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angled treads in straight stair

3/1/17       
Alan F Schulz  Member

Website: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alschulz&a...

Has anyone ever built a winder stair with all the treads at angles? As if a circular stair on straight stringers. Someone wants me to draw these for them, I think they are very unsafe and doubt they would meet code. You would not be walking up the stair perpendicular to the nosing.

Click the link below to download the file included with this post.

EPSON004.PDF

3/1/17       #2: angled treads in straight stair ...
pat gilbert

Email Rufus at this thread

Look for Rufus's link

3/2/17       #3: angled treads in straight stair ...
Paul Miller

Website: http://MCCWOODWORKING.COM

I have never done a stair that winds the entire height. But I did do a stair which had winders on the landing. The house was not planned correctly and they had not allowed enough length for a straight stair and a landing to make the turn.

This has been at least 15 years ago and as I recall, we had to have a minimum of six inches of tread at the narrowest point.

You will need to check with your local building official. On the job we did, we provided the treads, risers, handrail and balusters, newel posts and handrail. I think the toughest issue was the handrail which has to be continuous, making a continuous hand rail is tough. You might have to fabricate a curved LJ Smith type of handrail. That can be interesting.

I also supplied treads and rails etc. for an older home which had a winder at the base of the stair. On this one, the owner was able to get a variance from the code because it was an older home in a historic district. As I recall, there was not enough room for six inches at the narrowest point.

Good luck.

Paul

3/2/17       #4: angled treads in straight stair ...
Harry DeVrieze

As long as you keep the minimum width at the line of travel and proper rise there should be no problem with code.. Fabricating and installing the rail will be a bigger problem than building the stairs. Regards.

3/3/17       #5: angled treads in straight stair ...
Keith Newton

Well, I have built some stairs where the treads all angled to one side relative to the stringers, and it was surprising how easy they were to walk.

I've also built stairs which had a couple of treads through the 90º turn instead of a landing, but with straight runs above and below.

One thing I try to do, is to maintain the same rise run in the center of the walking path, which is about 18" from the handrail.

Aside from that, usually when I get ask to help someone figure out how to get a stair in a tight situation, is the headroom above at the start, or ending.

3/3/17       #6: angled treads in straight stair ...
David R Sochar Member

Ditto for the consistent walk path run for each tread. But that may make for differing runs at the treads/returns where the rail goes, which then translates to variable pitches for the rail - not a good thing. You will have to find the middle ground between the steepest pitch (shortest run) and the least pitch (longest run) and make a continuous pitch from there. Just stay within code.

3/4/17       #7: angled treads in straight stair ...
keith mathewson

They are called dancing winders and are done with the handrail layout in mind. Attached is a pic of a better layout

http://chestofbooks.com/architecture/Building-Construction-3-2/Winders.h
tml

http://chestofbooks.com/architecture/Building-Construction-3-2/Winders.html

3/6/17       #8: angled treads in straight stair ...
David R Sochar Member

Keith's illustration is a good solution. However, the variable tread runs at the handrail line mean the handrail pitch changes from the first few treads to the middle treads (gets steeper), then back again at the last few treads. In a time when the stair builders knew how to wreath a rail, this was not too difficult. But many of today's makers are not even familiar with the term, much less the result.

So, if you can work your rail to be within the height parameters your inspector expects to see, and if you can develop an 'average' pitch, the rails will look perfect. The height from rail to tread nose may very from tread to tread, but the stair will fit within code since that height variation is within code parameters.

If not, you can make the changes slowly and spread out over a few treads, and it will look good, but it will have to have bends in the pitch to stay within the rail heights in code. This is where wreathing is a good solution, but quite a learning curve.

Or, you can just make miter/butt joints for the pitch change and have it look bad.

4/6/17       #9: angled treads in straight stair ...
Jim Baldwin

As Keith mentioned:
Dancing winders and treads provide two important things in stair building, Most importantly, a uniform rise/run along a walk-line (usually a foot from the edge) and a uniform (although helical) continuous handrail, around a semi-circular floor-plan (not seen here.) The required handrail pitch-changes, then fall entirely over straight tread rather than over any curved plan-sections.

This makes for a much prettier and functional handrail. Although each tread is different. The individually made treads, cost more, however their added expense should be out-weighed by the easier manufacture of the handrail.

As drawn. this stair, at the very least, will require custom-made, straight, ramping handrails between posts or quarter-turns.

The common objection to angled treads within a plan, are usually out-weighed by a uniform walking-line.


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