Fig. 3 shows the width rod. Care should always be taken to try this rod at the landing, where the two flights are connected, and allow for the stairs to fit in between the walls, just slack enough to go in their place without any trouble. They want, in fact, to drop into their place. Mark on each end of the rod the face of the skirting on the landings, and let this be the face of the wall string. Mark the centre, and set off on each side the centre line of rail, also the string and brackets. The face brackets will be the outside face of balusters.
Fig. 4 is the going rod. Of course, the going must be regulated by circumstances, but this rod must have the face of all the risers marked on it, also each springing, as shown by S S S, and the landings, doorways, &c.
Fig. 5 is the height rod, which must have landings, &c., marked on it as shown. These rods should be used to put in the landing by. The pitch board will be taken off the rods, as was before explained. Remember, a little care in setting out and working to these rods is true economy.
Fig. 6 shows how the carriages may be fastened to the floor. Let A be a fillet nailed well through the floor into the joist.
Fig. 7 shows the top and bottom carriages bolted to the trimmers at the landing. The short trimmer is sufficiently long to take the top carriages. The dotted lines show how the bottom end of the top carriages is let into the short trimmer, and bolted through. The bottom carriages cut against the long trimmer, and bolted through, as shown. It sometimes happens the short trimmer has to be blocked out from the long one, so as to receive the top carriages. In that case it is packed out sufficiently and bolted together.
Fig. 8 shows the carriages bolted to the trimmer on the top landing.
Fig. 1 shows the plan, and Fig. 2 the elevation of a part of an open or cut string. It will be seen the risers are cut like a bare face tenon 5/16 inch thick, the same thickness as the ornamental brackets, and shouldered to fit against the inside of the string. These brackets are glued and bradded to the outside face of the string, and mitred to the ends of the risers. That part of the string where the shoulder of the risers fits against, should be gauged to an exact thickness. The brackets fit close up under the ends of the treads, which project the thickness of the brackets past the strings, and mitred on the front edge to receive the return nosing and scotia, which is mitred and returned into the string, as shown at E, Fig. 1. The best method to adopt is as follows:--Get the risers shouldered and mitred, then plough the treads for the scotia; now cut off the ends of the treads as far as the mitre, which mark and cut in a little way, finishing the cut after the nosing has been worked and the stairs are together. Cut in the dovetails for the balusters, but not chop them out before the stairs are fixed. Now glue in the scotia, and, when dry, put the steps together, the same as was explained in Plate III. Then get the length of steps from the width rod, and cut them off. Gauge the risers to a width with a gauge as seen at Fig. 4. Fit the steps in the wall string, and cut out for nosing and scotia. To put them together, lay the wall string on the floor, having it straight and solid; put the steps into it, and lay the outer string on, and, with struts from the ceiling or any convenient place, force the cut string on to the shoulders of the risers, and the steps into the housing of the wall string. See that the stairs are square before doing all necessary wedging, blocking, screwing, &c. Then remove the struts and put on the brackets and return nosing, glueing and bradding the former, while the latter should only have two brads into the steps, so that they can be easily removed to fix the balusters when the handrail is fixed, after which they can be permanently nailed. The iron balusters are screwed to a block fixed for the purpose. This block is marked A, Figs. 1 and 3. The riser is reduced to allow the block to come forward, so as to get the screws well into it; it is stub-tenoned into the under side of the tread, as shown by the dotted lines, Fig. 3; it is also screwed into the back of the next tread below, and well glued and blocked. There will have to be a special baluster turned, out of pine, for a pattern, and turned a little longer to allow for shrinkage in the casting, which is about ⅛ inch to each foot. The square parts must be made to draw out of the sand when cast--that is, they must be a trifle thicker in the middle on the sides shown at Fig. 3 than they are at the edges, as they are cast in two halves. They will be drilled and countersunk for the screws after they are cast.