I have an oak staircase to make. The treads and strings are 35mm thick.
Last time I made some stairs (20 years ago) they were in softwood, and the treads and risers were secured in their housings by wedges below – since the underside of the stairs was to be hidden the wedges didn’t show.
This time the underside shows so no wedges. On a stair I’ve looked at the full thickness of the tread and riser are housed into the strings.
I was going to do it the way I’d make a bookcase, with a housing slot say 18mm wide and corresponding ‘tenons’ on the ends of the treads and risers.
ANyone have any opinions on which is better? There may be a little variation in the thickiness of the treads so I reckon the thinner housing is better – but am I missing something? It’s a bib big job so I don’t want to screw up. Though of course I will screw and plug the joints
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Regardless of which way you choose, you will be ahead of the game if you can control the thickness of the treads and risers so there are no variances. Dadoing in both the treads and risers to the stringers may be a little challenging. If you shoulder both the face and back, to create a "tenon", you may have trouble pulling everything in tight. If you shoulder just the backside, there won't be any visible gaps from the top, now or in the future. I would want the end of the treads to be as thick as possible, shouldering the tenon end only about 1/8"-3/16". I would want the depth of the dado in the stringer to be one third the thickness of the stringer. Obviously, the risers will fit into a groove on the top, to give you your tread nosing. Where they attach to the preceding tread, I would use a rabbet or just let the full thickness extend the thickness of the tread.
Personally, I would be very hesitant to dado both risers and treads. I foresee a nightmare trying to get it all to come together if it's a typical 13 riser stair +-. I think I would do the treads and then slip the risers in from behind, just using a butt joint against the stringers. It should be easy enough to fit them as necessary.
The last set of dadoed in treads I did was a good 25 yrs. ago. No riser requirements in those days, plus it wasn't the look the customer wanted. I went full thickness for the dadoes and stopped back the front and back edges of the treads so the dado would not show. The old picture I have doesn't show much. Treads and stringers were 1 3/4" thick, what's that? 4.5mm, 45mm? I'm metrically challenged! 35mm for tread thickness is a little light weight for my taste.
Yes, the shoulder one side option is looking pretty good. Thanks
There are two flights 3 and 11 rises, so I'll practice on the short one!
First of all, I think 1 1/4" is a little thin for treads w/o a ctr. stringer. Can these stairs be constructed in the usual way? You could finish the bottom w/ ply. and small molding.(easier and neater than G.W.B., taping, & painting.) 5/8 G.W.B. may be req'd. for fire code anyway.
If you want to route the stringers , and assemble & finish the staircase in your shop,it is definatley easier and more precise. Just make sure you can manuver them into position,. and the walls don't have big bows left from the drywaller. They have to go straight in, you can't roll them in.
I can't see where you would have to plug any screw holes. None would show on closed stringers. they would be facing the walls. I agree routing for treads and risers w/o wedges would make it near impossible to put on the second stringer. Moving on, I make a jig using 1/2" ply. w/a "fence" to follow the top of the stringer. It has cutouts for two treads. I use a 3/4 straight bit w/ template guide, and the treads get a 3/8 rad. all four edges. Cut for two treads, put a short pc. of tread in the second to position the template for the next. This short pc. has holes so I can pre drill the stringer to receive the screws that will hold everything together. On open stringers, these have been covered w/ the balusters. If you want to route for the risers, I'd route one side deeper slide it in, then over into the other side.Note; I have not done this.I put risers on after w/ glue blocks back, & scotia ft. @ top, and screws @ bottom back. This way always works for me. btw finish the oak before putting on painted risers.
Good luck! Please let me know how it works out.
Thanks for all that. I think we may be separated by a common language at some points. 'Open string'? One side of the main run is against a wall, the other side is exposed.
Having experimented with some MDF jigs, I think the way forward is to immerse the whole thickness of the tread and riser into the string. As was said, this precludes any gapping should the string move over time. Make the housings a tad on the skinny side and ease the treads with a hand plane.
I think 35mm (1 3/8") will be plenty for the treads, especially braced by risers.
Question; Is this an open stringer on either (or both) sides? And does the bottom have to be "finished"?
No, both sides have closed strings - ie the same wdth all along with the treads and risers housed in. The underside needs to be decent but not obsessively so
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