Making stringers for steps

What sort of strings do you want? Cut (aka open) strings, or housed ones?

Posh cut string versions go something like:

On jig should do both sides - if it has a locating bar on it, just make sure it can be transferred to the other side when you need to do the other string.

You should be able to make a universal jig very simply. If you make it such that it has locating bar on one side that you can move and fix in a variety of positions (couple of slots in the jig and a thumbwheel to tighten each end), then it can adapt to any stair angle.

Say like in Trends rather silly money commercial jig:

In reality they are easy enough to make, and much cheaper.

Indeed - although I got caught out by an architect that could not count

- I built what he drew, but made the mistake of using his maths of overall height / 12 = height of each step. Alas he drew 13 steps!

Rebates I would call em. Traditional joinery practice being to cut them with a 1 in 7 taper on the under and insides (and then 1 in 7 wedges obviously to fix each one). Commercial jigs seem to have finer tapers than that though.

Make a jig out of a large ish bit of 1/2" ply so that you have plenty of space to clamp it etc. Also make the wedges you cut out of it a fair bit longer than your maximum tread depth - that will give you more flexibility if you need to do a kite and winder for example. A 30mm guide bush in a big router with a 1/2" straight bit usually does a quick job.

Set the jig for the right angle of the stairs. Cut the top step and then carefully measure down the front of the riser rebate and mark the top of the next tread. For speed at this point you can make a template stick to use to mark of each rise if you want. Slide the jig down to the mark, clamp and route. Repeat until done.

I came across this site

Ah, I found a template guide in my router box. That's where I have been going wrong. I should have read the manual! That means the the jig is a whole lot smaller than I've been making it.

I'm not good at names of things. Basically I am copying old existing steps. There will be two stringers of about 200x50mm and slots need to be cut into them for the treads and risers. There will be three steps from 250x50mm timber. I haven't looked at what's available for the risers - I imagine 200x20mm. The steps will be 1100mm wide. I've never seen wedges in outdoor steps but maybe they are a good idea.

I have just discovered that my router has a template guide, which was the bit I didn't understand about following a jig, never having seen a jig other than the one I invented for my last job. It was rather large since the router had to fit entirely inside the jig!

Sounds like a traditional housed string then rather than cut...

Possibly not - the seasonal movement may be better accommodated with parallel slots, just cut loose enough to allow some movement. You probbaly don't care care about them being creek and squeak free as much as interior ones.

Ah, yup, a guide bush is one way, or a top bearing cutter. The former is better in the sense you can use any cutter. The latter can follow an exact size template, which save accounting for the cutter to bush offset.

The steps are finished:

Respect!

Chris

Nice job... you don't hang about do you! ;-)

Thanks! The calculation of the step height was difficult because the ground slopes down away from the steps. I used a level out from the deck to measure down to where I guessed the last step would be. I added an extra step because the step height was getting up a bit. After all that, the steps ended up futher out than I thought and my calculations were wrong. So the lowest step is 20mm higher than the others. Just as if I'd bought ready made stringers!