first attempt at a staircase

[gazza]

This is my first attempt at a straight staircase.

I have been converting the loft in my house for the last few weeks and have finally got fed up going up and down ladders

So time to make the staircase as everything else is done except for the decorating (which i hate )

I made it out of timber i had left over from other jobs, so i suppose it cost me nothing ;D

The stringers were made from some 6"x2" i had left over, edge jointed and glued up yesterday.

Made a MDF jig for the housings, marked out the stringers and routed them out.
First mistake, made sure i marked the stringers as a mirror image, but forgot to turn the jig over to rout the opposite side. luckily i caught on after the first one . I made the jig to suit 18mm Mdf i had lying around. so treads and risers are all 18mm mdf meaning i have only a nosing to fill to hide my mistake.



sorry for the crap pics,





Unfortunately thats all i took

After eventually getting my head around the workings of the stair it was really quite easy to do. So another string to the bow

One problem is space though as im sure you can see from the pics.
Just to help show my restrictions, along the left hand wall i started off with this pile of 2.5" beech, some of it is 24" wide all 10' long,



and then i added this stack of oak to it as well




Bit of a nightmare really
Thanks for looking
Cheers
Gazza.

[jfc]

Nice one , easy when you actually take the plunge aint they . Although every one i do does my head in they are fairly easy once you get going .

PS your workshop needs a tidy up . I cant understand why people will put up with such mess ;D

[mailee]

Well Gazza, you could always give me all that Oak and Beech and that would free up some space for you. ;D ;D

[jonnyd]

Looks good gazza. Wait till you get onto winder treads for a bit of headscratching ;D Is it built to regs as the rise looks quite large.

jon

[gazza]

Nov 17, 2008 22:10:15 GMT jonnyd said:

Is it built to regs as the rise looks quite large.

jon

Yea just got it i was trying to keep the going as short as possible so worked out,
Total rise 2600 = 13 x 200
total going 2676 = 12 x 223
42 degrees
It either works or it doesnt (after much head scratchin ;D)
the angle i took the pic from probably doesnt help.

Nov 17, 2008 21:59:41 GMT jfc said:

PS your workshop needs a tidy up . I cant understand why people will put up with such mess ;D

I know, i know, its probably going to take a couple of hours to sort out, which im not looking foward to, but im busy for the next couple of days putting a floor into what was a big vaulted ceiling ( to create another bedroom), so it will be waiting for me when i open the door again

Mailee, the beech was a real bargain, what you see in the pic plus 29 12' lenghts of 6" x 2" already planed all round for less than a days wage, so i couldnt resist. I have started to make a new bench from it, but as im busy its on hold. the top is glued up and is sitting on top of all the timber.
The oak is for a job i was supposed to start last week
Cheers,
Gazza.

[dom]

Well done Gazza, as you say, another 'string' to your bow

[sainty]

Most of the work on stairs is done with pen and paper - once everything is setup it's quite simple.

Great feeling when you assemble it and everything fits isn't it?


rgds


Stu

[gazza]

Thanks for the replies fellas,
Cheers,
Gazza.

[jfc]

I think the nicest feeling is actually walking up a set of stairs you have just made . Or is it the look on peoples faces as you walk up them while they are hanging in the air ;D

[agbagb]

Nice one Gazza. I've still not finished mine after about 12 months.

I had major head scratching on my first stairs, for our loft conversion - a spiral or 360 kite winder

A rather unconvensional construction I think. Starting with a 14ft central column with a turned newel.



Risers treads and stretchers made from 18mm birch ply



The visable ply over the stairs etc. clad with panneling.



I've still got the spindles and banisters to sort out but I can walk up and down them so the motivation has evaporated. Now my window project has taken over.

If any one is intrested there's bit more on the build on my blog roomuptop.blogspot.com

[simuk]

Yeah nice one Gazza