan,
Yes I have been busy unfortunatully not with work related stuff, it's been a tough summer, glad to see you have been doing well and getting in some flying time. We plan on looking you up this fall, love to see your shop and the flying machine.
hello
I too enjoyed the pictures.
Question for all.
I would like to build what I call a western or mountain home. My vision is something of the log style without the logs, LOL. Beams, stone fireplace, knoty pine panel doors, leather furniture. I would not go totally rustic and would also use a fair amount of my current cherry furniture. Might go cherry in the kitchen.
Now, I would not want to go so rustic as to go the beaver route for the staircase. Any ideas on what kind of staircase (treads and railings) would look good in such a case. Not too formal and not to rustic?
See what you can find on Craftsman Style stairs. Square or tapered ballasters with 1x4 rails, usually with a design cut out of every other space between pairs. If that doesn't make any sense let me know and I'll see if i can find an example.Kevin Halliburton
"I believe that architecture is a pragmatic art. To become art it must be built on a foundation of necessity." - I.M. Pei -
I think I know what you mean. Sometimes they do that on Swiss Chalet type balconies. Right?
Thanks for the the suggestion, will think about it, but not sure that is my style.
Take a look at Greene and Greene staircases. They are Craftsman era so they concentrate on wood and joinery, but they have a japanesque flair that I think falls squarely, and beautifully, somewhere between rustic and formal. Now, finding somebody who can do that kind of work with the specialized joinery yet stay in your budget is the hard part.
Check out Armin's website he has a stair and rail setup in there that will appeal to your house . I'll have to look up his address and post later.
The website is http://www.northernsunwoodworks.com
That 1x railing with the relief cut cat-tails is a really nice example of the "arts and crafts" style railing I was taking about. http://www.northernsunwoodworks.com/prodstair3.htm#Kevin Halliburton
"I believe that architecture is a pragmatic art. To become art it must be built on a foundation of necessity." - I.M. Pei -
The square on the diag. bark pocket spindles are a neat set up also ,but not arts and crafts.
Thanks guys, sorry for the slow (No ) reply, I took off on a working vacation to remodel my son's house in Delaware. The planned two week project took on a life of it's own extending my stay to a month. I'll sort through the posts tomorrow and answer any questions. Thanks again.
I was going to tell Pro about you bein' eccentric . That and living in the sticks all helps to get the 'good' jobs. But you beat me to it.
In one of the pictures you had a temp. verticle support that is attached to a set of wheels . I don't remember seeing that before . Is that new for this job? Or is it something that you use on other jobs,sort of a portable jig?
good work there . I was hopeing to see a few beavers on the stair though.
In one of the pictures you had a temp. vertical support that is attached to a set of wheels . I don't remember seeing that before . Is that new for this job? Or is it something that you use on other jobs,sort of a portable jig?
Yes it is a portable stringer holder on wheels. It's a duel purpose device, it's usually an adjustable length drying rack for the spray finishing room, built like a tank it has several attachments to support curved and straight stringers for test fitting into mortises or other procedures requiring the stringer to be moved and returned to it's original position. Sorry I don't have a detailed photo, next time.
Armin-- very nice work. It can be a lot of fun to stretch your skills and do something different. It looks like you succeeded!
Classic BT humor, and quality I doubt anyone here could match.
Outstanding!
Outstanding, your patience is overwhelming. How will the staircase be treated? Are there any concerns with insects and such? I would love to include this type of rail system in a camp I am planning to build.
Bigdog,
How will the staircase be treated? Are there any concerns with insects and such?
In the past I have used tung oil as the final finish. The tung oil seems to seal the wood without producing a glossy finish. We applied one very lite coat after installation to retart drying the wood to fast and are planning to do a second coat in a few weeks. Insects should not be a problem once the bark is peeled and the wood dried, at least I have never had a problem in this climate.
Heck, I wish you'd called me. I would have run up there (where are you, anyway?) for a weekend to help. Just so I could say I got to help.
Really, really nice.