[Willin]

I really like to draw and build winder staircases. Actually, I stopped building them 'cause I got old, but I still draw them in plans for clients, probably in a third of the jobs I do.

Here is a page from a plan I did for one, one I actually built myself. Since I had modeled it in 3D, I was able to aid myself in the build by having a guy with a continuous feed plotter make me full size scale prints of the carriages and wall skirts, which I glued to the LSL 2x14s and 2x12s, and 1x stock, ensuring good accurate marking for cutting parts. With the under-skeleton in place, plus the skirts at walls and the balustrade inside, the rest was all just template jigs done with sticks and hotmelt glue to make all the treads and risers and build it.

But let's assume you get the job to do the stairs, and the client wants them built per the plans, except that you have no access to the 3D digital files. All you have is the paper print shown here. Are you prepared to do it? Except for the space under the high end at plan right, the under-staircase space is all dead. You can box-platform it or do it the weird carriage way shown, nobody cares what's under. Can you do it?

If you can, outline your method.

 

[Ed Corrigan]

Given enough time, I, as a non carpenter, can guarantee that I can apply my construction skills as a mason to construct whatever you can draw. Whether it is usable, safe or to code is upon the designer.

 

[Lettusbee]

If you're on Instagram, there is person there that posts under the name Knottree. He is Brian Campbell, who used to post here years ago. He has been going down a winder stair rabbit hole and getting down into the details. If you like that sorta thing, check it out.

 

[JFM constr]

with your drawings i could build that .sure cannot visualize . nice drawings .

 

[greg24k]

The quickest and easiest way to build this staircase is to use stringers for the straight runs and platforms for the winders. Use SketchUp to lay out the opening, build your stairs, and transfer the design into the field.

 

[Kowboy]

Given enough time, I, as a non carpenter, can guarantee that I can apply my construction skills as a mason to construct whatever you can draw. Whether it is usable, safe or to code is upon the designer.

Anybody can draw anything. It is up to the builder to make sure his finished product is safe and up to code. How you gonna collect with that big fat red tag hangin' on your completed job?

 

[Ed Corrigan]

Anybody can draw anything. It is up to the builder to make sure his finished product is safe and up to code. How you gonna collect with that big fat red tag hangin' on your completed job?

He drew a picture and asked if it could be built. I said I could build it. There was no mention of safe, code, inspection or payment. Where'd you get all that?

 

[reggi]

It can’t be built without proper hygiene facilities on site.

 

[Willin]

As I said in my thread-starter post, I built this, it was thirteen years ago, but it was my design, I used Sketchup to model it in 3D, every single component, the carriages, skirts, risers, treads, newel posts, balusters, rails, everything. I had all the digital content and used it to my advantage.

By the way, I traverse those stairs a few times each summer, it's in my sister's summer house, and it is a wonderfully interesting trip, comfortable rise, comfortable tread depth, turning the whole way up or down. Nice large window on wall adjacent the long mid run, a large skylight above, and a cased wall opening in the wall adjacent the top run that overlooks the greatroom below.

The benefit I had was the 3D app, and the source for plotting the full size paper templates for all the skirts and carriages. Look carefully at the plan view in post #1, and you see no ordinate angles on tread/riser faces except for the starter and top treads. All the notch faces in the carriages except for the ends are angled and were cut with a handsaw.

But without a 3D app, just the paper print, one does what was done way before electricity. Beginning with the three drywall-faced walls of the opening, and the floor opening above, one can work in the traditional way, laying it all out on the floor and walls. I made an alternate model of the arrangement, this one using torsion boxes for the structure, each one a mini-platform supported at walls with screws. Here is a pic of two of them, treads 5 and 6 above the first turn. The riser side and back side of each of 2x lumber, the rest of 3/4 OSB, all glued and screwed together. This scheme has no carriages.

But doing it this way or with carriages, one can do it the traditional way without CAD, drawing it out in the building. A digital $20 angle finder will be of great help getting all the angles for doing the bevel crosscuts of the box sides at the chopsaw.

Sketchup can be used to make dimensioned views of any part. Here is one for the #5 box top. Make this and use it to make the sides.

 

[Ed Corrigan]

As I said in my thread-starter post, I built this, it was thirteen years ago, but it was my design, I used Sketchup to model it in 3D, every single component, the carriages, skirts, risers, treads, newel posts, balusters, rails, everything. I had all the digital content and used it to my advantage.

