Fan steps

[RogerS]

When we bought the house, there were two semi-circular steps leading down from the hall to the sitting room. They were made from chipboard and covered in carpet. We don't 'do' carpet and so something is required.

Here's the 'hole'...something weird about the colorimetry of my phone as the actual colour of the floorboards is nowhere near that colour.





and for once the God's have been beneficent as the floorboards are pretty much centred on the doorway. Good planning on my part when I laid them :eusa-liar:

I'm thinking something along this line (top step only shown properly)



The curved vertical will be oak-veneered ply or MDF ...thin enough to bend round that radius (470mm)...mounted onto some sort of framework.

I think it needs that top semi-circular piece near the edge to act as a sort of visual marker that there is a step. No idea what to make that from. I've probably got some veneer but not constructional.

The segments were going to be constructional veneer but I think that's probably a bad idea and better to use solid wood. Thinking of pippy oak for one but for the other ? Cherry ? All suggestions welcome.

The beading round the edge of the step will be oak and I plan to cheat and see if Tyler Hardwoods can steam bend something for me.

 

[RogerS]

EDIT: Chief Designer has vetoed contrasting woods

Might be able to make something interesting out of a different wood but not oak. But whether it should be fan shaped or not, not clear to me now.

Revisit the veneer idea? There's only the two of us so we'll not wear it down.

 

[RogerM]

EDIT: Chief Designer has vetoed contrasting woods

Might be able to make something interesting out of a different wood but not oak. But whether it should be fan shaped or not, not clear to me now.

Revisit the veneer idea? There's only the two of us so we'll not wear it down.

I would think that veneer would be fine, especially if you saw your own structural veneers, say 2mm thick. After all, it's fine for engineered flooring.

 

[RogerS]

EDIT: Chief Designer has vetoed contrasting woods

Might be able to make something interesting out of a different wood but not oak. But whether it should be fan shaped or not, not clear to me now.

Revisit the veneer idea? There's only the two of us so we'll not wear it down.

I would think that veneer would be fine, especially if you saw your own structural veneers, say 2mm thick. After all, it's fine for engineered flooring.

No bandsaw good enough ! It'll be Crispin probably if we go that route. I do have a lot of veneer but suspect it's too thin.

 

[9fingers]

I think I'd go for straight steps with significant radiussed ends/corners.

To me your semicircles seem to protrude too much.

Bob

 

[Mike G]

Oooh, Roger!!!! Don't do a semi-circle. They always look wrong. The Greeks generally used 5/8ths for columns-against-walls, and 3/8ths for steps. Move the centrepoint back 9 inches into the hall. You'll thank me, I promise.

As for the curved risers.......just do them in kerfed 12mm ply, and laminate onto that. A doddle for a man of your calibre.

 

[RogerS]

Thanks both..definitely food for thought. Slight problem with moving the centre point back possibly as I did put in a bit of manky floorboard thinking it would be covered by the steps. Still might...fingers crossed. In extremis it's only a small piece and I could remove it and replace using the Fein to cut it out.

 

[RogerS]

Bang on the money, Mike





You can just about make out the outline of the smaller top step.

We've decided to extend the floorboards from the hall into the top step rather than have any fancy fan work. Or rather LOML has decided !

The elevations will be veneered by me using some European Walnut. Chief Designer always prefers having something to look at rather than look at stuff on a computer screen.

 

[AndyP]

I’m pleased you have dropped the fan. Although nice I think you have enough to do already.

 

[RogerS]

I’m pleased you have dropped the fan. Although nice I think you have enough to do already.

It gets even better. While searching various wood types on veneered board, I came across one site that would cut to size for you and sell you just the bits you need. Good price as well. Well, while cutting out the samples in the photos I was mulling about how to cut the bits and pieces, router, trammel, getting large sheets of ply in then having bits kicking around and cluttering the workshop up etc etc/

Then :idea:

Maybe there was a company out there who could cut ALL the pieces for me, the part-circles, the substrate verticals for the steps etc etc. And there is ! So I'm gonna cheat :lol: