Railings and Final Assembly

Here's the cutout for the upper floor, quick specs the long flat sides are 2 3/4" long, just enough to allow the step to clear the hole.

Here's a shot of the hole, ours looks a little bit different. We had a previous hole for another staircase that just didn't fly, but it worked out in the end :angry: .

I'm sure there are many ways and out of many things to make a handrail, since we went with the old iron look we are using an old necklace we had laying around.

I'll problably use hot glue to hold it onto the spindles. Whatever you decide to use can't be to heavy or it will bow the steps.

Here is the template for the placement of the spindles on the upper floor. This should measure at the long side 6 1/4" and the width from the peak of the arc to flat side 3 1/8". Take the template and align the center hole on the flat edge with the point of the 'V' cutout in the floor.

Now mark all the holes along the outside curve, depending on where you have the hole for the steps you may not use all of the holes. Once marked, take the 5/64" drill bit and drill all the spots you marked.

Depending on what finish you are going to use you may want to do that before putting them in the holes with a dab of glue.

This is a rough draft of what it will look like (There's going to be a wall on the right so I won't need all the spindles)

Use the same template that you marked the floor spindles with for the upper railing. To make the rail, notice on the template the very inside curved line. Cut at that line and you now have the template for the railing.

Make 2 copies of the rail, on one mark the holes from the template and drill them out so you can attach the dowels(spindles) and leave the other one blank. Carefully glue them together, try not to get glue in the holes they'll be a pain to clean out.

Depending on the placement of the stairs you may need to do a little customization of the railing. (Example, like mine you may only use half of the rail or notch it for a wall, etc...)

Now for the installation into the house, assuming all the finish work is done, rails are up, handrail is on the steps and so on. Take a final measurement on the floor to ceiling and measure again the main center post including the base, trim the remaining dowel to the exact measurement. If your beads that you got have different sizes use a couple of the small ones and glue them on just to take up the rest of the dowel, if you don't have small ones you may have to cut one of the larger ones to fit, but do not go past where you trimmed it or the steps won't fit. Here's a pic of the beads that we used it has different sizes in it.

Now I know you have been wondering what the carpet tape is for well here it is. Carefully lay the steps on their side, take a 2" piece of carpet tape and place it in the middle of the bottom of the base. Now before you are ready to install the steps, peel the backing of the tape and put a dab of glue on the bead on the center post, them lean it up itno the hole and make sure you have it where you want it. Push down on the base to set the tape and wa-la you have a spiral staircase.