Making Stairs

My blog post about replacing the handrail last week made me think about the first flight of stairs I made back in 2006 with a good friend/mentor. Looking through some old photos I found some from when we made them.

The string and newels routed out to accept the treads and risers

 These were to go in a barn conversion Andy and I had been working on and off for well over a year everything was oak and everything had to be top quality. It's unusual to get site carpenters to make stairs on site in the UK, but as we had our own little workshop there with all the tools, the customer we were working for decided it was the best way he could get the stairs he wanted without having to wait for a joiner to make them and he was pleased with all the previous work Andy and I had done for him.

Using oak meant everything had to be spot on - no bruising wood together here!

 These were made out of oak (the strings were 2" thick!) and as we'd only ever fitted stairs before we went over our workings quite a few times before we started! With stairs a full sized template is sometimes the best way to go if you've got the space.

Beginning the first glue up

 We machined all the treads on the spindle moulder, routed the strings with a purpose made jig and cut the wedges on the bandsaw with another jig to make sure they were a perfect fit.

The glue up went well, with both of us working hard to get it together fast as we were using quite a fast setting glue

All the treads glued in position

Andy cleaning the excess glue from the first flight of stairs

The stairs fitted in position

The nice chunky newel posts really go well with the feel of these stairs

This was a great project and a great test of our skills, they came out looking perfect and on time, the customer was over the moon.

Anyone else taken on a large job like this that they'd never done before?

Replacing handrail

We're getting through the second fix upstairs now and during this week I've replace the old handrail with some that matches what is in the rest of the house.

What was left of the old handrail

 I decided it was best to rip it all out and start again, this way I could make sure I got some solid fixings and make sure it won't move.

Ripping it all out and starting again

The first job was to add the newel post at the top of the stairs. This one had to be strongly fixed as it's what everyone will grab and swing on as they walk down the stairs. The old newel post ran right down to the floor, so I cut it off flush with the top of the stairs and then made a 12" long halving joint to fit the new newel with. As the old post was 3"x3" and the new one is 4"x4" I had to make this halving joint more like a giant L shaped rebate so it would fit over the top of the old post, glued and screwed it was rock solid when I finished.

Adding the newel post, this has to be solid

 The rest was fairly plane sailing, the newel posts already had mortises in them but the tenons on the handrail had to be added on, taking a bit of time (I did these by hand as it's sometimes easier this way), I fixed all the handrail and newels in position then replaced some of the flooring and added the spindles. The flooring I replaced so it finished in line with the new newel posts, it also had a round over moulding on for the apron lining to butt into, giving a nice detail. By doing this all my spindles could also be fixed from the underside giving a much better fixing.

The finished handrail from the top

It was then a matter of adding the apron lining and doing all the finishing touches like pelleting the screw holes, sanding them down and punching in any nails. The bottom of the old newel post also had to be packed out so that it was the same size as the new one



I decided at the start to replace the apron under the handrail as well and it looks much better all being new

The joint connecting the new newel to the old post.

Anyone else had a hand railing project they've done lately?

Making Single Glazed Windows Into Double

I'll be honest - this wasn't a job I was looking forward to!
The customer wanted the 5 windows on the exposed face of his property to be changed from single glazed to double. As the windows were hardwood, of good quality and thick enough, we decided that it would be best to increase the size of the rebate (or rabbet for the Americans) where the glass sits so it could take the thicker units.

Working on the wrong side of the heater!

 This is a bit of a dirty job really every step involves dirt and dust! First we had to remove the old glass from the windows, this was done with a combination of chisels, knifes, the multimaster and a hammer! Cleaning up any broken glass before moving on to the next step.

Luckily I had Tim with me to help or it would have seemed a bit of a daunting job on my own as you couldn't rust it for fear of damaging the frames.

Removing all the old putty

Once we'd removed all the glass and cleaned up the old putty from the edges I could set about making the rebate deeper. My new little Bosch router (bought mainly for this job) was ideal as it has such a small base it could get round all the edges without hitting the walls. It was tricky to find a rebate cutter for the router with the right sized bearing to give us the correct width of cut, the ones in the set were either too big or too small but luckily I had a bearing from an old router bit set that was just the right size (shows you should throw nothing out!).

My new little router was ideal for this job - still had to have a steady handso as not to wobble

 Once I routed round each window, three of them having 16 panes of glass (this was a dusty job - I had sawdust everywhere - and I mean everywhere!) it was just a matter of tidying up the corners with a sharp chisel. I had to be careful when routing as a lot of the time the router was just resting on the thin mullion or transom and a wobble would have been really noticeable.

