Fred. T. Hodgson

“ Sometimes, in high-class stairs, provision is made for the first tread to project well onto the landing.
If there are more platforms than one, the principles of construction will be the same; so that whenever the student grasps the full conditions governing the construction of a single-platform stair, he will be prepared to lay out and construct the body of any stair having one or more landings. The method of laying out, making, and setting up a hand-rail will be described later. ”

“ Stairs formed with treads each of equal width at both ends, are named straight flights; but stairs having treads wider at one end than the other are known by various names, as winding stairs, dog-legged stairs, circular stairs, or elliptical stairs. A tread with parallel sides, having the same width at each end, is called a flyer; while one having one wide end and one narrow, is called a winder. ”

“ The only form of stair not shown which the student may be called upon to build, would very likely be one having an elliptical plan; but, as this form is so seldom used—being found, in fact, only in public buildings or great mansions—it rarely falls to the lot of the ordinary workman to be called upon to design or construct a stairway of this type. ”

“ Stairways should be commodious to ascend—inviting people, as it were, to go up. When winders are used, they should extend past the spring line of the cylinder, so as to give proper width at the narrow end (see Fig. 72) and bring the rail there as nearly as possible to the same pitch or slant as the rail over the square steps. When the hall is of sufficient width, the stairway should not be less than four feet wide, so that two people can conveniently pass each other thereon. The height of riser and width of tread are governed by the staircase, which is the space allowed for the stairway ”

“ The stairs are an important feature of a building. On entering a house they are usually the first object to meet the eye and claim the attention. If one sees an ugly staircase, it will, in a measure, condemn the whole house, for the first impression produced will seldom be totally eradicated by commendable features that may be noted elsewhere. ”

“ In the following instructions in the art of Stair-building, it is the intention to adhere closely to the practical phases of the subject, and to present only such matter as will directly aid the student in acquiring a practical mastery of the art. ”

“ Before leaving the subject of straight and dog-legged stairs, the student should be made familiar with at least one example of an open-newel stair. As the same principles of construction govern all styles of open-newel stairs, a single example will be sufficient. The student must, of course, understand that he himself is the greatest factor in planning stairs of this type ”

“ Plumb lines can be raised from the lines on the floor, and the positions of the platform and each riser thus easily determined. Not only is it best to line out on the floor all stairs having more than one newel; but in constructing any kind of stair it will perhaps be safest for a beginner to lay out in exact position on the floor the points over which the treads and risers will stand. ”

“ Usually, in stairs of this kind, the ends of the treads are rounded off similarly to the front of the tread, and the ends project over the strings the same distance that the front edge projects over the riser. If a moulding or cove is used under the nosing in front, it should be carried round on the string to the back edge of the tread and cut off square, for in this case the back edge of the tread will be square. A riser is shown at R, and it will be noticed that it runs down behind the tread on the back edge, and is either nailed or screwed to the tread. ”

“ We have now described several methods of dealing with strings; but there are still a few other points connected with these members, both housed and open, that it will be necessary to explain; before the young workman can proceed to build a fair flight of stairs. The connection of the wall string to the lower and upper floors, and the manner of affixing the outer or cut string to the upper joist and to the newel, are matters that must not be overlooked. ”

“ If the design is poor or the construction faulty, this flaw immediately gives the visitor a bad impression of the whole building. Furthermore, stair-building is a rather difficult subject and the principles involved are very little understood, which is evidenced by the fact that the layouts as furnished by architects in their plans are often improperly done. ”

“ The well-hole in the center is first laid down and the steps arranged around it. In circular stairs with an open well-hole, the handrail being on the inner side, the width of tread for the steps should be set off at about 18 inches from the handrail, this giving an approximately uniform rate of progress for anyone ascending or descending the stairway. In stairs with the rail on the outside, as sometimes occurs, it will be sufficient if the treads have the proper width at the middle point of their length. ”

“ Care must be taken in getting out the risers, that they shall not be made too narrow, as allowance must be made for the lip.
Fig.3 Vertical Section of Stair Steps.
If the riser is a little too wide, this will do no harm, as the over-width may hang down below the tread; but it must be cut the exact width where it rests on the string. The treads must be made the exact width required, before they are grooved or have the nosing [Pg 5] worked on the outer edge. The lip or tongue on the riser should fit snugly in the groove, and should bottom. ”

