Comments on: Drawing a Volute http://www.thisiscarpentry.com/2009/07/15/drawing-a-volute/ A new eMagazine BY carpenters, FOR carpenters. Sat, 04 Feb 2012 12:04:43 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Joe /2009/07/15/drawing-a-volute/#comment-37575 Joe Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:48:21 +0000 http://www.thisiscarpentry.com/?p=1807#comment-37575 I NEVER thought in a " million years " that there could be anyone who would address the layout, mathematics and fabrication of handrailing like the way it's done in this article along with the videos. !! For years I read evrything and anything in regards to any type of handrail layout, BUT, this is " the real deal " !! NOW that we know we have " accomplished, experienced and eager " craftsmen to RESURRECT the techniques of one of thee most beautiful and appreciated trades ( Carpentry , Millwork etc ), when can we expect actual courses of instruction ? I believe there are thousands of novice carpenters / woodworkers " out there ", standing patiently for a chance to bring their skills " to a whole new level " !! Can we find an existing teaching venue ( they ARE out there ) like the Marc SAdmas School, North Bennett School, etc that will begin teaching the art and practice of circular stairbuilding and handrailing ? We ALL owe it to our children to teach them, ( trades and skills ) that could die forever !! If we had more interesting things like this to learn in schools, kids wouldn't be " hooked up " to video games ALL day long. I never knew what a" wreath " was until I read this article, and NOW I am amazed at the " a layout " of the spiral of a volute !! This " site " is almost too good to be true !! God bless all of you for sharing what some I suppose would want to harbor for personal reasons !! I am by no means a " professional ", but at trade shows I always seem to teach the presenters something they always taught ...just a litte better. I always believed and always will, that you can learn something from anyone. Keep up the good work !! Does anyone know what a " banana miter is " ? !! I NEVER thought in a ” million years ” that there could be anyone who would address the layout, mathematics and fabrication of handrailing like the way it’s done in this article along with the videos. !!
For years I read evrything and anything in regards to any type of handrail layout, BUT, this is ” the real deal ” !!
NOW that we know we have ” accomplished, experienced and eager ” craftsmen to RESURRECT the techniques of one of thee most beautiful and appreciated trades ( Carpentry , Millwork etc ), when can we expect actual courses of instruction ? I believe there are thousands of novice carpenters / woodworkers ” out there “, standing patiently for a chance to bring their skills ” to a whole new level ” !!
Can we find an existing teaching venue ( they ARE out there ) like the Marc SAdmas School, North Bennett School, etc that will begin teaching the art and practice of circular stairbuilding and handrailing ?
We ALL owe it to our children to teach them, ( trades and skills ) that could die forever !!
If we had more interesting things like this to learn in schools, kids wouldn’t
be ” hooked up ” to video games ALL day long.
I never knew what a” wreath ” was until I read this article, and NOW I am amazed at the ” a layout ” of the spiral of a volute !!
This ” site ” is almost too good to be true !! God bless all of you for sharing what some I suppose would want to harbor for personal reasons !!
I am by no means a ” professional “, but at trade shows I always seem to teach the presenters something they always taught …just a litte better.
I always believed and always will, that you can learn something from anyone.
Keep up the good work !!
Does anyone know what a ” banana miter is ” ? !!

]]> By: Jed /2009/07/15/drawing-a-volute/#comment-35945 Jed Thu, 29 Dec 2011 18:03:41 +0000 http://www.thisiscarpentry.com/?p=1807#comment-35945 How do we get our customers-architects and homeowners- to let us do what we do best? How do we encourage them to let us participate in the design process? How do we get them to respect us as carpenters and artisans? This struggle is a huge part of my work and even of my identity as a craftsman,and I firmly believe that it's a fight that all of us should join in. Of course, the first thing is to be worthy of respect. We should learn our craft so well that we know more that an architect ever could- after all, they have to know a little about every trade, and they can never be a master of all of them. This includes the history of our craft too, and as much of the history of architecture as we can learn. This is a lifetime commitment. We also have to learn how to present ourselves-that's not too easy either. I mean you can't wear a necktie on the jobsite (like some of the old guys did when I started!). But the gray hair helps, I've found. Finally, you've got to fight. You've got to invite yourself to design meetings. You've got to do your own shop drawings and make a case for them. You've got to stand up for yourself, and often, I'm sorry to say, you have to be willing to do extra work for the same money to be allowed to do work that you can be proud of. How do we get our customers-architects and homeowners- to let us do what we do best? How do we encourage them to let us participate in the design process? How do we get them to respect us as carpenters and artisans? This struggle is a huge part of my work and even of my identity as a craftsman,and I firmly believe that it’s a fight that all of us should join in.

