Curved Staircase, pics.

[Richard Wolf]

Finial finished this staircase today. It's been hanging over me to get it done. I still have to build the curved stairs into the basement and do all the rails.

Richard

PS. more pictures below.

[Jim Becker]

Nice curves, Richard! :) And another curved one to the basement, too? Must be quite a property! Your work is just beautiful and I'm glad you share it with us.

[Don Baer]

Another fine Job. Now the railing. I can hardly wait to the it complete.

[Michael Ballent]

Richard, thank you so much for showing us these picks... It's definitatly humbling to see your work... So do you get to use that cool router thingy you recently bought... has it saved you time with the railings? Just curious :)

[Tyler Howell]

You just keep knocking them out!!!
Fine job Rich.

[Vaughn McMillan]

Amazing work, Richard.

- Vaughn

[Dan Oliphant]

your work always astounds me, the quality and uniqueness of your work is way up there Richard!!!!

[tod evans]

looking good richard! i`m not going to believe a day and a half on that one though! :) please keep taking pictures ...02 tod

[Rob Blaustein]

Really nice--what kind of wood is it?

[Dave Avery]

Cool stuff, Richard. I'm envious about your craftsmanship. Dave.

[Christian Aufreiter]

I know it would sound almost arrogant if I wrote "Just as usual, nothing special". But actually, to your standards, Richard, it's nothing special, but just as usual:

EXCELLENT WORK! VERY IMPRESSIVE!

Thanks for sharing,

Christian

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Richard, You da' Man! Beautiful job. I like the way the lower steps are wider on the left side. They are aren't they? Very elegant looking. Alan

[John Miliunas]

You sir, are not just a skilled craftsman, but an artist, as well! Beautiful!!!:) :cool:

[Corey Hallagan]

Richard, nothing less than wonderful as we would expect! Thanks for posting, always love to see you and your sons work!

Corey

[Richard Wolf]

Thanks for your kind comments. A project like this is mentally difficult because there is so much to think about. It was a blank canvas with no plans from the architect or builders. The bottom three treads were an added feature to make things work.
Alan, all the treads are larger on the left side, but yes the bottom three are even larger than the rest.
The treads are white oak, the the stringers and risers are birch, to be painted.
The stairs into the basement will be easier. The curved wall is the same wall as the main stair are on, so I still have the form framed up in my shop. It will be narrower and it will not need the bottom steps like the main stairs.
Thanks again for looking.

Richard

[jerry cousins]

i always enjoy seeing your work - thanks for posting the pics. and when you do the rails gotta see some more of the handrail router.

jerry

[Bill Simmeth]

Really cool Richard! Thanks for posting the pics. I think it is so cool that you do this work with your son.

BTW, is this the stairway you posted pictures of a while back showing the use of a vac bag to laminate the stringers?

[Mike Henderson]

Very nice work, Richard. If you don't mind educating us, how do you do the curved support pieces under the treads? Is that lamination bent some way around a form, or what?

Mike

[Alan Turner]

wonderful work. Need an apprentice?

[Russ Massery]

Another awesome job Richard! Do you mind sharing the construction details of the staircase?

[Mark Singer]

Richard, Great work as always...that looks like a tough one!

[Richard Wolf]

Bill, yes, good memory. I started this staircase awhile ago and got held up and the builder was moving slowly anyway. It just hit the fan, and the house is suppost to be finished in six weeks.

Mike, yes, the stringers are bend laminations that are formed againest the stud walls or forms in my shop that match the walls.

[Jason Tuinstra]

Richard, wonderful work - as always! This is going to look stunning once it gets all done. Very nice. Can't wait to see it all complete.

[Jim Becker]

Those last three pictures are very instructive, Richard. Thanks for including them. If I were planning a staircase for our addition...I'd try and drag you down here, but alas...two are enough! (Straight as they are...)

[Per Swenson]

Richard,

Beautiful,

I love that stuff.

Per

[Eddie Watkins]

Excelelnt as usual. Your work is always so beautiful it makes me want stairs! I'm afraid to show LOML or we would be adding another story so we could have stairs with you 1500 miles away!:)

[Jim Hager]

Beautiful work Richard. It makes my head hurt to think about trying to even start doing something like that. But I am glad that you can, and thank goodness my wife didn't want a curved staircase.

[Von Bickley]

Richard,

We always enjoy seeing your work...;)

[Dan Oliphant]

Richard, do you apply the mitered bull nose to the treads after installation?