Cleaning up the waste in the corners

I then made some templates for the new glass and boarded up the windows.

A dirty job, but one that will make the house feel a lot warmer on this exposed site when the new glass is fitted.

Completed Curved Architrave (almost)

The underside now re-skimmed and the architrave filled and painted

The Plasterer, Justin, has now re-skimmed the curve under the architrave to a mirrow like finish and the woodwork has now had it's first coat of undercoat. So although it's not completely finished it gives a good idea of what the finished product will look like.

Justin the plasterer trying to show off the "guns" under the freshly coated arch

A near mirrow finish on the plasterwork sets the architrave off great, just a couple of coats of paint needed then it'll be finished.

Good feature for the room

Fitting Skirting To A Curved Wall

I always like doing the out of the ordinary jobs on site. I like it even more when other trades have to ask you how you did it!

A relatively tight curve

This was the case with some skirting I fitted to a curved wall today. It was quite a tight curve and it wasn't a quick job to fix it on, but with a bit of preparation I got the skirting to perfectly match the curve of the wall.

Kerfing out the back of the skirting, as the curve was tight I needed lots

How's it done? Well you can read any good book on carpentry and it will tell you about "kerfing" the back or front of a board to make it bend round a curve. But until you try and do it you yourself you'll never know if you can do it properly or how close the cuts will have to be. A kerf is the width of material removed by the saw blade, adding lots of these evenly lets the wood bend a certain amount.

A good, even curve

This curve was quite tight and as the skirting had a moulding on it I could only trench the saw so deep on the first pass, I "kerfed" the back of the skirting for the length of the curve leaving a 2mm bit of wood in between each cut. I then trench cut deeper at the base of the skirting where it was thicker to remove even more wood. I then removed some wood from the back with the electric plane to try prevent it from cupping as all the tension had been taken out of one side with the cuts.

A job that when it's done right looks really good

To fit it to the wall I first fixed the short straight run, then started to bend it round the curve. To make the wood bend easier I first poured some boiling water on the back and trickled it over the skirting as I bent it round until I could get a fixing on the far side. I then added plenty of fixings to prevent it moving when it drys out.

Another enjoyable, usual job.

Anyone else have to fix curved work lately?

Making Curved Architrave

The main job I've been on has given me plenty of unusual projects where I've had to do some thinking. Curved architrave around an arched opening is the latest one.

I formed the arched opening some months back where the curve was to be semi-segmental, but since then the customer has changed their minds and decided that they want it to be semi-circular. I'm to build the architrave out and then we're to bring the plasterwork out to match at a later date.

Clamping boards up - the red light is from the heater.

 Making anything curved on site is harder than you might think and involved many more steps than putting architrave around your standard square door frame.

The architrave has to match the original architrave mentioned in a previous post. This is built up out of two parts. A thin flat layer with a bead on, then a narrower moulded section that is fixed to the outside of it.. To start to make the curved architrave I had to make the flat section first. I decided to leave the bead off for now and attach that later, as no router cutter would shape it in the same way as it is on the original (two cove cutters wouldn't look quite right). I planed the timber down then clamped boards up together and left them to set (with a heater chucking some heat on to them - the barn isn't very warm!).

Rough cut with a jig saw

 I then rough cut the curve with a jig saw. Drawing the lines on with a homemade compass and pencil. If you were just making one side of something curved you might be able to cut it free hand but any imperfections and flat spots would stand out on what is to be matching sets.

Using a homemade router jig

 To make sure every piece was identical I made a jig for the router with two points for it to be fixed to for each cut (inside and out). I screwed the wood down to prevent it moving while I routed it. The screw holes on this first piece will be covered by the second set of architrave.

The first layer fixed around the arch.

I then fixed this architrave around the arch using plenty of adhesive and pins.

Same jig but with another point to make a narrower set of architrave.

 The second set of architrave used the same jig but with the addition of some extra points to fix it down. I also routed a large groove in the ply base of my jig so a bearing guided cutter would then run against it to create the moulding without having to take it off the ply. I used my larger router for this and as the cutter was new it cut the moulding cleanly in one pass.

The second set fixed on top of the first

 I then fixed the second set of architrave on top of the first and switched the kettle on. This wasn't for a drink but instead to fill a 4" pipe full of hot water. The only way I could think of bending the beading to fix round the first set of curves. This involved leaving the wooden bead in the pipe to get hot and steamy before running up stairs to fix it on. I had to move pretty fast as it soon cooled down, it also had to be in quite short sections so it didn't twist as I fixed it. Only managed to complete one side last night though as it got too dark and the lights weren't working on site.

