Pictures of the set of stairs for the Cabin!

Willy · January 29, 2008, 09:27:21 PM

Well 3 days later I think I have them ready to go up to the cabin to be installed when I start construction. I took a couple pictures but my garage/shop did not give me enough room for a good one. I will stain and seal them on site after I hook the railing into the upper wall. The railing looks close to the steps but realy it is 3 ft off the level top of a step when the stairs are up/right because there steep. Now if this snow would go away I could start building!! Might have to think of something else to do. You can see the stack of plywood for the cabin next to the stairs. Mark

Boy what a project but I had to do something for the cabin. Decided to build my stairs at home and take them to the job. I have $100.00 into them allready but I think that isn't to bad. I decided to build a regular set out of 2x10s and 2x8s for the steps. I took and routered out 2 of the 2X10s for the 2x8 steps. Made up a templet to make sure they fit tight and were all in the same angle and spacing. I routered into the 2x10 5/8th of a inch and glued the steps in place. Under each step I put a 3/8" running thread to stop any spread and used 3 - 3" screws on each end of the step. After that I took the other 2 - 2x10s and put them over the screws and running thread ends. This will be a sorta free standing set of stairs that bolt into the floor joist in the ceiling and to the floor plywood but not on the walls. It will be next to a wall but not attached. I also ran 2 of the running threads thru all the 2x10s to help hold my up/rights for the hand rails real strong and tight. The nuts will be recessed into the posts and coverd. Looking at all the attic ladders and others I have seen I did not feel they were strong enought for every day use of a very heavy person if needed. I did not like the idea of a pull down one and a regular ladder did not seem right. I routered all the 2x10s corners smooth and sanded the whole works. I spaced a 2x8 down 3/4" at the top to support the plywood floor. I will use one 4x4 post to help support the top corner that will stick out so I don't have to run a joist accross the ceiling on the living room side. This post will also help support the short banester wall on the loft. Pretty soon I will take a picture to post here but I wanted to finish them first. After the time and tools it took to build them I am glad I did not try to do it on site! I would have had to drag my radial arm saw and drill press to the building site!! It would have been nice to make them out of Oak but boy that would have been big bucks in materials!! I will probley end up spending another $100.00 on the railing so I had to cut the costs a little. I may trim the steps edge and standing surface out later to solve a wearing problem. Mark

Redoverfarm · January 29, 2008, 10:17:09 PM

Way to go Mark. It would have probably taken me time than that. two days is not bad. Where did the 5/8" figure come from on the inset portion?

January 29, 2008, 10:26:14 PM

Quote from: Redoverfarm on January 29, 2008, 10:17:09 PM
Way to go Mark. It would have probably taken me time than that. two days is not bad. Where did the 5/8" figure come from on the inset portion?

Well for one thing the tip I had for the router would go that deep and I did want to save some wood for holding power on the screws and not weaking the wood so much. That is one reason I doubled up on the 2x10s for a thicker look and more strength. I figured that 5/8" was more than enough to hold the steps with and the running thread would add a lot of strength to the stairs. Probley over kill but better than learning later it was not strong enought! Mark

Redoverfarm · January 29, 2008, 10:38:56 PM

Just curious that all. I might have considered 1" since you were sandwiching another 2X against it but that's just me. That number just came in my head when I read your post. Now you have it firgured out want to do a set of half log steps. I have that to look forward to. Using spruce 12-14" diam, debarking, split for each side of the stringer(giving flat surface to the inside and rounded for outside). Then split subsequent 10-12" spruce(removing 3" from the center) for treads, Cutting each end 45 deg to a tenion of 2"X4" to inset into stringer pockets. The end result will be the flat for the tread of the step and the half round for the bottom of the step. The biggest problem is the lay out the rest is just whittling.

