Making a Floating Staircase - Woodworking
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- Опубліковано 19 тра 2024
- I tore down my old staircase and replaced it with this one.
First time building a staircase, so I learned a lot.
This video has a lot of complicated joinery and tricks for building strong structures.
Thanks for watching!
more behind the scenes:
/ sparetimeshop - Навчання та стиль
Hi everyone, thank you for your many fair questions and remarks about this staircase in the comments.
I’ll try to answer them all but thought I would summarize the most interesting ones here:
- Strength:
I built this staircase about a year ago and used it to hall big lumber and furniture upstairs,
I’ve had no issue with it what so ever. Although it could have been even stronger if I didn’t recess the anker bolts in the sides.
(In hindsight, don't know why I did that) but again, its plenty strong.
- Railing:
I’m planning to install a railing on the wall. I want to keep the middle open so I can easily move big pieces upstairs.
- Safety:
here in Belgium (probably different from the US) only new builds and classified renovations need to be approved by an inspector.
This isn’t the case here but that’s a legal issue I won’t bore you with. To summarize; It’s safe and legal.😉
- Woodglue:
I used a lot of glue on the 3 individual pieces, so they would be strong. I did not glue those 3 pieces together though, I only used screws.
As they are each connected to a different part of the building (ground, wall and 1st floor) that can move in different directions.
Adding glue would prevent the natural movement that occurs and would over time loosen and start to creek.
If you have any more tips or questions, let me know! I’m eager to learn more 😊
oh I see i am noth the only one to comment about the recess... so, if you want, you can do this: take one out at a time and put a thread coupler in then put another short length of grade 8 rod, or whatever steel grade you had. put a 2" square plate of steel with a big enough hole to accomodate the coupler if its protruding, then bolt it back in with a washer and lock washer. im a nerd so i would probaly put thread lock too. i think the only problem with doing this is making sure you have the same or higher grade of steel on the new parts as well as making sure the coupler doesnt bottom out against the 1/4" plate you used as a big washer. anyway not sure thats necesarry but if it ever gets loose or cracks that easier that rebuilding the whole thing and trying to install bigger anchors etc.
Nah only thing is you're making the tolerances a little too tight for Glue and fasteners(should slide in snug without glue and you hammer it in with glue applied) but other than that Maybe have more Bolts fastening the Stairway to the wall. The second landing can have a little self on the closed/backside side to act as an additional Brace if need be.
I did some rough calculations using eyeball estimations for the grade and diameter of your anchor bolts and other fasteners and am prepared to conclude that you could regularly march elephants in and out of your second floor without concern for many many years.
Question: Why is there a steel platform that the bottom section is resting on?
as much fun as this looks, I'd never trust a wooden staircase in case of a fire.
I have only two suggestions for you: it's always advisable when building stairs to make one single step a tiny bit higher to trip up enemy swordsmen who may be after your upstairs treasures. Also if you and your guilde are right handed, always build spiral stairs with a clockwise rise to keep the advantage on your side for swinging a sword or dagger. All the best for your adventures, sire.
amazing lol
great work!
excellent advise Samuel :)
This is great advice.
9mm, glazier slugs.
I am very thankful for the ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxbnOKZBE4evMO5V2vroHeCjq6d_MV6wJO that has been a tremendous help to me in building a perfect outdoor shed. I have been facing many challenges and difficulties for a long time, but this plan has guided me to correct the mistakes during the process. I am impressed by the projects and I express my gratitude to the creator of this collection of plans.
Structural engineer here. Gotta warn ya bro that ledger to the concrete wall with no support on the other side is in what's called cross-grain bending. Wood has zero strength in cross grain bending, it's strictly not allowed. What would have worked is doing a tension tie type anchor at the top of the landing framing member that are perpendicular to the wall. This would take the tension out the eliminate the cross grain bending. If you built this extremely tight and redundant it will probably compensate and shouldn't get overloaded with just one lightweight person. But we usually try to support things correctly. I would use like a Titen HD with a DTT2Z or something similar. Cheers mate.
Can you elaborate. When you say that "ledger to the concrete wall" are you talking about the middle riser, the lower landing, the upper landing, etc? Which piece of wood is the cross-grain bending likely to occur on?
Maybe he's referring to the upper landing... You have a back plate screwed to the concrete which is part of a square, then you have a riser coming off of the end if that square, attached to the landing on the top floor. I'm wondering if he's suggesting that the riser go straight from the top floor into the back plate and then construct the steps within that frame. Would be good if he gave a description as I'm curious.
