if i was going to make a winding staircase. how would i get the wooden handrail curved?

Answer 1

I have a home made rail. Here is how i did it.

I constructed a circular stairway based upon a true radius laid out with a vertical pole in the room itself . My radius was about 8 feet to the drywall. Then i built the stairs threads using 3/8 plywood for the risers glued together with screws and polyurethane glue. Then i glued cleats to the plywood to screw the threads onto. That finished the basic stairs.

To make the rail i bought a 15 foot piece of standard rail at the a lumber supply house. Lowes did not have a long enough rail. Then i took it onto a table saw and cut about an inch of material out of the center, taking two saw cuts to do that. You will need a darn powerful saw motor to do that I bought a special 2 HP motor to drive my Craftsman and added another V belt. That left two flimbsy pieces i could easily bend and they make up the outside of the rail profile when glued up as described below.

Then i went to a local sawmill and bought a freshly cut GREEN white ASH board about an inch thick which i ran thru my planer to smooth it out on both sides good I sawed it down to about 4 inches. wide. That will be used for the center piece as it is eaily bent because it is green and pliable.

Then i took Cleats and mounted them on each stair rail extending them to the edge This on the very outer corner of the stair thread. Then i took "C clamps and clamped up the 3 pieces as i went along catching each cleat and following the stairway as i went along. That gave me an EXACT bend to match my stairway . I glued up using a high quality Carpeters glue.

Next i took and drilled my holes for the balisters in the stair threads and inserted those. Then i took that rail which id cleaned up with a hand plane and belt sander and placed it on top of the balisters which were set in a dead vertical position. I marked he hole positions on the newly glued rail and then took a core drill and drilled those holes to size of the balister top diameter, you will have to kind of judge that angle, but being dead on isnt that important, those balisters will still go into the rail.

The rest is kind of standard stair construction, the bottom round and the top mount post so i wont go cover that with you.

I do wish i could show you this stairway of mine I am proud of it .. It is the second one i have built and it is really gorgeous.

Answer 2

You can build a steamer box to make the wood curve. I have made one out of 6" pvc pipe. It was 15' long and on one end it had a 6" cap that I had a fitting hooked up to in the center of the cap.I used a device that built up steam, and then the steam was injected into the fitting , then into the 6" pipe, with the section of wood into it. The other end of the 6" pipe had a solid cap to it as well, and could be removed easily after about 10-15 minutes of steam. When I removed the wood from the 6" pipe, I was then able to curve it in any direction I wanted, but you have to be ready and do it fast as the wood will harden up again real quick

Answer 3

Unless you are highly skilled-its a custom job. Option two would be to search local and online architectural salvage businesses. You could find a nice georgian or victorian curved stair set that could be adapted for your use. This may not work if you are going to have this inspected. Building codes are strict regarding rise versus run, materials, baluster distances etc of stairs., and often will not allow a curved staircase if it is the only stairs in the home.

Answer 4

Companies that manufacture wooden stair parts make a handrail that is made up of several pieces that you laminate together on the stairs. The pieces are about 3/8 inches thick and have a sort of T&G spline that keeps them aligned. I have installed one of these stair railings. The process is a bit involved but not as complicated and finishes very professional looking. It is all solid wood. If you need a source for the laminate railing, e-mail me.

Answer 5

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Answer 6

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Answer 7

This is what i've done ,the staircase is made out of wrought iron and so is the handrailing,now upholster the railing to co-ordinate it with your home decor,it looks fab and less trouble to get done.

Answer 8

If you make a jig for the arc of the wood, you can cut thin pieces of the wood you want to use and glue it all together inside the jig. This is known as laminating.

Answer 9

Most spirals are custom so the rail will also be custom on site!