Replies

1. 
   Armin110 | Jun 19, 2002 04:07am | #1

   Pretty darn nice, how long did you work on this project? Stock parts or did you make your own.

2. 
   fdampier | Jun 19, 2002 04:08am | #2

   That's beautifull! absolutely stunning.

     I'm curious how you dealt with the tannic reaction problem? 

1. 
   luvmuskoka | Jun 19, 2002 04:43am | #3

   Frenchy, Armin,

   Thanks for the friendly comments. The iron parts are stock from a foundry in Erie Pa. They come rough so they needed sandblasted, pressure washed, primed and painted. They  come in 36" and 48" lengths only, so they all needed trimmed on a chop saw.  The walnut I bought green off the stump locally from the 'Dutchies' (Amish) and trucked it to 3 different places to be resawn, dried and finally milled into flooring and rail. The rail is cut from knife copies of an antique handrail profile. Posts are maple, custom turned and burnished on a lathe, and painted gloss black. I spent the better part of a winter building both staircases between jobs.

1. 
   fdampier | Jun 19, 2002 07:05am | #4

   Interesting, I didn't know such things were available without custom order.

     I am interested in how you'll keep the iron from reacting to the walnut.

1. 
   luvmuskoka | Jun 19, 2002 12:10pm | #6

   Frenchy, Joe,

   This has been up about a year and a half. I have never noticed any reaction. The ballusters are set in pilot holes filled with poly adheseive. That probobly has formed a barrier between the walnut and iron.

1. 
   KenFishe1 | Jun 19, 2002 01:15pm | #7

   I was curious how this railing would be finished.  Any ideas? I haven't been back to the job in two weeks, but I'll see it soon.

2. 
   luvmuskoka | Jun 19, 2002 01:31pm | #8

   Ken, I'm just a floor guy working on my own house. Armin, Frenchy or Stan would know the answer to that. My uneducated guess is that something looks short.

3. 
   KenFishe1 | Jun 21, 2002 05:34am | #11

   Armin saw the pic at quittintime.com, but didn't mention anything. Where is that guy?  I have a question for him over at the other place. I'll be back at that particular job tomorrow so I'll see what they did with the railing and post a pic. In the meantime here's a pic of them installing the railings.

   View Image

   Edited 6/20/2002 10:36:03 PM ET by Fish

4. 
   luvmuskoka | Jun 21, 2002 01:32pm | #12

   Ken,

   That ballustade system is awesome!! Are you putting the floors in? Please tell me the floors will be in the same design class as the staircase. Inlays, pattern work, mixed species?

   Rich

5. 
   KenFishe1 | Jun 22, 2002 12:28am | #15

   Rich:

   I started a picture thread at quittintime.com  that deals with all the harwdwood flooring in the house.  The thread is titled "Elevated Dining Room On Slab(Wood Flooring) . I'm probaly not going to finish it there as this site has their gallery back in shape, and I'm not crazy about Luka at that place either.

   I'll get it together this weekend so you can see it in the gallery here.  The dining room has solid walnut treads and prefinshed handscraped 3/4" X 6"solid Walnut made by http://www.patinawoodfloors.com/index.html.  Other areas of the house have  the same prefinished line but the species is Pecan and comes in widths of 3.5,7.  There's more, so check out the gallery this weekend.

   See Ya,

   Ken Fisher

   View Image

6. 
   Armin110 | Jun 22, 2002 03:49am | #16

   Fish,

   This is not as grand as yours but the concept will work none the less. I would get the willies trying to attach a newel final this late in the game. Should be interesting to see how it comes out.

   
7. 
   KenFishe1 | Jun 22, 2002 06:46am | #17

   Armin:

   Saw the job again yesterday and thought I'd have an update for you on the railing.  No changes had been made and asked when someone would be back to finish it off.  I thought both the walnut railing and the wrought iron ballisters were done by the same guys.  Two different groups are involved, so it's no wonder it didn't come out right in the first place.

8. 
   luvmuskoka | Jun 21, 2002 01:54pm | #13

   Frenchy, Panama,

   My wife and I (no kids) moved into the house a year before the staircases were built. The opening between the newell post and first balcony balluster is about 7" at it's widest point. I spent a long time trying to figure out how to reduce it. Nothing worked. The bank called 2 years after I moved in and said they didn't have an occupancy permit on file (no kidding). They sent the inspector out and he asked me to put chicken wire over the hole with plastic ties. Did the ball test and told me (with a wink) to leave the chicken wire on.

9. 
   fdampier | Jun 21, 2002 05:08pm | #14

   Doncja jus love it when someone who has the power to make your life a hell, understands and works with ya? There must be a special place in heaven for people like that....

3. 
   joeh | Jun 19, 2002 09:35am | #5

   A beautiful piece of work. And no tools lying about either, looks just like a clients' house. Joe H

4. 
   r_ignacki | Jun 20, 2002 12:10am | #9

   now that,.....  is cool.

   I couldn't help but notice, in the first image, balcony balustrade next to the newell, that space would give one of our inspectors a fit.I may not be looking at it right.

   no turn left unstoned  

1. 
   fdampier | Jun 20, 2002 03:07am | #10

   I noticed it too but I'd be willing to bet no building inspector ever got his 4 inch ball out to check.  If he did he should be beaned with it..  some things are beyond rules and clearly this staircase is one of those.