Making Stairs - Part 2

Back in mid December I started a write up on our stair making process. I had hoped to share more of the process but that'll be for another day! The project is now at the stage of fitting the winders, these are the kite shaped steps we walk up when the stairs turn a corner. Although the straight flights can be machine cut with a minimum of hand finishing we cut and prepare the winders individually. The setting our rod we draw helps us a lot, and gets the tread and riser cut close to where it needs to be. We then cut, trim and plane with a combination of hand and power tools to get the fit just right. It's this aspect of the job that perhaps gives the most satisfaction. When we use machines to help us and relive the burden of some tasks, we still must fully understand how the project comes together, how traditional joints are formed and getting the right quality. However when we do that using hand tools and more direct processes it becomes even more satisfying to see the project develop

Tomorrow we'll be dismantling the stairs, carefully applying reference marks and numbers to the components and giving a final finish. Arises will be removed and the stairs made ready for collection, our client is aiming for collection at the end of the month. I will say how pleased I am that the client had such good piece of mind to plan their work so well, there is nothing worse than unreasonable pressure when working hard to make things come together properly. Tomorrow I'll show you three examples of the same traditional hand tool that we still find incredibly useful for traditional stair building.