By the way, I traverse those stairs a few times each summer, it's in my sister's summer house, and it is a wonderfully interesting trip, comfortable rise, comfortable tread depth, turning the whole way up or down. Nice large window on wall adjacent the long mid run, a large skylight above, and a cased wall opening in the wall adjacent the top run that overlooks the greatroom below.

The benefit I had was the 3D app, and the source for plotting the full size paper templates for all the skirts and carriages. Look carefully at the plan view in post #1, and you see no ordinate angles on tread/riser faces except for the starter and top treads. All the notch faces in the carriages except for the ends are angled and were cut with a handsaw.

But without a 3D app, just the paper print, one does what was done way before electricity. Beginning with the three drywall-faced walls of the opening, and the floor opening above, one can work in the traditional way, laying it all out on the floor and walls. I made an alternate model of the arrangement, this one using torsion boxes for the structure, each one a mini-platform supported at walls with screws. Here is a pic of two of them, treads 5 and 6 above the first turn. The riser side and back side of each of 2x lumber, the rest of 3/4 OSB, all glued and screwed together. This scheme has no carriages.

View attachment 570242 View attachment 570243
But doing it this way or with carriages, one can do it the traditional way without CAD, drawing it out in the building. A digital $20 angle finder will be of great help getting all the angles for doing the bevel crosscuts of the box sides at the chopsaw.

Sketchup can be used to make dimensioned views of any part. Here is one for the #5 box top. Make this and use it to make the sides.

I'm sure it's a beautiful set of steps. I'm more old school, in that I don't use computers to lay out. Takes nothing away from your workmanship, imo.

I've built hundreds of sets of steps, mostly simple straight ones. I've also built many resembling yours. Only difference is that mine are laid stone.

The OP asked if I could build that set of steps from the drawings. I stated that I could. Being a different medium, it would take me longer, but the layout would be the same. The finished quality may not match that of our resident craftsmen, though.

My jousting with Kowboy is irrelevant to the topic. If the drawing is to code and safe, of course it will pass inspection. Kowboy is just needling.

Any pics of as-built?

I bet she's a beauty.

 

[Ed Corrigan]

Anybody can draw anything. It is up to the builder to make sure his finished product is safe and up to code. How you gonna collect with that big fat red tag hangin' on your completed job?

The OP said that it's an old design that has been built. It's fine for code.

The builder can build what's on the prints or RFI the engineer/archy if it's not right. The question was if the steps could be built from just the prints. I said yes, I could. If you can't, just say so.

I gotta go pee behind a garage now. Back to work!

 

[reggi]

We can't even have nice steps around here.

 

[A&E Exteriors]

It would take me a few days but I'd get it done.

I need to redo my stairwell and am wanting something similar

 

[Kowboy]

The builder can build what's on the prints or RFI the engineer/archy if it's not right. The question was if the steps could be built from just the prints. I said yes, I could. If you can't, just say so.

An owner isn't going to withhold payment from his architect or engineer when the stairs get a red tag. He's gonna hold up the payment to the guy who built them. If you wanna build what people draw, have at it. I'm gonna build what's gonna get me paid, no matter what the prints say or who drew them.

 

[Tom M]

I just did these today
🤨.

 

[Ed Corrigan]

An owner isn't going to withhold payment from his architect or engineer when the stairs get a red tag. He's gonna hold up the payment to the guy who built them. If you wanna build what people draw, have at it. I'm gonna build what's gonna get me paid, no matter what the prints say or who drew them.

Well, then, you are not meeting the challenge. Nobody talkin nothin bout nobody getting PAID, Willis! We talkin bout building steps! Can you build what's on the print?

 

[Ed Corrigan]

I just did these today
🤨.

I did that with a set of stone steps two weeks ago! 😆

 

[pinwheel]

An owner isn't going to withhold payment from his architect or engineer when the stairs get a red tag. He's gonna hold up the payment to the guy who built them. If you wanna build what people draw, have at it. I'm gonna build what's gonna get me paid, no matter what the prints say or who drew them.

Be no red tag here.

 

[Kowboy]

Can you build what's on the print?

No problem.

 

[Snobnd]

I did that with a set of stone steps two weeks ago! 😆

I wanted to use stone, but they delivered steel.