I would like to do myself a wood spiral staircase for my country house (not expensive). The diameter should be 4' and the high is 8' How many treads should I take into consideration? What should be the angle between threads? (Is 30 deg. correct?) How should I do the curved rail? Or could you suggest me some technical specification.
Thanks, Chris
Take a look at:
"R314.5 Spiral Stairs. Spiral stairways are permitted, provided the minimum width shall be 26 inches (660 mm) with each tread having a 7-1/2 inch (190 mm) minimum tread width at 12 inches (305 mm) from the narrow edge. All treads shall be identical, and the rise shall be no more than 9-1/2 inches (241 mm). A minimum headroom of 6 feet, 6 inches (1982 mm) shall be provided"
Getting the required headroom means that you have to go up at least 9 risers before you overlap the landing below, which strongly militates for 3 steps per quadrant, or 30 degree wedges. 11 rises and 10 treads gives you 8.73" rises and a landing that's a 60 degree wedge with the required headroom.
The 7.5" tread-width at 12" from the inner edge means that that walk-line needs to be
7.5 x 12 = 90", which means that your center post pretty much HAS to be at least 3".Was I you, I'd give some serious thought to using black-pipe as the center-pole.
This is a great question, and I wish I could help you with this project. It sounds fun. Okay, you need to first figure out how many stairs you will have.
Determine number of stairs: Take total height and divide by 7" (this is the ideal stair height). You will most likely not get an integer number. So, round it either way. Let's call this number N. Now divide your total height by N. This is how tall each of your risers will be. The total number of stairs you will need will actually be N-1, because the floor at the top of the stairs will serve as the last stair.
Determine the angle: 30 degrees sounds about right, but I don't know this one for sure. But I would say that once you begin, it will be tricky to make sure your last stair ends up in the right location relative to the second floor. I might be inclined to start my layout from the top stair.
The curved rail is the biggest challenge here. I once built an elliptical-shaped wall cap, and I did it using a large (very large) scribe. I actually used an existing curved wall, and then drew the pattern on the side of the wall, and then built the wall cap against the wall. This information is probably useless to you. But I would probably build a cylinder of the appropriate diameter. You can do this with plywood plates and studs. Then I would use this as my model and go from there. Hopefully someone else will have a better answer than mine.
Good luck, and have fun.
Chris wrote:
You might use 1.5" pipe with 2' 4x4 treads with a 1.5" vertical hole 4" from one end and a 4"x1/4" horizontal bolt on each side of the hole to squeeze the pipe. The "handrail" might be 1/8" plastic covered aircraft cable threaded through the other ends, anchored at top and bottom, with a turnbuckle to keep the cable tight.
Nick
It was known across the nation as "The Cook Creek Spar Tree"--the most ingenious fire tower ever. It stood within the Quinault Indian Reservation 9 miles southwest of Lake Quinault.
In 1927 a 179' Douglas fir 7 feet in diameter was high-topped by a Hobi Timber Company climber using spurs and a crosscut saw. The huge pole was then debarked with a double-bitted axe as he descended from the top. Three-foot steel rods with an eye in one end were driven into the tree in such a manner as to form a winding staircase with a steel cable threaded through the 130 eyes and stretched taut with a chain binder. The tightened cable served as a hand rail, as well as to hold the rungs securely into the trunk. Four railroad ties were then anchored a few feet below the top, with the 49-square foot house assembled atop them by Paul Meyer and his two helpers. Cedar shiplap siding finished the walls, and sliding glass windows gave the eagle's aerie its own touch of class.
Upon nailing on the last shingle, Paul stood up on the rooftop and hoisted the American flag. His shouts could be heard only faintly on the ground as he declared, "I can see all the way to Hawaii." For the next 28 years the unique fire tower stood. No one ever challenged his statement by climbing atop that breezy roof again.
During its years of service, the Cook Creek Spar Tree became a center of nationwide publicity. Newspapers from coast to coast ran feature stories, and in 1929 Hollywood newsreels portrayed it as the phenomenal one-legged skyscraper.
In 1955 the Bureau of Indian Affairs found it necessary to saw the pole down for fear that someone might be injured climbing the decaying attraction. Today, nothing can be found but a few rusted fragments amid a thriving new forest in the NE1/4 of the NW1/4 of Section 26, Township 22 North, Range 11 West.
From "Fire Lookouts of the Northwest," by Ray Kresek, Ye Galleon, 1984.
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