@@patrickjay6434 Yup it's the second landing, both landings really. It's all just statics. Every engineer learns it in their second year. Imagine a person standing on the upper landing near the edge that goes up the stairs. What is resisting the static force applied. The staircase going up is attached with some screws it looks like, but this would typically be modeled as a hinge - little to no resistance. Maybe if they used several large lag bolts or straps of some kind we could say this creates a continuous beam / joist type member that carries the force. Joists are typically 16" o.c. for a good reason though. The stairs down to the right may provide some resistance to the static force applied, however there is a X and Y component as the stair there is at an angle so those forces don't resolve cleanly, it would be a sort of torsion and shear through the platform that get resolved at the wall somehow. Last we come to the ledger at the wall. 3 bolts in the middle a 2x framing member. Assuming this is resisting the majority of the forces what you have is called a concentrated moment at the wall. This concentrated moment applies bending across the grain of the ledger, this is the cross grain bending that breaks boards in half. There is a reason why floating staircases like this are always built out of steel, tube steel has incredible torsion and bending strength and is isotropic - has the same strength no matter how the load is applied.
@@cheezyblasters9262 Understood at least 60% of that... :-)
Could it be fixed without taking the whole thing down? I suppose it should be fine if there's not much weight going on it.. But eventually it might start to move a bit. Maybe he could wait for it to start moving and then stick a post underneath it for stability!
@@patrickjay6434 Yup you got it. The standard for staircases is to have the landing joists supported by posts / ledgers at both ends. This provides stable platforms for the stair stringers to span in between. The upper landing would have two posts, the lower landing would have one because its in a corner. For floating stairs like this we'd use tube steel. Wood could be made to do it as well with some well detailed connections. For instance putting a tension strap on the bottom of the stair stringers to the bottom of the landing joists at the top run / landing would take the tension load there making that act like a continuous joist / stringer member. That would create a single member that spans from the ledger at the wall to a ledger / floor joist at the floor framing above. That would be the cleanest way to fix this ua-cam.com/channels/pXBvzKRaw_zRj0d6sFJ3kw.htmlcommunity?lb=Ugkxa5O4OEgjiRAOy86lKeedEETuhjoyQlvF
The fact that you don't know much about building stairs, but you went ahead and did it yourself successfully, is a fine statement for a hard working, young fella like you :) Great job, fist bumps from Canada :)
I’ve been a carpenter and builder for over 40 years. I don’t know exactly how many staircases I’ve framed and trimmed but it’s a bunch! I often wonder how differently I might do something if I’d had the luxury and convenience of CAD and the availability of specialized structural screws. I guess it would look a lot like this! Good job, young man! Keep up the good work and keep striving to do the things that challenge you and the the things you enjoy!
wow that is a nice commend from a 40 years experienced guy.
also i like the speed of the movie. no boring parts. and enough time to see how to do it.
Retired now, but I have built many staircases during my decades of work. There are many tiny nuances that the books/internet might not mention yet make a massive difference when the customer and their family use them. I wish you had consulted somebody who has done them before. You will figure out what they are yourself as you use them. Thanks for sharing. Great shop!
60 years ago, my grandfather taught me how to do it, without a computer, milling machines and battery tools. The quality was 100%
WOW the inspector was very thorough! It even said, good job. Can’t beat it when the inspector give you a compliment on your work.
cant stop smiling while watching this. its so satisfying. IDK why youtube lately keeps showing me these videos of people with $20,000 mills and they cant even follow a plan they have to make one piece at a time and use it to mark the next piece, it drives me crazy.
this video is completely opposite, using a CAD to generate your own prints and then using NORMAL tools and building the pieces exactly to spec based on the plans!
how refreshing, thank you! :D
"Any notes Mr. Inspector?" "Nah!" Good job! It looks strong and it looks perfect!
purrfect
Very nice safety inspector. Concise notes, delivered without drama.
I’m a Draftswoman/ Designer, and I love your videos; and the colors of the shop and especially those storage cabinets , Great job
I like you style of story telling. Looking forward to seeing more on your shop set up. Your shop has great natual light and I suspect will be great for woodworking. Very much interested in what you are doing.
This was your first time ever building a staircase?? Congratulations brother! from a carpenters perspective, I think you did a great job! I think i understand the way you thought process worked to come up with this design, and i can tell just by looking how much thought you put into it.
If i was you, and since this is a custom design for your needs and available space, i woulnt follow the prints too close in terms of measurements just to make the instalation process a bit easier on myself.
adjusting as needed to the surrounding area.
Thanks for sharing and keep up the great work!!
Nicely done. I wish I had the space to renovate a space into a workshop like this.
Very happy to see you had all that work certified by the saftey inspector. He's a good looking inspector too!
You did a fine job sir. Looks great
Excellent job.. I have built lots of stairs, and even worked in a stair shop, but never designed my own. I have an Old house which needs a new stair and this has given me the confidence to challenge myself and build it myself, someday soon hopefully!
Go for it! You clearly have more experience than me, so why not? 😉
Why don't you do it to code and put a guard rail / hand rail on.
