I like the steel even if it wasn't required for the 4" gap. I built some open riser stairs last winter. A solid 2" maple tread wasn't thick enough to close of the 4" gap. I had to add a strip of...

Can you fit a 4" sphere through the space where the riser would normally go?

Yeah, you'll need both doors back beveled, especially with just a 1/16" between them. They'll just bind up on the diagonal.

Thanks Jeff. I like them as well, even more when the original posters are a little out of their comfort zone. I knew there'd be some good input from this forum.

For the curious, this project...

Thanks Steve. I agree completely on your points on the position of the balustrade. I don't like the look of the rosette, and here it would pull the center of the balustrade in, away from the plumb...

For anyone following along I made a mistake in my original plan, but everything should work out well anyway. I calculated that I would have 52" down from the floor above(40" to the ceiling), at the...

For glue, I ended up using about a third of a gallon of Titebond. I don't think there are any fasteners that aren't redundant, most are only temporary supports until the glue sets up. I used brads...

Very nice. Is the router table in the kitchen? We should start a thread with pics about taking our work home.

Thank Jim, but now I want a press! I did use one of sorts. My stairs were upside down on the bench, on saw horses. I could easily clamp the bottom, but the top side was on the bench. I used a few...

Victory! The stairs went in great. The bad news is my phone was wonky when i wanted to take the pics.

The framer has started calling my stairs the big production, hence the name on my jig. He...

Thanks Steve, your pics are great.

I forgot my phone today, so no pics. Lots of pics tomorrow. The stairs are all assembled. Just attaching the last few pieces of scotia and then install.

Didn't get a ton done today. Lots of distractions. I tried my hand at rabbeting in the treads to the risers. It wasn't worth it in this application. I would probably have liked it in the top...

Thanks Steve. I considered the dovetail bit. Is yours 1/2" shank with a bearing to follow your jig, or are you using a collar? I used a pattern bit to make my jig so it's nice and square and I'm...

Assembly begins. Everything's working out well. I wish i had ran a dado in each riser and paired it with a rabbet on each tread. Or at least I'm considering it for the next set. With my current...

Production begins. I spent some time planning these out. I hope it all works out okay.

Here is a pic of the existing stairs at the front of the house as well as my plan. I pick up some room...

I'm taking the plunge and installing the stairs on my current project with housed stair stringers. I've done a few small sets of stairs as a warm-up, in garages and in basements. I love the way...

I find just making sure the bottom square edge is nice and perpendicular to the piece you're coping into looks best. Before I start cutting the cope I mark that out with a knife, then just slightly...

That's it. I would say with a one piece base I still would. With crown I now measure from the long point post-chop saw, pre-jig/coping saw.

I slip it in. I don't fasten the last 5' or so of the first permanent piece so I can pull it off a bit to allow the final piece to slide in, and then I spring it in. Also, I don't cut the non-coped...

Beat me to it! I use these all the time myself. They're handy because they are sized as well. For example I had to scribe both sides of the trim that was going to wrap the valley rafter. I had a...

It's not always just 1/2" under nominal size either. At least around here, anyway. Once you go up to x8 the dimensions are 3/4" under nominal, so a 2x8 or 1x8 is 7-1/4" and x10 is 9-1/4" etc...

Sometimes starting with the skillsaw is not really worth it, the bottom of the cut is the easy part anyway. It's the top of each cut that's a bit tough, as the blade bounces of the old sub-floor. ...

This is great stuff. I need to try the paper idea. For me there's nothing better than having new plaster walls to draw on to figure out the angles. I need some time to think on this and maybe...

Maybe I should start another thread with my question?


Here's the circular casing I was working on:

Well...

From "The Elephants of Style":

For choosing a or an, spelling doesn't matter; pronunciation does. A is for consonant sounds; an is for vowel sounds.