what is that gyro’s range- cuz someday you could fly down and pick me up and we’d land in oz and you could teach me to build them stairs and i would die happy-
your work fascinates me
so does armin’s- but he lives in michigan and i am a buckeye so i have to hate him…
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It will fly around 225 miles,...three hours at 75.....plus a half hour reserve of fuel
okay- i'll come to you
stan
Awesome!
looks like you might have done it before...? Unlike mr. guertin who, until the last issue of fhb, had never heard of forming stringers in such a fashion until it "popped into his head". He was right in saying its simple. So simple it is taught to carpentry appretices in the last year of school in Beautiful British Columbia, Canada.
Have fun in oz
Nice work Stan. I like seeing your pics of your stairs (and your gyro). Do you use the laser as a reference for riser heights?
Mike
Mike: I use my laser a lot. I make a story pole and laser all the horizontal lines for the treads. Then I set the laser to the vertical mode and laser directly above the riser layout lines on the floor. This shoots a plane of light showing the face of each riser on the stringers.
Edited 3/30/2004 9:26 pm ET by Stan Foster
Cool - stairbuilding in the 21st century.
Stan
I will next be adding laminates until these stringers are self supporting
I assume you mean that these set of steps will be free standing, how thick does the stringer need to be? And then will you still do the rise and tread the same as you do on all your other stairs?
Thanks and I anxiously await more pics.
Doug
Doug: This hickory stairway is only 11 steps...it goes to a landing. The stringers will be internally layered with plywood until they are plenty stiff. The outside stringer will have more laminates than the inside one. Thickness? Around 2.5 inches on the outside stringer...and 2 inches on the inside. I go by feel...so if this isnt satisfactory....I just will keep laminating more layers as needed. I will put steel studs in the belly of this stairway so they will easily make the helical twist for the drywall to be applied to.
I am going to rabbet miter the risers to the stringers. This lets me pocket screw the risers to the stringers and eliminate any nails showing whatsoever except for the scotia trim which will be pin nailed.
Morn' Stan.
Hurry up and get those stairs put up... I trying not to be impatient but with your work I can't help it...Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming.... WOW!!! What a Ride!
Imerc: It will be a while. I have several projects going...and I still have to get some altitude to keep my attitude...:)
I know this is off topic (at least it has something to do with stairs) but; how in the world would something like this be constructed?
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I've been thinking about it for a while nd the main question is: If there is no center pole how does it work?
Adam
hey I had a picture in there!????edited to add picture back in
Edited 3/31/2004 12:49 pm ET by AdamB
Adam: I know that stairway...I would love to go to New Mexico to see it....Sisters of Loretta chapel? am I correct?
First...let me ask some questions. Were you able to get on it and bounce? Did it move a little? a lot? Is there any external support on the outside stringer? It looks like there may be an ornamental iron bracket holding it. It there is no support....and if the stairs is rock solid...its beyond me how it was done...unless the story behind it is true.
If I were to attempt building it...my only way of doing it is many thing laminates...and this would be one expensive job.
Back to something I better understand,....this simple hickory stairway...:)
Here is the outside stringer getting more laminates. There will still be many more internally to make it self supporting.
My name is Bessy Jorgenson, I believe you may have some of my mis-placed clamps..they have my name on them..please return them...
Cool Stan..How thick is the Hick. veneers? an didja saw em yourself?..don't see much of that just layin around waitin to be bought..
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Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
Sphere: This is a rather large radius....the outside stringer is 170 inches...and the inside is 120 inches.
The laminates are 3/8 thichk by 14 inches wide.
Stan,
You lag the 2x2 clamp to the studs used to form the stringers? Creative thinking and using what is available.
Paradiscic: It is simple..and it works. :)
"I am going to rabbet miter the risers to the stringers."
I've been wondering how that particular joint is done.
What's the smallest radius you've ever built?
Edited 4/1/2004 12:42 am ET by tuffy
Tuffy: I had a set of winders once that the skirt face had an 11 inch radius.
Cool Stuff Stan..... I'd like to be the salesman in the hardware store when you come in and say " I need some clamps...."
Question from me is how do you like working with hickory as it is not a terribly common wood in this application? (is it?)
Reason is that I had a hickory tree on my property that I had to cut down and the sawyer called me past weekend and said the stuff is ready for pickup. I may be doin' that today...First we get good- then we get fast !
ticky: I love hickory. It is a beautifly wood. It kind of gets nasty if your router bits arent razor sharp. It splits along the grain real easy..but its tough.
Cool - stairway to nowhere, just like the Winchester Mystery House!
Beautiful work, and really appreciate your sharing it!