Сапожник без сапог😂
Thank you for these video’s. You are very methodical, it is good to watch. Good job on the staircase👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Meticulous work. Love the build and look.
Wow, that was a beautiful work of art. Thanks for the video
I've learned so much and the music was also very pleasant. Thank you for sharing!
I enjoyed your whole shop build. One more project suggestion is to reverse hinge side of the door so it opens to the wall. Would make entry and exit easier. Especially if you come in and go directly toward the stairs or exit that way, the door won’t open into your way
Wow ! I like the work design,sketches✏...and you care for the sharpness 🔨 and and... Perfection finally it's BEAUTIFUL !
BRAVO Man !!! So young and already so smart & clever !
Hey, I like the way you work. Especially that you make things simple with the jigs!
the simpler the better :)
great videos I've watched the whole series back to back looking forward to the next one
This is exactly what I needed!! Perfect for my project
Great carpentry and excellent choice in music.
you gave me a new idea how to build a nice stair to my second floor bungalow, thanks!
No questions and remarks just compliments. This is of course not an easy task but you made it look easy. I like the concept of start and end and was curious how you wanted to do that all by yourself. I thing the tricky part is to make the middle part go 45 degrees. Result: if I ever fear woodwork I'll look at this, seems easier in the end than thought.
I've been remodeling most of my almost 40 years... plans rarely go to plan. lol..
That's an awesome job!
Man I could used this video a couple of years ago. Simple, yet detailed, strong but doable. Perfect. Thank you!
Nice work, well constructed! Looks great too!
This looks great! My company does this with steel, and we've turned out steel stairs less strong than this.
Wow you did a great job, makes me want to build some stairs too, except I don’t have an upstairs. 😅 You made it look very easy, this gives me hope.
Amazing. When someone just does it right. Love to know how it is holding up in 12 months.
Thank you for your amazing video's! Keep them coming!
Awesome work!
A very handsome, thorough, & "no fuss" inspector.
Beautiful job.
I thank the UA-cam algorithm for suggesting me your channel: just watched your few shop renovation videos and loved every bit of them. Here's a new sub for you, from Paris. Now I'm gonna binge watch all your previous videos ! 😅 Tot ziens ! 😊
You did such a beautiful job.
Excelent work... hugs from Argentina
you are fortunate. in the UK the stair depth and height is regulated, and the number or steps before you are required to have a landing, and the railings/arm-rests. Nice steps. one comment (that I didn;t see already) it is easier to sand the wood before assembly and varnishing. Great build.
To Whom:
In times of stairs and nicely done it’s beautiful clean.
Work 👊
Super gemacht. Gefällt mir gut.
Excellent! I wish I have the tools like what you have.
Love this project. Subscribed!
Better to now countersink the bolts into the side of the boards. Easy to over tighten and crush the thin bit of wood that you left. Vibration from the people going down the stairs will slowly crush the thin wood.
Yeah I was thinking the same thing but… he will probably get away with it since most of the load is in sheer.
This is where washers would be the solve all
Nice work and excellent design. Stair builders leave the slot loose and angled so they can drive glues wedges. It makes construction faster and easier and stronger.
GREAT BUILD .... GREAT JOB ! ~ Congrats !
Nice work!!!👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Looks absolutely awesome although I would still be reluctant to step on it
Beautiful wood, great work, great job!
Nice build. I have built a few custom stairs and I think this is a very nice job. Only one thing I would have changed, or added, would be a 45 degree diagonal brace under that top platform, transferring the side load of that left runner of the top stair to the wall on the right of (from a climbing stair perspective).
He should probably leave that strut out because he wants the staircase to look daring and gravity defying. It looks very solid, doesn't sound or look like it's vibrating, is wide enough and easy enough to climb. He wasn't worrying that old rule about tread width and riser height should add up 17 inches total. I never thought you could just pick an angle - 45 deg. - for convenience).
You can usually do what you like with your house as long as you own it outright free and clear. You still have to meet town building codes and he may not He will probably have to provide a railing. .
BTW - I know an old guy like me around here that used to have a dog who could climb up a ladder. She couldn't climb down and when she demanded I carry her down her attitude toward me changed considerably. She climbed on my shoulder. She figured how to do that. I couldn't - and we both got down safely. She was such a smart little dog and was interested in everything going on.
¡¡¡¡¡GENIAAAAALLLLL !!!!!!...¡¡¡¡¡FELICITACIONES !!!!!..
CÓRDOBA ARGENTINA.
Nice work! congrats 👍
Dude, I like your shirt you were wearing at the start. Probably not what you want people to appreciate from your videos, but if you would give a link, it'll be appreciated lol
Great job!
Looks like a professional job. 👍
Great tutorial video.
Thank you
Nice design!