“ When left solid, they have a rough string or carriage spiked or screwed to them, to lend additional support to the ends of risers and treads. Stairs made after this fashion are generally of a rough, strong kind, and are especially adapted for use in factories, shops, and warehouses, where strength and rigidity are of more importance than mere external appearance.
Open strings are outside strings or supports, and are cut to the proper angles for receiving the ends of the treads and risers. It is over a string of this sort that the rail and balusters range ”

“ In other words, it is the piece of material that forms the step, and is generally from 11⁄4 to 3 inches thick, and made of a width and length to suit the position for which it is intended. In small houses, the treads are usually made of 7⁄8-inch stuff.
Riser. This is the vertical height of the step. The riser is generally made of thinner stuff than the tread, and, as a rule, is not so heavy. Its duty is to connect the treads together, and to give the stairs strength and solidity.
Rise and Run. ”

“ In Fig. 36, all the newels and balusters are shown square; but it is much better, and is the more common practice, to have them turned, as this gives the stairs a much more artistic appearance. The spandrel under the string of the stairway shows a style in which many stairs are finished in hallways and other similar places. Plaster is sometimes used instead of the panel work, but is not nearly so good as woodwork. The door under the landing may open into a closet, or may lead to a cellarway, or through to some other room. ”

“ Stairs having a cylindrical or circular opening always require a weight support underneath them. This support, which is generally made of rough lumber, is called the carriage, because it is supposed [Pg 39] to carry any reasonable load that may be placed upon the stairway. Fig. 68 shows the under side of a half-space stair having a carriage beneath it. The timbers marked S are of rough stuff, and may be 2-inch by 6-inch or of greater dimensions. If they are cut to fit the risers and treads, they will require to be at least 2-inch by 8-inch. ”

“ THE STEEL SQUARE Introductory.
The Standard Steel Square has a blade 24 inches long and 2 inches wide, and a tongue from 14 to 18 inches long and 11⁄2 inches wide. The blade is at right angles to the tongue.
The face of the square is shown in Fig. 1. It is always stamped with the manufacturer’s name and number.
The reverse is the back (see Fig. 2) .
The longer arm is the blade; the shorter arm, the tongue.
In the center of the tongue, on the face side, will be found two parallel lines divided into spaces (see Fig. 1) ; this is the octagon scale. ”

“ The width of treads may also be found without figuring, by pointing off the run of the stairs into the required number of parts; though, where the student is qualified, it is always better to obtain the width, both of treads and of risers, by the simple arithmetical rules. ”

“ In stairs with winders, the width of a winder should, if possible, be nearly the width of the regular tread, at a distance of 14 inches from the narrow end, so that the length of the step in walking up or down the stairs may not be interrupted ”

“ Showing Ways of Trimming Well-Hole when Joists Run in Different Directions.
If the second newel does not run to the floor, the framework supporting the platform will need to be built on studding. The third newel stands at the top of the stairs, and is fastened to the joists of the second floor, or to the trimmer, somewhat after the manner of fastening shown in Fig. 29. In this example, the stairs have 16 risers [Pg 21] and 15 treads, the platform or landing (12) making one tread. ”

“ The rail is attached to the newels in the usual manner, with handrail bolts or other suitable device. The upper newel should be made fast to the joists as shown, either by bolts or in some other efficient manner. The intermediate newels are left square on the shank below the stairs, and may be fastened in the floor below either by mortise and tenon or by making use of joint bolts.
Fig. 55. Elevation of Open-Newel Stair Shown in Plan in Fig. 54.
Everything about a stair should be made solid and sound; and every joint should set firmly and closely ”

“ By adopting this rule, and seeing that the strings, risers, and treads correspond exactly with the lines on the floor, many cases of annoyance will be avoided. Many expert stair-builders, in fact, adopt this method in their practice, laying out all stairs on the floor, including even the carriage strings, and they cut out all the material from the lines obtained on the floor. ”

“ If we make our treads 10 inches wide, we shall have 18 treads. It must be remembered that the number of risers is always one more than the number of treads, so that in the case before us there will be 19 risers. ”

“ The line drawn from b on the outside of the joint at n, to w, is the semi-major for the outside curve; and the points where the outside pins are shown on the major will be the foci.
Fig. 132. Arrangement of Risers around Quarter-Turn
Giving Tangents Equal Pitch with Connecting Flight.
Fig. 133. Finding Bevel for
Wreath of Plan, Fig. 132.
To draw the curves of the mould according to this method, [Pg 72] which is a scientific one, may seem a complicated problem; but once it is understood, it becomes very simple. A simpler way to draw them, however, is shown in Fig. 120. ”