Stair spindle spacing question

[Jbonevia]

Hi,

First time poster but long time reader, very much enjoy coming here and reading all the threads.

I need some advice on stair spindle spacing, I am putting in some new stair spindles (replacing solid plywood sheeting that was there!).

I have spaced the spindles at 95mm but unfortunately when I got to the top i'm left with an odd gap. It's a little too large to not put an extra spindle in.

Should I
a) put a spindle in where the offcut is placed now, which will leave a very small gap (20mm) between the last spindle and the top of the staircase.

b) put a spindle in but butt it up against the top railing, this will give me a approx. 110mm gap which may look out of place with the other spindles

c) do something else?

Any advice appreciated!

 

[Myfordman]

The spacing must be such that a 100mm sphere will not pass through anywhere. End of.

 

[Scottdimelow]

It's a tricky one, but I think it just comes down to what you feel will look best.

Or you could start again and adjust the spacing

 

[red dave]

Hi,

First time poster but long time reader, very much enjoy coming here and reading all the threads.

I need some advice on stair spindle spacing, I am putting in some new stair spindles (replacing solid plywood sheeting that was there!).

I have spaced the spindles at 95mm but unfortunately when I got to the top i'm left with an odd gap. It's a little too large to not put an extra spindle in.

Should I
a) put a spindle in where the offcut is placed now, which will leave a very small gap (20mm) between the last spindle and the top of the staircase.

b) put a spindle in but butt it up against the top railing, this will give me a approx. 110mm gap which may look out of place with the other spindles

c) do something else?


I would put a spindle in if you can. You should of set them at 100mm spacings.
Any advice appreciated!

 

[t8hants]

If I making it I would half the last gap and have two equal last spacings, another posibility is to fill in the last gap, or fatten the face of the post.

G

 

[Roughcut]

If 95mm spacing doesn't work I think I would try a smaller spacing.
I would take the overall width measurement and divide by 94mm then 93mm and so on in descending order until you get a whole number for the spindles required.

Example: A width of 2125mm divided by 85mm spacing requires 25 spindles.

 

[Jbonevia]

Thank you for the replies. Thinking about it, it is going to annoy me if I try to work around it so will I will adjust the spacing to suit.

I think if I come up closer to 100mm spacing across all the spindles it should take this gap out. Will do some careful measurements and maths first this time!

 

[=Adam=]

I have used a formula to calculate this for a few years and it works great every time!

1) measure the length of the base rail
2) measure the width of the spindle, especially if you are angling the spindles for the strings.
3) approximate how many spindles you require, I use a rough calculation of 2 per tread, or one per 5"
4) multiply the spindles by the width per spindle
5) minus the figure from step 4 from the overall length of the base rail
6) divide the answer from 5 by (the number of spindles + 1)
7) cut a set of infill blocks and check the overall gap between the spindles
8) step the blocks out over the whole length, to just make 100% certain that you are right.

Step 8 is not essential, but is worth doing if it is a high value stair case.

I know this may sound long winded, but it takes about 2 minutes when you are used to it, and it makes for a much nicer looking set of spindles. I have used this method on stair cases worth £10,000+ and have never had a complaint about the spacings.

I hope this helps someone

 

[wrightwoodwork]

If I'm doing spindles on a stair I put how many I think I need. So if I put in 12, there will be 13 spaces. I measure the distance of the space left and divide by 13. If the answer come to 103 then add another spindle and divide the space left by 14. Then using a chop saw very accurately measure the first infill piece and set a stop. Then when fitting when I get about 2/3 rds the way along check the space is still working good if not then change a millimeter so it is not obvious to the eye. Then on the last 2 or 3 check again and make a nessary adjustment if needed.