Old Style Stairs!

[jmbfestool]

nice work so far jmb, how did you get the job?

Recommendation! His mate recommended me to him.  I did a kitchen and few doors and skirting for his mate.    I did some oak flooring for this bloke fitted oak doors skirting and made 4 soft wood doors same as the oak doors.  He asked me if I could make some Oak stairs for him I told him im not really set up for making stairs especially like the ones he wanted making!  He then asked me if I knew some where who would make them!  I said yes but ill make sure if you do go with that company the joiner I think is good for the job would be making the stairs as the company does have some rubbish joiners working for them.   Any way I said get them to make and fit it as he has more work for me to do any way some more oak flooring and build an fit an utility room.  

BUT he insisted on me fitting the stairs as he was happy with the work I did and wanted me to fit the stairs as he said he knows they will be done right!   I also told the company they can make and fit the stairs but the company insisted just to make them! Rather strange really seen as they had laid of 13 joiners because they are low on work!   They did say on the day you wont be able to fit the stairs on your own you will need some one to give you hand so kinda hintin to ask for a joiner to help me but I didnt want that either I fit them or they fit them I didnt want to work on it together but the client said I rather have you!   So der you go thats how I got the job! lol

 

[Top Knot]

With so much out of square and out of level you would clearly being spoiling the character of this house with perfectly plum and level treads and risers and parallel stringers... put the level and square away and stick with the flow of the house!! You may even save yourself a few grey hairs and enjoy a different kind of challenge. work by eye and feel. I remember houses like this when I lived and worked in Sweden its hopeless trying to get everything right in a house that has been built a hundred years ago. Any how best of luck forward!! looks like you need it!!  [tongue]

 

[jmbfestool]

With so much out of square and out of level you would clearly being spoiling the character of this house with perfectly plum and level treads and risers and parallel stringers... put the level and square away and stick with the flow of the house!! You may even save yourself a few grey hairs and enjoy a different kind of challenge. work by eye and feel. I remember houses like this when I lived and worked in Sweden its hopeless trying to get everything right in a house that has been built a hundred years ago. Any how best of luck forward!! looks like you need it!!  [tongue]

Cheers!  I have done with a few things as it was driving me mad moving it about realising it looked worse in places like the tiles for example! So ended up moving the carriage back even though it set the stairs out of square you cant tell but it looked bad that it was not running with the grout line not running  with the treads which just made the stairs look out of square even though they wernt then.  So now they are out of sqaure but look square! Funny that really!

Any way I finished the stairs to day!  Just gotta sand the stairs where it really needs it the client said he will sand the rest! He said he will sand it all but I wanna do it so I know its right! Then do the landing gotta lay oak flooring and do some pointing where I cut out in the wall for the support beam!  Ill take pictures before I go!   Client said he will stain the stairs about 6-8 weeks time to let the Oak dry out as its proper wet!  

I tell ya my wrists are really hurting!  The client weighed one of the tread/risers he said it came to 24/25 kgs  [scared]   I was up and down up and down with them scribing them to the wall with the chain saw!  Plus had to recut the ends as I said the the stairs is slightly out of square and all the tread/risers where cut square and I had to take 2/3 mm to nothing on all of them had to use my planer for that.

JMB

 

[fritter63]

Maybe I missed it in there, but how exactly did you cut that huge saddle joint (pictured with the Kapex)? Did you
use the chainsaw for that?

Thanks.

 

[speed]

nice work so far jmb, how did you get the job?

Recommendation! His mate recommended me to him.  I did a kitchen and few doors and skirting for his mate.    I did some oak flooring for this bloke fitted oak doors skirting and made 4 soft wood doors same as the oak doors.  He asked me if I could make some Oak stairs for him I told him im not really set up for making stairs especially like the ones he wanted making!  He then asked me if I knew some where who would make them!  I said yes but ill make sure if you do go with that company the joiner I think is good for the job would be making the stairs as the company does have some rubbish joiners working for them.   Any way I said get them to make and fit it as he has more work for me to do any way some more oak flooring and build an fit an utility room.  

BUT he insisted on me fitting the stairs as he was happy with the work I did and wanted me to fit the stairs as he said he knows they will be done right!   I also told the company they can make and fit the stairs but the company insisted just to make them! Rather strange really seen as they had laid of 13 joiners because they are low on work!   They did say on the day you wont be able to fit the stairs on your own you will need some one to give you hand so kinda hintin to ask for a joiner to help me but I didnt want that either I fit them or they fit them I didnt want to work on it together but the client said I rather have you!   So der you go thats how I got the job! lol

[thumbs up] all the best work comes off recomendations, id love to do a staircase that way just for the experiance. looks like you are keeping busy on your self employed quest, keep taking pics i cant wait to see it finished

 

[jmbfestool]

Maybe I missed it in there, but how exactly did you cut that huge saddle joint (pictured with the Kapex)? Did you
use the chainsaw for that?

Thanks.

No dont be silly!  Only used the Chain saw for scribing!  I used the Kapex I just cut through Only just though! Then turned it around and cut through from the other way!  I could just used a hand saw but I was just being  Lazy! lol!

JMB

 

[jmbfestool]

[thumbs up] all the best work comes off recomendations, id love to do a staircase that way just for the experiance. looks like you are keeping busy on your self employed quest, keep taking pics i cant wait to see it finished

Thank you! I will do!

 

[fritter63]

No dont be silly!  Only used the Chain saw for scribing!   I used the Kapex I just cut through Only just though! Then turned it around and cut through from the other way!  I could just used a hand saw but I was just being  Lazy! lol!

