Stair jigs

[chicken_house_man]

I'm considering making a set of stairs and looking at jigs.

All the jigs I've found seem to use a dovetail cutter and I can't see any particular reason for this as they don't seem machine the matching parts.

I've also bought a book on making stairs and they simply use a straight guided cutter in a shop made jig.

 

[chippy1970]

The dovetail cutter as you call it isnt quiet as slanted as a dovetail cutter but it back edges slightly so the treads fit snug, also this helps when you knock the wedges in underneath they tend to stay tight against the string and not come out as you bang them in.

 

[EdK]

Hi - I am in the process of making a flight - it's my first serious wood project - see the details on this site : https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/view ... hp?t=20869

The stair cutter is something like 5 degrees.

I didn't have one so used a straight and then hand pared a shim out of the trenches.

As for the jigs - I made one. Takes a bit of time if you are clueless like me but I made one for the planed timber that I bought so it worked out ok.

Hope that helps.
Ed

 

[lugo35]

hi if you are only making one flight make a jig and save your pennies. as for the dovetail cutter i have made loads prob hunderds of stairs and only used straight cutter never had a prob. can see the piont about the wedges but they stay straight with a tap.

 

[Andy Pullen]

Staircases are probably the one thing I regret not paying enough attention to when I was doing my training. Fitted dozens of flights but not sure if I could build any, esp the ones with winders around the newels. Oh well too late now.

 

[steve tighe]

Most jigs you can make up yourself,there's no point in buying something that can be made out of off-cuts of sheet materials,discarded when knackered & a new one made up.

Forget about buying a stair jig & router template guides,make your jig up out of 25mm mdf & use a 25mm deep,top bearing 3/4" router bit.

The main advantages of this is,you can actually work to to the riser & thread markings out on your strings & by using the 25mm thick jig you can trench out in two hits(you only need to trench out 12 or 13mm deep btw) the top roller will always run on the jig because of it's thickness.

Less chance of ripping the timber to pieces & less chance of destroying the router bit & router.

I've made quite a few stairs & over the years changed how I went about the machining,the only time I ever used a dovetail bit was to freehand trench the nosings (should be done separate anyway) & to freehand all the trenchings to make the joints tighter when the stairs have been wedged up.

This isn't a plug,I'm a site fixer now,I won't make any more stairs like this anymore,but I don't mind helping out with advice where I can.

A stairs is a stairs,gets you from one floor to another,they're big that's why they can be a bit daunting at times.

rubbish picture,sorry,was taken a while back.

 

[chicken_house_man]

Thanks for the replys, i think I know which way I'll go.

I'd love to have room for stair like that Steve, Just a simple straight flight for me.

 

[BradNaylor]

I don't know a thing about stair jigs, but I do know that those stairs of Steve's are fantastic!

That is true woodworking craftsmanship; rather puts my MDF boxes with doors on the front to shame!

Still, they pay the bills...