Double winding staircase in softwood & MDF

Double Winding Staircase in softwood & MDF-Guildford.

This was another staircase built on site.

It leads from the first floor of a semi-detached house in Guildford up to a loft conversion on the second floor.

The strings (sides of the staircase) and the newels were in softwood, and the treads and risers were in MDF.

There were two winding sections, one three “kite” tread section as you step on to the staircase, turning right as you go up, then a six tread straight flight before arriving at the second three “kite” tread winding section turning again to the right and onto the second floor landing.

This staircase was directly above the staircase from the ground floor to the second floor, allowing the required minimum 2 metres of headroom between the two.

The Process

Setting out the staircase

Routing the strings

Gluing the risers into the treads

Sanding the strings before assembly

Assembling the straight flight section

Trying the newel posts and winding treads

Fitting the staircase, main section first.

Fitting the winding treads

Fitting the handrail and spindles

Installation complete, ready to be decorated and carpeted

I always find staircases extremely satisfying to do.

When done well, they add a great deal of character to any house.

In this case, there wasn’t a huge amount of space to work in while making the staircase, but it is always an advantage to have the place where the stairs are going to end up close by so that any measurements that you need during the job are there to hand and progress is not hindered.

I love getting rid of the ladder that has been used upto the point of staircase installation and standing back and enjoying a newly fitted staircase. And everyone else working on the site is always pleased to not have to carry all their tools up and down ladders anymore too!

Technorati Tags: Carpentry, guildford carpenter, guildford carpentry, handrail, joinery, kite stairs, mdf, new spindles, router, site work, softwood, staircase, surrey carpentry, winding staircase

Finished Bespoke pine Hi Fi Unit

This bespoke pine Hi Fi A/V cabinet was for a friend of mine, James.

It started when he and his wife came over for dinner one evening, and they commented on a piece of furniture we have at home that is quite distressed and has a very rustic finish.

He also showed me some photos from a magazine of coffee table that had some unusual joinery characteristics, which he said he’d like matched on the Hi Fi cabinet he wanted me to make, these were where on the corners of the unit, you could see the mortice and tenon joints that connect the components of the cabinet together. These being on show, proves that the unit is of good quality, and made of solid wood, rather than veneered chipboard or mdf.

Mortice & Tenon close-up

The timber was supplied by a local merchant to the sizes I required, and i was then able to begin gluing all the panels together for the sides and top, as well as the doors, and while they were drying, all the mortices, tenons, grooves and rebates could be applied to the various other components like the ring beam, bottom rails and legs.

Seeing as James was quite clear about what he wanted, I advised that when it came to all the ironmongery, the best thing would be to source it himself, as that way he’d be able to get exactly what he wanted for the price he wanted. I think he used the supplier Ironmongery Direct. They were able to deliver the hinges and handles etc to me directly, and once they arrived, i was able to fit them to the cabinet.

Assembling the cabinet components

Testing stains and waxes

Assembled Hi Fi Cabinet before stain or wax

Before assembling the cabinet, i spent around 2 hours wire brushing the pine components to achieve the same rustic aesthetic as the piece of furniture James first saw at my house. This basically removes the softer part of the wood grain and creates a more coarse feel to the timber and once the finish has been applied, a more rustic effect is achieved. After this, I spent more time testing a lot of different stains and waxes to achieve the right colour.

Below are a few pictures which are a kind of  “The Making Of…”

Glued Panels Drying

Grooved, morticed & rebated legs

Full length rear bottom rail will eventually support the backing

Rebating the panels

Funky random ventilation holes

Finished and delivered

The final touch to this cabinet was the 10mm thick toughened glass shelves for the Hi Fi separates to sit on. On the inside of the left and right pedestals, we used the Tonk adjustable shelving system, which allows you to adjust the height of your shelves in increments of about 20mm.

I only installed the toughened glass when i actually delivered the cabinet to James, and it was a fantastic finale to this piece. The chunky glass complimented the style and proportions of the rest of the cabinet really well.

I’m also very glad the glass fitted, which it did perfectly, phew!

I really enjoyed doing this cabinet, and would love to do something similar again. If you are interested in having your very own Hi Fi cabinet, or any other cabinet for that matter, made to your unique design in a style and size that matches your home’s interior perfectly, drop me a line!

Please feel free to leave a comment as well!

Technorati Tags: a/v cabinet, a/v unit, bespoke pine hifi cabinet, godalming carpenter, godalming carpentry, guildford carpenter, guildford carpentry, Hi fi cabinet, Hi Fi Unit, hifi cabinet, hifi unit, St johns carpenter, st johns carpentry, surrey carpentry, woking carpenter, woking carpentry