See ABPW for shot of old stair.
I am rebuilding a stairway and I am looking for ideas of how to attach new
spindles to new stair treads and to the original banister.
I am inclined to miter on the end of the stair tread as in the original as
it shows side grain and extends beyond the tread on the right-hand end. This
is tricky as it is a side to end grain joint. I plan in splining it together
and just gluing the forward end, allowing the back (right in this view) side
of the end to float.
I would appreciate any thoughts on this part.
The current spindles are beveled and butted up against the underside of the
banister and toe-nailed.
My plan is to bevel and but the new spindles, but to toe-screw them, with a
finish (small head) screw. I think boring holes in the underside of the
banister might be really tricky. I would be really screwed if the holes did
not end up directly over the mortises/screwholes on the bottom
The bottom is where I'm waffling. If it use a double-ended screw (I'm not
sure what they are called) I will get superior resistance to pulling, but it
will make it tough to prebevel the top, as I will only bottom out the
screw(s) at a particular rotational orientation.
The other option would be to cut square mortises as in the original, but
screw them into the endgrain of the main oak stairtread to secure them.
Or a different approach:
1. before assembly, mark the exact position of the tops of the old spindles
on the banister.
2. install new treads
3. bore holes in the underside of the banister
4. install banister
5. Mark screw holes on new treads with a plumb bob
6. Remove banister
7. Install new spindles with double-screws
8. Install banister onto spindles
Any alternative ideas or thoughts on these approaches would be appreciated.
-Steve