Willy · January 29, 2008, 10:50:46 PM

Quote from: Redoverfarm on January 29, 2008, 10:38:56 PM
Just curious that all. I might have considered 1" since you were sandwiching another 2X against it but that's just me. That number just came in my head when I read your post. Now you have it firgured out want to do a set of half log steps. I have that to look forward to. Using spruce 12-14" diam, debarking, split for each side of the stringer(giving flat surface to the inside and rounded for outside). Then split subsequent 10-12" spruce(removing 3" from the center) for treads, Cutting each end 45 deg to a tenion of 2"X4" to inset into stringer pockets. The end result will be the flat for the tread of the step and the half round for the bottom of the step. The biggest problem is the lay out the rest is just whittling.

The lay out was the hardest part for me also the rest just took time. The tempiture was a drag being 10-20 degs in my shop! If I had some nice dried logs I think I would made some out of them. For a cabin they fit right in. I had to do a lot of measuring to come up with the proper angle, spacing ect for a building that isn't built yet. Now I have to build around the stairs(Ha Ha)instead. The outside rails ended up 24" on center. Mark

January 31, 2008, 06:54:44 PM

I will be pluging those 6 holes with removable plugs so later they can be made tighter if nessasary. I added 6 inch by 3/8" Carrage bolts instead of lags for 4 of the bolts on the posts and the other 2 holes are running thread all the way to the other side. The posts & hand rail come off for transportation to the job site and at that point the 12 ft post that supports the top outside corner will be tied into the railing also. Mark

MSW · January 31, 2008, 07:16:38 PM

Hi Willy, these stairs look awesome. Good job!

Would you mind sharing the angle you did the steps at and the space between them?
Thanks!

Redoverfarm · January 31, 2008, 07:34:10 PM

Good looking steps. Stay sober before operating.

Willy · January 31, 2008, 08:01:15 PM

Quote from: MSW on January 31, 2008, 07:16:38 PM
Hi Willy, these stairs look awesome. Good job!
Would you mind sharing the angle you did the steps at and the space between them?
Thanks!

Never figured the ange deg wise but I guess I could put a protractor on them. I had a 5 ft wide space to put a set of 8 ft tall stairs into and that does not include the landings. It took a while to lay them out but there are 8 steps spaced at 12 inches in height. Tread depth is a little over 7 inches deep. I would need to measure them again to get it closer. I designed them first on graph paper to scale to figure all the spacings which I found the 7+ inch deep tread worked the best for the height and spacing to fall into the 5 ft range. If they were built to code it would have taken 13 ft of space not counting landings and no-way could I waste that much room to get to the loft. Maybe you can figure the angle because the steps are level, 12" rise on 8 steps of 2X8s. The stairs are about 9 1/2 ft long to make the span. Mark

January 31, 2008, 08:17:04 PM

Quote from: Redoverfarm on January 31, 2008, 07:34:10 PM
Good looking steps. Stay sober before operating.

Yes I think they take a sober opperator and used by facing them only. BUT they are better than a attic pull down ladder to use and safer. Darn hard to build code stairs in these small cabins and still have floor space below. I had 12 ft of space including landings and a hallway under the stairs I did not want to take head room from. The bottom of the stairs went against a 6 ft wide wall so the very top cut into a corner about 8 inches leaving me a 24 inch landing in front of them on the bottom and around 4 ft at the top. That is why I am putting a post down on that end away from the open kitchen space figured it could be made into a coat rack pole later if needed. Mark

MSW · January 31, 2008, 08:57:20 PM

Thanks for the info. We just bought 10 acres in northern Michigan this past summer and put up a small cabin with a loft. Everyone advises us to use a pull down attic ladder; I just can't see that happening. Its one of the reason's your design is so appealing. It would be perfect

Redoverfarm · January 31, 2008, 09:30:31 PM

Mark was wondering whether you are catching any of the bad snows in your state. Been on the national news here. Some blizzard.

Sassy · January 31, 2008, 09:34:05 PM

wow! really nice job

Willy · January 31, 2008, 09:50:10 PM

Quote from: MSW on January 31, 2008, 08:57:20 PM
Thanks for the info. We just bought 10 acres in northern Michigan this past summer and put up a small cabin with a loft. Everyone advises us to use a pull down attic ladder; I just can't see that happening. Its one of the reason's your design is so appealing. It would be perfect

I forgot to measure the rest of it but the steps are set on 63 degs. I hope this helps. Mark

January 31, 2008, 09:54:41 PM

A very good way to measure steps is with a framing square -- how much rise to how much run.

Something like 12/7 pitch on yours? Off square, 12 inches up then 7 inches over to the nose of the next step? this can vary as even though the step is 7 inches wide it may be under the nose of the next step up, so true run could be less.

Willy · January 31, 2008, 09:58:45 PM

Quote from: Redoverfarm on January 31, 2008, 09:30:31 PM
Mark was wondering whether you are catching any of the bad snows in your state. Been on the national news here. Some blizzard.

Not sure we have about 2 feet of snow on the ground from before and it has been snowing off and on all winter along with being down to sub zero temps up into the 30s once in a blue moon since Late Oct! I try not to let it get me down to much cause it won't go away till April. Just took this picture off my porch a couple days ago of the county snow blower cleaning our road out again. Mark

Willy · January 31, 2008, 10:12:06 PM

Quote from: glenn kangiser on January 31, 2008, 09:54:41 PM
A very good way to measure steps is with a framing square -- how much rise to how much run.

Something like 12/7 pitch on yours? Off square, 12 inches up then 7 inches over to the nose of the next step? this can vary as even though the step is 7 inches wide it may be under the nose of the next step up, so true run could be less.

Sounds right because there is 1/2" under the nose on the steps on the 7 1/4 inch boards and first step is 10 1/2 inches off the ground and the 8th step is the floor on the loft all set at aprox 12 1/4 inches. I just learned how to use the framing square to build steps but could not flip it on my graph paper. Probley should have tried to lay them out with it but I used a sheet of plywood for the square and layed the sides on it and measured the heck out of it insted. I wanted to make sure they ended up level and fit perfect on the 8 ft high floor when I build it later. I sometimes do things the strange way being self taught and need to see it full scale insted of just thinking it was right. Mark

glenn kangiser · January 31, 2008, 10:32:54 PM

I usually still lay them out on the ground to double check things. I do the math to get the height for each step and how many and they work out fine.

I made the last one from steel and didn't want them to be off.

Willy · January 31, 2008, 10:49:49 PM

Quote from: glenn kangiser on January 31, 2008, 10:32:54 PM
I usually still lay them out on the ground to double check things. I do the math to get the height for each step and how many and they work out fine.

I made the last one from steel and didn't want them to be off.

I weld also and was thinking of doing them out of steel but the Wife said no. Proley cheaper out of wood steel step treads are thru the roof. Becides it is time to start warming up on my wood cuts again done enought welding for a while building the water tender. Mark H.

Woodswalker · February 01, 2008, 11:07:13 AM

Mark,

Nice job on the stairs. A secure handrail will go a long way toward helping a cabin newbie who has had maybe one brew make it into the sack.

A friend who now lives up the hill from my cabin (near L. Curlew & town of Republic) recently sent several pics. At first I didn't recognize my own driveway with the over 2' of snow. In a couple pics from the bottom of the hill, the cabin is just a brown speck in a white landscape. Can see a mound of snow on top of the travel trailer, so guess the roof hasn't yet caved in. I'll try to post a couple pics later today. Snoqualmie Pass (I-90) over the Cascades has been closed most of the last several days due to avalanche danger and work (exlosives). Hundreds of semi's are waiting on both sides. The gov just declared an emergency in 15 eastern WA counties to help local govts with snow removal. Snow depths in most locations in the Cascades are double normal.

Any idea what price you may be asking for the land/cabin when done? I have friends who might be interested.

Steve
sprestin@aol.com

February 01, 2008, 11:50:15 AM

We haven't been getting this blizard snow storm there talking about on the news? It is going around my home but I still have 2 ft of snow on the ground. In looking at land cabin packages others are selling it will be in the 80-90+K range depending on my total time and outgoing cost is. This is a price for some one who makes good money and just wants it done and does not have the abilitys or time to do it there selves. I know a cabin can be built for less if you buy the land and do it all but I am not just doing this for fun only(I do enjoy building) I am also tring to make a income to. Mark