OT- timber staircase

I tried in rec.woodworking but nobody could help. I want to build a pine timber straight staircase. My stringers are 4 X 12 and the treads are 3 X

  1. The wood is freshly sawn so I don't think moritising the treads into the stringers will be a good idea because of shrinkage. I was thinking of simply lag bolting the treads in place and then everything could be tightened as it dried. Threaded rod through the treads would be nice but drilling a 4' long hole through the 3" thick treads would be tricky. Any other ideas out there, I don't want to re-invent the wheel. Thanks
Reply to
habbi
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If the pine is the usual modern quick-grown stuff I think I would wait for the timber to dry at least to the ambient humidity where you intend to build the staircase. Unless you want a spiral staircase that is! Or is there a timber yard where you could have it kiln-dried? Just my tuppence. Charles

Reply to
charadam

This stuff would take years to dry. and I am building a house and are getting tired of using the ladder inside. I could get it kiln dried but it is very expensive.

Reply to
habbi

Could you build it "temporary" - how about putting it together with the treads resting on "temporary" brackets. 1" square with 3 x 2 1/2" no. 8 woodscrews should do it. Chamfer the ends you see when climbing if it bugs you. Attach the treads from below the brackets with 2x similar woodscrews. Position one stringer 1 1/2" "wider" than your final intended staircase width. Wait some years until timber dries. Rebate the stringers to 3/4" depth and build to the width you first thought of. Of course, you could just crack a bottle of single malt and leave it alone. All the best, Charles

Reply to
charadam

A good way to be able to creep up on it would be to build it with dados and wedges. I have seen this in a few books about stairs. It's a way to blind fasten, and can actually be done with few or no fasteners at all.

This might be hard to explain... Dado the thickness of your tread into your stringer - stop the dado for the front of the tread. Remove additional material on the top edge of the dado tapered about 1 to 8 (larger opening in the back). Install tread in stringer's dado. Make wedge to fit remaining dado, hammer in to tighten. Tack/screw wedge to keep from moving.

Obviously you would make the wedged dado in one go, using a jig of some sort.

Basically the treads are sitting in dados and held in by wedges, you can do the same with the risers. You have to install from the top down with the riser held vertically by the tread but still locked in with a wedge.

If someone else has a more elegant description please chime in!

Good luck, and post some pics of your progress!

Eide

Reply to
Eide

Reply to
Randy Zimmerman

Another way to do this is to cut a dado along the length of your tread the width and depth of your threaded rod, that way the rod is hidden from the front without an additional piece, and it's a lot easier than drilling. Centered on the bottom face if you're using one, an inch or two in from each edge if you're using two, say.

Or if you're going to eventually box these stairs in, you could just put the threaded rod far enough back that it gets hidden by the riser... --Glenn Lyford

Reply to
glyford

Habbi Are these stairs open both sides, walled on one side, or walled on both sides? If one or two sides are open I think that I would use an angle bracket under the tread to the stringer and then allow the stringer to move as the treads shrink. I would also use and oversized hole in the angle bracket to allow a bit of movement. I'm also assuming here that the treads are open without a riser. Are these a rustic looking stair or a fine finished set? I'm also assuming that your not cutting the stairstep into the stringers but attaching the treads to the face of the stringer. lg no neat sig line

Reply to
larry g

On Fri, 27 May 2005 21:06:31 GMT, the inscrutable "habbi" spake:

So build a normal set of stairs for use until the timber dries.

Reply to
Larry Jaques

Hey Habbi,

Common method instead of drilling a hole, is to router a slot for the treaded rod.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX >I tried in rec.woodworking but nobody could help. I want to build a pine

Reply to
Brian Lawson

habbi wrote: I want to build a pine

Through tenons with wedges. If wou're a glutton for punishment, sliding dovetails.

Kevin Gallimore

Reply to
axolotl

Rather than running a threaded rod the full length of the tread, why not use 3" or 4" bolts into each end of the tread, though the riser? Route or cut a pocket from the underside of the tread to hold a captured nut (or threaded dowel, etc.). In addition to being easier than drilling a 4' long hole, those bolt heads will look a lot nicer than the protruding all thread.

I don't know how you're securing the risers, top & bottom. I assume that it can accomadate the risers getting a little closer together over time?

R, Tom Q. Remove bogusinfo to reply.

Reply to
Tom Quackenbush

I should have mentioned the stairs are all open with no risers. They will be seen from behind and from the underside when going down a second set of these stairs to the lower level of the house. I thought about the dado for the threaded rod but like I said it will be seen from underneath.

Reply to
habbi

I am not sure on stair terminology but when you say riser do you mean the the sides of the stairs or the back where your toes hit when going up them. If you mean the sides then that sound like a good idea. I could plug the holes with wood plug as well. As for the nut do you think a hex nut squeezing on the round side of the hole would be fine.

Reply to
habbi

Reply to
habbi

No, your terminology is fine, mine was screwed up. Read "stringer" where I wrote "riser".

Hex nuts would probably be OK, but something like this would be better:

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R, Tom Q.

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Reply to
Tom Quackenbush

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Reply to
habbi

Not off the top of my head, no. You could make them if you can't find them.

These are only to draw the treads and stringers together, right? You'lll you have dadoes or cleats on the stringer to support the weight on the tread, yes?

Oh, I have seen similar connectors using standard hex nuts, where the hole for the nut was sleeved with a short piece of iron pipe.

R, Tom Q.

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Reply to
Tom Quackenbush

I forgot to mention:

If you go this route, you'll probably want one of the holes in the stringer to be a slot, to accomodate the shrinkage of the tread.

R, Tom Q.

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Reply to
Tom Quackenbush

As big as they need to be.

Would the wedge ever break out the part of the end

It depends.

A lot of this will depend on the wood you are using. "Pine" covers a multitude of sins. You may want to consider using a hardwood to reduce the wear on the treads.

Here's a picture with a type:

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I'm beginning to like the tapered half dovetail better. Once you made a set of templates, it should go fairly quickly.

If you look for stairs in timber framed houses, you may find some interesting ideas.

Kevin Gallimore

Reply to
axolotl

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