Of course, the first thing is to be worthy of respect. We should learn our craft so well that we know more that an architect ever could- after all, they have to know a little about every trade, and they can never be a master of all of them. This includes the history of our craft too, and as much of the history of architecture as we can learn. This is a lifetime commitment.

We also have to learn how to present ourselves-that’s not too easy either. I mean you can’t wear a necktie on the jobsite (like some of the old guys did when I started!). But the gray hair helps, I’ve found. Finally, you’ve got to fight. You’ve got to invite yourself to design meetings. You’ve got to do your own shop drawings and make a case for them. You’ve got to stand up for yourself, and often, I’m sorry to say, you have to be willing to do extra work for the same money to be allowed to do work that you can be proud of.

]]> By: Kyle Hepp /2009/07/15/drawing-a-volute/#comment-35377 Kyle Hepp Mon, 26 Dec 2011 19:23:27 +0000 http://www.thisiscarpentry.com/?p=1807#comment-35377 I can't express enough thanks for this. I have been building stairs for well over a decade now, and while I have made quite a few volutes and wreath-rail, I have never really understood how to lay them out properly, -until now! a few general guidelines and just "Making it" now seems so primitive (and until I watched these videos a couple times, I had always prided myself on being able to just make what's needed with my hands and tools... -no more, now that I have this knowledge, I can begin to truly perfect my crafts to accurately prescribed results. and that is a LOT easier to sell to a client! The part where you say it is best to build the handrail FIRST, then the stair, -then the rest of the house... I believe it, -I KNOW this is the right order of things, but how to convince the builder, owner, architect -or whomever is writing the checks... -How to convey this?? THAT would make a great follow-up article, and one I would love to see! Perhaps 10% of the stairs I have built in the past 15yrs have been planned and built BEFORE the rest of the house. I can provide templates for the framer, the plasterer,, and make things very easy for everyone involved, and the final product is the best I can possibly deliver! -the other 90% of the time, I show up to a mess of a framed up stair, or a concrete stair and am asked to make it look like something off the pages of Architectural Digest (within a $4-$8k budget of course !) What do you say to your clients to assure the priorities are kept in order? I can’t express enough thanks for this. I have been building stairs for well over a decade now, and while I have made quite a few volutes and wreath-rail, I have never really understood how to lay them out properly, -until now!
a few general guidelines and just “Making it” now seems so primitive (and until I watched these videos a couple times, I had always prided myself on being able to just make what’s needed with my hands and tools… -no more, now that I have this knowledge, I can begin to truly perfect my crafts to accurately prescribed results. and that is a LOT easier to sell to a client!
The part where you say it is best to build the handrail FIRST, then the stair, -then the rest of the house…
I believe it, -I KNOW this is the right order of things, but how to convince the builder, owner, architect -or whomever is writing the checks…
-How to convey this?? THAT would make a great follow-up article, and one I would love to see! Perhaps 10% of the stairs I have built in the past 15yrs have been planned and built BEFORE the rest of the house. I can provide templates for the framer, the plasterer,, and make things very easy for everyone involved, and the final product is the best I can possibly deliver! -the other 90% of the time, I show up to a mess of a framed up stair, or a concrete stair and am asked to make it look like something off the pages of Architectural Digest (within a $4-$8k budget of course !)
What do you say to your clients to assure the priorities are kept in order?

]]> By: Tim Kuist /2009/07/15/drawing-a-volute/#comment-25262 Tim Kuist Thu, 25 Aug 2011 13:26:28 +0000 http://www.thisiscarpentry.com/?p=1807#comment-25262 Excellent article! I have been struggling for weeks now about how to cut & carve a wreath. And here it is, easy as pie! Thank you, all, for sharing this knowledge. This is a great site! Tim Excellent article! I have been struggling for weeks now about how to cut & carve a wreath. And here it is, easy as pie! Thank you, all, for sharing this knowledge. This is a great site!

