I am busy as ever…..just kind of slowed down posting stair pictures. Anyway…I have a curved stairway with cherry treads/poplar skirts and risers underway in my shop.
Heres some pictures of the outside stringer after it was laminated. You can see the white plastic guiding my router to mill the poplar laminates that cap off the plies making it look like its solid poplar.
Then you can see my very expensive router jig I use for mortising the treads and risers into the skirtboard.
The notched inside stringer is on my bench awaiting sanding and placement into the forms in the back room.
Stan
Replies
Man, that's real art. Hat's off to you. Post that over in "Knots" for their general edufication...
You sure make it look easy...
Stan, do you use a flush pattern bit with the tread riser jig or a straight bit with a collar to guide it?
Is the jig indexed of the previous mortise or do you just align it on layout marks?
Tom: I use a pattern following bit. I just align the jig with my layout marks.
Stan
some more progress
Looking good Stan. Do you use a tongue and groove joint where the riser and tread meet, or are they all strictly butt joints?
I'd love to build a curved stair but the opportunity hasn't come up yet.
Hi Stan,
It's amazing to see the work that goes into a set of your stairs. They really look good. It's always fun to open your pictures. I was wondering why the mortise's in the skirtboard appeared to be tapered, now I can see that you use a wedge under the treads. How do you keep the wedges in place, and are they a specific type of wood? It seems like that would be an area vulnerable to movement over time. Best Regards, Clay
Stan,
I have been admiring your work for a long time!
I am starting my first set of interior stairs. I have built a lot of open stair sets for exterior over the years, but this will be my first closed stair case.
I have one question: What type of saw do you use to make the 45 degree cut on the stringer to meet the riser (picture# jpg 061), on the open side of the stairs? I cannot seem to make a tight and accurate cut using a hand saw or jig saw.
Thanks
VaVincE: I have a DeWalt 708 miter saw to cut the stringer miters. Sometimes I just use my skil saw,...but on stairs that wind to the left.....I have to cut backwards with it because of blade tilt. I then use my DeWalt cordless which cuts the other way.
The risers are pocket screwed to the treads at the top of the risers....and screwed to the bottom of the treads at the bottom of the risers. A tongue and groove joint would be nice...but really not that practical.
Stan