Great video and a job well done. Stay safe.
I love the "inspeCATr" at the end
This was amazing! Just wow!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
That was pretty awesome!!
The staircase ended up reall sturdy and great design!
The worst set of stairs I ever seen. I've been a superintendent, project manager for over 35 yrs. Just in case anyone wants to know my qualifications. Someone going to get killed. At least put posts under the top platform.
@@13vexarts Exactly what are you complaining about?
That came out badass, bro.
Thank you so much for your ideas very nice.
Nice job thanks for sharing.
NICE JOB, YOU TOOK YOUR TIME AND IT PAID OFF
Very nice!! Inspector-approved!
Very well done!!
Love your listening to Derek trucks!!!
The cat!!!! LOL
Gives a quick meow
Some parts of the music are really trippy! 🥳
Very well done!
That ice and fire song is amazing 😊
Great video and thanks for sharing. Is it possible for you to share your plans. i have to build three staircases and never attempted before. I like the simplicity of your design.
Looks cool. I would probably trip on that piece resting on the platforms. 🤪
Great video, very informative. My favorite part, however, was your conversation with the inspector at the end..
A few Questions if I may:
1. Did you determine what took place to cause your final stringer dimension to be shorter than the construction drawing?
2. When you trimmed off about 1.5" to get your stringer to fit, how was your rise and run design affected?
3. When you attached the stringer to the wall, were the cuts for the tread still level?
Lastly, I really liked the look of those construction drawings. They had excellent graphic clarity and punch.
I enjoyed your video. Keep it up.😀
Nice stairs!
Nicely done
I've used those anchors before, they really are very strong, you could probably put a truck on 3 of them. the only thing i didnt like was how you recessed the anchor bolts. theres no real need and as soon as you get some moisture on the wall it looked like you just deleted half the meat, purely for aesthetics. i would have just torqued them to spec and cut of the excess with a grinder... anyway, nice stairs and awesome video!
also, i saw how you forgot to add the board thickness on a couple dimentions. thats normal, done it a hundred times lol it almost always ends up too long though, atleast for me anyway lol.
Well done pal. Gratz
well done mate..👌
Self supporting staircases were big when I was working construction. I dont know if I would call that floating since it is braced with 45's on the 90's from the structural support. Still a cool design though. Kudos!
I know the title is a little deceiving, but it looks floating ;)
That's awesome!
Beautiful! What kind and size of bolts did you use to attach stringers to the wall?
Work of art
Great job! Isn’t it so satisfying to build??? And love your taste in music.
PS. Cardboard templates
A well and carefully built structure. I'm sure you will be enjoying using it for many years to come
Awesome job, respect.
omg, love the tiny meow at the end 👍👍
The best is how the cat answer... with best regards from Germany
I like the elegant simplicity and inherent strength your design has. It takes very little space. I sub'd, look forward to more!
yeah the inherent strength of the anchor bolts recessed so far that there is like 1/2 inch of wood left for the washer to clamp on is very "elegant"
@@2brazy4ubitch I actually wondered about that, myself... Guess we'll see.
@@crustycurmudgeon2182 there is no real force going in this direction, it will just be fine
@@Frank_inSA I don't recall saying it wouldn't be fine?
@@Frank_inSA theoretically there is force on them, since there is no post to support the ‘floating’ parts of the landing, there will be a slight hinging going on under use. After a lot of use, especially running, jumping down on those landings, but people rushing or kids or carrying a lot of weight, there will be a certain amount of pulling/crushing happening on those anchors. And then as they loosen over time and he may tighten them up, the effective thickness will only continue to get smaller... Which is fine for him to deal with and fix-but it’s not fine as instruction for how to do this kind of work. It’s easy to predict how this could become even more dangerous in another situation. Mind you the whole design of this is dodgy, and any two hundred pounder that blasts down those stair in some kind of emergency are wild excitement, are likely to push them beyond their limit... especially further on down the road after much regular use.
So, a critique from a professional joiner.
Your opening should have a full length doubled joist along the long edge (Trimmer joist), and then a doubled joist across the short end (Trimming joist) to carry the ends of the joists that are cut short (Trimmed joists) for the opening. 45% is steep for a staircase. The ratio is usually 8 up to 9 along. Steeper than that will feel strange. The grooves for treads are usually a little wider than the tread at the back to allow room for a wedge which can be driven in to tighten up on the tread in case the timber shrinks (Which it probably will in the summer). All this information is available online if you care to look for it.
The amount that you countersunk for the anchor bolts has reduced the thickness of the timber considerably where the bolt attaches. It's kind of irrelevant how strong the bolt is if the timber that it is holding is so thin that is has much reduced strength.
I hope your stairs last as they are, but there are many reasons to use a professional for potentially dangerous items like stairs. Joinery is rarely as simple as people think.