It was dark when I took these pictures but I'll get some close ups next week. The beading is fixed on these as well. It also needs a good sanding down.

A couple of day of firsts - Never made curved architrave before and I've never bent wood using hot water.

I really enjoyed the challenge of this project, even though many people won't know the effort that went into creating a seaming simple set of architrave. I love the fact that after over 10 years in the trade there are still completely new projects to test my skills and keep my brain working, I can't think of a more enjoyable job than being a carpenter!

Building A Stud Wall Step By Step

Here's a step by step guide of how I installed a stud wall for a customer yesterday. This is going to make a large walk-in wardrobe with long length shelves and rails

Setting out. Always tricky in a old house. In the end I went square off the wall with the window as it looked right.



The outside frame up. It's essential to get this level. Cut the uprights long enough to wedge the head and sole plate in place.
I screwed these in but I also used a grab adhesive to stick them to the walls, floor and ceiling



Next add the studs that will form the door opening.
Make the opening a couple of mm bigger than the frame you're going to fit

Add the other studs. so that no spacing is wider than 400mm (16").
Also cut out the sole plate where the door is.



Add noggins at to carry the plasterboard joint (1.2m).
Also add the head to the door and an upright to carry the plasterboard

Here I've added extra noggins as I know I've got to fit a large shelve and hanging rail later

Extra noggins give you a solid fixing later in a job



Plasterboard one side of the stud wall



Plasterboard the other side, making sure no screws are left sticking out
(you can add insulating between for sound proofing if you want to)



Add your door lining- take your time with this and make sure it's plumb and not in twist - it will make hanging the door much easier later. This was a hardwood door linning so I countersunk all the screws to accept hardwood pellets to hide the screw heads.

That's as far as I can go for now.

Now I've just got to wait for Sean the plasterer to come and then I can finish off all the trim work (architrave, skirting), hang the door and then add all the shelves and rails that the customer wants.

Tall Skirting And Wide Architrave

Although we're going to be using standard skirting through the main house, in the master bedroom and dressing room we needed to match the existing tall skirting.

This consisted of a 9 inch high skirting (which in the past they would have made on site). We managed to find a simular moulding off the shelf and with a couple of cuts on the table saw I managed to make it match the top of the old skirting excatly. I then used my biscut jointer to join this to some 7"x1" PSE which I had already added a chamfere to.

Tall skirting with stop blocks

Fitting skirting is always interesting in an old house as it can be difficult to find a fixing and the walls can be far from great. Luckily these walls were lath and plaster on timber battens, so I spent a little bit of time finding the uprights and it gave me a good fixing without too much bother.

I added stop blocks to four external corners as these are the bottom of an arched opening which I've got to add a curved architrave to next week (more on this another time!), having the blocks gives the architrave something to stop into rather than being knotched round the skirting - A much tider job!

Nice wide architrave

 

Wide architrave

 The architrave I fitted is made from two seperate peices planted one on top of the other. I love this wide architrave, I think it really sets a door frame off, much better than some of the tiny modern stuff we end up fitting!

Fitting Fancy Fascia And Barge Board

This week we fitted some rather fancy fascia and barge board on the orangery that we fitted the roof to a few months ago.

Fancy barge board - there might be a large finial added at a later date

 The board are in sapele and made up of layers of mouldings and flat boards to get the overall finished look. The barge board is made up of 5 different pieces layered on top of each other - not to mention all the packing timbers that had to be fixed behind to get the layers right.

Picture showing the splay on the roof as well as the fascia that has one less moulding than the barge board

This wasn't a job we could rush, lots of mitres where the roof splays on one side and boxes out over the old roof on the other. I decided to cut all the mitres by hand as it was easier than running up and down the ladder to the mitre saw all day - I should have brought my Nobex saw with me but all my cuts were really tidy with just a swipe from the block plane. 

Boarding round the box gutter where it meets the old roof

I used sapele pellets to plug all the screws holes and now it's being prepped for painting (hence the silver colour of the wood!), which seems like such a shame when fitting hardwood.

Not quite so fancy!

 Today I also added fascia and barge board to the boiler house - not quite as complicated this time! Just simple ply soffits with everything else softwood (painted before it goes on). I saved a bit of time as I brought a table saw with me to rip all the ply down. I was really pleased to have it all on as fast as we did and every joint looking good.