JMB

Still having trouble picturing it. You must have had the piece rotated to be perpendicular to the fence then, right?

 

[jmbfestool]

No dont be silly!  Only used the Chain saw for scribing!   I used the Kapex I just cut through Only just though! Then turned it around and cut through from the other way!  I could just used a hand saw but I was just being  Lazy! lol!

JMB

Still having trouble picturing it. You must have had the piece rotated to be perpendicular to the fence then, right?

Oh sorry!  didnt read it properly just you was on about picture and Kapex and cus I used the kapex to cut the angle I didnt click you was on about the large cut out in the middle!!  I thought you was just on about the angle cut! Hand saw and chisel for that little baby!

Edited: I might just had a little help with bench saw!  I wanted to impress  the Old joiners just hand tools no powers tools!

JMB

 

[fritter63]

Hand saw and chisel for that little baby!

"How Uncivilised!" - Obi Wan Kenobi

I used to do that with my Radial Arm Saw when I had one. One helluva scary cut that is (you have to take the blade guard off and there's nothing like the of that thing spinning while tilted horizontal.

I decided not use that joint very much....  [cool]

 

[jmbfestool]

Hand saw and chisel for that little baby!

"How Uncivilised!" - Obi Wan Kenobi

I used to do that with my Radial Arm Saw when I had one. One helluva scary cut that is (you have to take the blade guard off and there's nothing like the of that thing spinning while tilted horizontal.

I decided not use that joint very much....  [cool]

what would you use instead?! Or how would you do it now?

JMB

 

[fritter63]

Hand saw and chisel for that little baby!

"How Uncivilised!" - Obi Wan Kenobi

I used to do that with my Radial Arm Saw when I had one. One helluva scary cut that is (you have to take the blade guard off and there's nothing like the of that thing spinning while tilted horizontal.

I decided not use that joint very much....  [cool]

what would you use instead?! Or how would you do it now?

JMB

Was just kidding with the Obi Wan quote, BTW...

I think I'd be tempted to use my bandsaw to make the initial cuts, and then chisel it out like you did. That's a tough
one for any power tool, you probably have the right solution.

 

[jmbfestool]

Hand saw and chisel for that little baby!

"How Uncivilised!" - Obi Wan Kenobi

I used to do that with my Radial Arm Saw when I had one. One helluva scary cut that is (you have to take the blade guard off and there's nothing like the of that thing spinning while tilted horizontal.

I decided not use that joint very much....  [cool]

what would you use instead?! Or how would you do it now?

JMB

Was just kidding with the Obi Wan quote, BTW...

I think I'd be tempted to use my bandsaw to make the initial cuts, and then chisel it out like you did. That's a tough
one for any power tool, you probably have the right solution.

I know you was!

Band saw I dont own one but would deffos use that as first option if I did!  Protool Chain saw would be  good but the wood aint wide enough for the guide rail!  So thought the bench saw was the best option.

Might be good Idea to make some kinda of bench chain saw lol

JMB

 

[jmbfestool]

More Pictures!  Going 2 moro do little jobs! Then ill go round and sand the stairs before I go and hes going to get some hard board or something to protect the stairs for a bit as he aint going to stain/treat them for about 6/8weeks to let them dry out properly!  He said he will email some good pictures when hes done it!  So ill post them when I get them on here! 

Looking at the pictures them stairs dont look nothing special really and not that much work! I tell ya though they where awkward and heavy!

Marked and chiselled out for the spindles
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Here you can see what made it a bit awkward  as you can see you can see under the stairs!  So not only did I have to scribe to make if fit and look right from above I also had to do it from underneath! Also the wall leans away from the stairs so I also had to do a compound mitre cut/scribe.  My chain saw only just cuts through aswell leaves 1mm.
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[awdriven]

I looked up that Protool 'sword' saw. I used an attachment on my Dewalt framing circ saw that was very similar to this. It attached a short vertical chainsaw to the saw. It always felt rather delicate though. I babied it through the job and lubricated the chain manually as it had no provision for automatic oiling.

 

[jmbfestool]

More

Front view for scribing
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The support tenoned into the oak beam and set into the wall
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[fritter63]

Henceforth, you shall be known as "Ninja"...

I think the cool thing about these stairs is that somebody will look at the construction in a couple years and say "Man, these things must be 200 years old!".

 

[jmbfestool]

Henceforth, you shall be known as "Ninja"...

I think the cool thing about these stairs is that somebody will look at the construction in a couple years and say "Man, these things must be 200 years old!".

Haahaaa Funny you say that but that is what the guy wants!  Hes been looking around to see if he can make it look all old!  Thats why  he wanted green oak so it will shrink and everthing!  He said he wanted it to look like they have been here for 100 years after a few years.  The problem his wife kinda ruined his idea cus she wanted new looking oak flooring upstairs which I layed for them well it will look very odd when the oak flooring runs into the stairs and oak looks new and the stairs look old!  So he might just treat the stairs with the same stuff used on the floor.

JMB

 

[jmbfestool]

I looked up that Protool 'sword' saw. I used an attachment on my Dewalt framing circ saw that was very similar to this. It attached a short vertical chainsaw to the saw. It always felt rather delicate though. I babied it through the job and lubricated the chain manually as it had no provision for automatic oiling.

Could be a problem aint it no auto oiling! The protool does have that! Put the main thing which is good it fits on the Festool/protool guide rails!

JMB

 

[jmbfestool]

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