Tim

]]> By: Gary Katz /2009/07/15/drawing-a-volute/#comment-1006 Gary Katz Fri, 16 Apr 2010 13:37:32 +0000 http://www.thisiscarpentry.com/?p=1807#comment-1006 Rob, Good catch! That video was missing! We didn't even notice it until Todd started laying out the story the second time. It's nice to be able to make changes to an article AFTER it's "published"! Gary Rob,
Good catch! That video was missing! We didn’t even notice it until Todd started laying out the story the second time. It’s nice to be able to make changes to an article AFTER it’s “published”!
Gary

]]> By: Rob Potter /2009/07/15/drawing-a-volute/#comment-1001 Rob Potter Fri, 16 Apr 2010 10:50:58 +0000 http://www.thisiscarpentry.com/?p=1807#comment-1001 Thanks for such a great article. This was the one that really hooked me in to what you guys are doing here at TIC back when it was first published in E mag form. You simply wont find content like this anywhere else these days. I've been slowly making my way through some century old books on the subject of stairbuilding and handrailing. This article is such a compliment to these texts. It is invaluable to see the drawings of the wreath developed step by step and line by line. And the videos are great too, especially the one where the rough wreath emerges from the block at the band saw. Thanks for including the video on drawing the ellipse that I believe was missing from the original version. Thanks for such a great article. This was the one that really hooked me in to what you guys are doing here at TIC back when it was first published in E mag form. You simply wont find content like this anywhere else these days. I’ve been slowly making my way through some century old books on the subject of stairbuilding and handrailing. This article is such a compliment to these texts. It is invaluable to see the drawings of the wreath developed step by step and line by line. And the videos are great too, especially the one where the rough wreath emerges from the block at the band saw. Thanks for including the video on drawing the ellipse that I believe was missing from the original version.

]]> By: Greg /2009/07/15/drawing-a-volute/#comment-982 Greg Thu, 15 Apr 2010 18:52:29 +0000 http://www.thisiscarpentry.com/?p=1807#comment-982 Great Contribution! This lost art can be cost effective if you dare to delve into CAD, and are tired of many generic canned choices available. It takes a couple months to get the hang of it, but once you do it is hard to go back. Great Demonstration on layout! This should help everyone (in their minds eye) visualize how each piece of the puzzle fits together. Very thourough and easy to understand. Great Contribution! This lost art can be cost effective if you dare to delve into CAD, and are tired of many generic canned choices available. It takes a couple months to get the hang of it, but once you do it is hard to go back. Great Demonstration on layout! This should help everyone (in their minds eye) visualize how each piece of the puzzle fits together. Very thourough and easy to understand.

]]> By: Brett /2009/07/15/drawing-a-volute/#comment-957 Brett Wed, 14 Apr 2010 20:59:04 +0000 http://www.thisiscarpentry.com/?p=1807#comment-957 I love this article. Obviously technology is killing man's freehand ability to construct double axis shapes, yet here is an example of restoring and preserving these concepts. I love this article. Obviously technology is killing man’s freehand ability to construct double axis shapes, yet here is an example of restoring and preserving these concepts.

]]> By: john /2009/07/15/drawing-a-volute/#comment-889 john Sun, 11 Apr 2010 18:13:11 +0000 http://www.thisiscarpentry.com/?p=1807#comment-889 Excellent article! Excellent article!

]]> By: Jim Baldwin /2009/07/15/drawing-a-volute/#comment-885 Jim Baldwin Sun, 11 Apr 2010 15:28:21 +0000 http://www.thisiscarpentry.com/?p=1807#comment-885 The bottom of the rail was plowed and the spacer blocks were added between each baluster. You can't see from the picture, but every baluster was also custom turned (by someone) to follow the ascent of the volute. I also can't take any credit for the field installation but I am quite sure the trim carpenter had a lot of "fun" cutting all those little spacers. This kind of work used to be typical but today seems a bit extraordinary. The bottom of the rail was plowed and the spacer blocks were added between each baluster. You can’t see from the picture, but every baluster was also custom turned (by someone) to follow the ascent of the volute.

I also can’t take any credit for the field installation but I am quite sure the trim carpenter had a lot of “fun” cutting all those little spacers. This kind of work used to be typical but today seems a bit extraordinary.

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