This, that, and the other

[wroughtn_harv]

Believe it or not this puppy is heavy. In fact it was so heavy that neither of us felt comfortable raising it in place without at least one other strong body helping.

Client called a friend, the perfect friend for the day. Young and strong with enthusiasm and appreciation for my chili I'd brought for lunch. Eddie would've probably passed on a taste test of the chili. Steph would have fought us for seconds.

Then it was a matter of a trial fit and then fabricating a method for sliding it sideways for access to the wall side for working.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

The wall side had a hiccup. The kind of hiccup that makes or breaks an installation. The cedar runner needed to cut in and fitted to the wall.

This wasn't easy. In fact it was difficult.

The circular saw is a Makita beam saw, 16 inches. For ripping I picked up a forty eight tooth carbide tipped blade. After the big rip it was a combination of hand and power tools to remove the excess cedar.

The rest of the photos are rather rosey because I didn't realize the lense was contaminated with cedar dust.

Once the wall side was done it just came together.

 

[GaryBDavis]

Nice work Harv. One of the things I like about projects like this is near the end, you look at each other and discuss who gets to be the first one to walk up it. Tell MS I'll have to stop by and check your work next time I'm in town.

 

[weldingisfun]

What kind of finish are you going to use? If you plan on covering that as you progress, I'll be patient and wait. That really looks great!

 

[jinman]

Once the wall side was done it just came together.

Harvey, that's a nice job with the cedar (big understatements are my specialty ). Won't it have to dry some before final finishing?

Of course, you know I like big ol' thick steps like the ones going up to my deck. And since I'm approaching retirement age, I also like a handrail. Any plans for one? Do I see a long thin roughcut cedar handrail in the stairway's future?

 

[Bird]

It's beautiful! Of course I can tell you how good I am at visualizing things like that in advance. If it hadn't been for the pictures, I'd have no idea what you were talking about. But I, too, wondered about the wood drying or curing and whether it will shrink.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

The handrail is still up in the air because of two considerations. The first is time, we need something that fits and isn't too time consuming to fabricate and install. The other consideration is cost. This whole house has been built without borrowed money. In fact the reason the client/friend can afford me is we're trading labor, he's an artist and what I'm doing is an investment as important for me as my creativity is for him.

The top rail will be cedar. The posts will be cedar. And right now we're considering half inch hammered iron bar from King Metals for pickets or ballusters. They'll be painted the same color we used on the steel plate skeleton on the stairs. There's eighty feet of railing btw.

According to a friend who is very knowledgeable about the different woods Eastern Red Cedar has one of the lowest shrinking rates and is one of the more stable. It is absolutely stunning when just laquered, see photos. But we do understand that we need a finish more durable for the treads because it is soft.

 

[Knotbored]

The handrail is still up in the air because of two considerations. The first is time, we need something that fits and isn't too time consuming to fabricate and install. The other consideration is cost. This whole house has been built without borrowed money. In fact the reason the client/friend can afford me is we're trading labor, he's an artist and what I'm doing is an investment as important for me as my creativity is for him.

Harve- I made these loft railings from the turnings left from making plywood layers. They were just over 8' long and 4" round. They cost me less then $2 each (here in WA state.) The style looks like it would fit right in with your rustic style of home. Making the end tapers is tricky and time consuming-but they sure get a lot of compliments.
I am just now making a similar stair rail for that stairway, but the intersections will be notched instead of that tendon style I did on the loft (pictures next week or two.)

 

[wroughtn_harv]

Those look neat and clean. I'm sure if we had access to those turnings it would be a consideration because I have access to a router kit that does the turning of the ends of the rails and the boring of the posts. We're in clay and don't have access to much pine because it prefers sandy soil. Plus most of the sawmills have migrated deeper into the woody areas as our population has grown.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

I've been busy with other things and haven't updated this thread for awhile.

What's happened is the client and myself both have other irons in the fire. Actually the way it's worked is I came up with a concept and an idea how to create it. The client has done the bulk of the work. There is a ton of detail in it and he's to be congratulated for being to attentive to the details.

Here are some photos of the bottom stairs and landing prior to installing the upper stairs.