[Peter Pedisich]

Richard,

You've got an amazing ability to think in 3-dimensions. To think you planned and built this without drawings and within real world deadlines is impressive to say the least.
I try to picture myself in your shoes standing in the house looking at the space the stairs will occupy...where the heck to begin!?! I guess you don't have that problem!:D
Another thing comes to mind viewing the pictures, you're not afraid of heights, are you?;)

Thanks for sharing!

[Dewayne Baker]

Awesome work Richard. I can't imagine bending a piece of wood that size. Steam bending? Looks like you are a top notch master carpenter.

[Lou Morrissette]

Richard,

You sir are indeed a gifted craftsman. Beautiful work. Thanks for sharing.

Lou

[lou sansone]

wow, as others have said.. great job... I always love looking at your work.. good going

lou

[Rob Millard]

Excellent work! The photographs capture the "sweep" of the stairs well.
You let people walk on the treads before they are finished?
Rob Millard

[Tom Drake]

Excellent work Richard. Thanks for sharing it with us.

[Gail O'Rourke]

Richard, this staircase is awesome... Elegant and a perfect execution. Gorgeous. The pictures are great.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Richard......there are a number of people here at the Creek that I always look forward to posts of their work. You, sir, are one of them! It can be a learning experience just to see pictures of the work you, Bob Smalser and others do! Great job on the stairs! Please continue to post!

[Kelly C. Hanna]

Wow, that's fantastic work Richard!

[Jay Knoll]

What did Garth say? We are not worthy? :D

Seriously Richard, that is a fantastic job, can't wait for more "how I did it details" -- don't know why because I'll NEVER attempt anything like that but maybe I can learn some tricks for smaller projects.


I expect that there were a few anxious moments when you were working with out plans from the architect-- but I am sure that everyone is ecstatic with the outcome.

Thanks for the pics and post

Jay

[Steve Clardy]

Looking good Richard!

[Chris Barton]

Absolutely great looking work and craftsmanship Rich! Now, get a haircut hippy ;)

[lloyd morris]

Richard,

Wonderful work! It is just a beautiful job. Thanks for sharing your jobs with us.

Lloyd

[Carl Eyman]

Your work inspires us all

[Steve Clardy]

Absolutely great looking work and craftsmanship Rich! Now, get a haircut hippy ;)


:D :D Some of us old hippies do a pretty good job, eh Richard?:eek: :D ;) :rolleyes:

[Roger Everett]

Looking good Richard, lota work there.
I think most of the people have an idea of the amount of work and experience involved in doing this work, but not entirely. When I did my first curved I felt the most time consuming part, was fitting the treads. Nothing like wipping up a variable template. The co. I subed for, called for making the outside cut and return to match the radius of the outter skirtboard. The operations mgr. came down and showed me his method ( make that Neanderthal method ) of doing this, then left. I did one his method, then did a little thinking and came up with my own way. Still, working alone, I recall spending almost a week fitting the 18 or 19 threads. Made the work involved in doing the rail seem like a cake walk.
I take it that the opening below the stairs is for the lower flight going to the basement?
Have fun.
Roger

[Aaron Montgomery]

Excellent work as always Richard!

Keep us posted.

[Todd Davidson]

Richard~

As always, it is awesome to see your work. I encounter so few true craftsmen in the field. It is such a pleasure to know that there are people like you that can still bring such quality into the building trades. As important is that you're passing this on to your son. You have my utmost respect.

In peace, Todd

[Jerry Olexa]

Richard, really OUTSTANDING work...You should be very proud. Great job!!

[Charlie Plesums]

The best person in the world at a particular thing is a joy to observe. You are it for complex staircases. Thanks for sharing.

[Rod Upfold]

Very...very nice Richard.

I have seen calculators to figure out staircases...but how do you figure?

The stairs toatal run?
Total rise?
Number of rises?
Strigers lenght?

With the curve in the staircase?


Thank you

Rod
Ontario, Canada

[Richard Wolf]

Very...very nice Richard.

I have seen calculators to figure out staircases...but how do you figure?

The stairs toatal run?
Total rise?
Number of rises?
Strigers lenght?

With the curve in the staircase?


Thank you

Rod
Ontario, Canada
Well Rod, when I started doing this I used to draw them to scale and work off that. The rise is simple math and is just a matter of dividing equally. Now I have a program for my computer that gives you all the info after you punch in a few key measurement. It gives the brain a rest.

I also what to thank everyone for their kind comments, I appreciate them all.

Richard

[Rod Upfold]

Thank you for answering Richard

[Jason Roehl]

...and the builder was moving slowly anyway. It just hit the fan, and the house is suppost to be finished in six weeks.


Isn't that the norm for construction? All the sub-contractors have to be fast, perfect and cheap to boot!!

Someone once told me to tell my customers, "Cheap, fast, good. You can pick two."