Handmade Wood Stairs

Amish Craftsmanship

• Originating from the Anabaptist movement in Switzerland during the 1500s, the Amish first settled in Pennsylvania in the early 1700s, establishing communities throughout North America. Their livelihood comes primarily from farming and carpentry. Amish craftsmen have a reputation for meticulous attention to detail, creating beautiful and long-lasting woodwork that includes handcrafted spiral and circular staircases and stair parts. Once manufactured, the parts are are shipped for reassembly and finish. These staircases go to new construction, remodel and historic renovation projects. Based in Thompson Falls, Montana, Premier Doors and Millworks LLC is an example of a company that sells and handles the installation of spiral and circular staircases created by Amish craftsmen. Stringers made of solid hardwood plys assure a product of exceptional strength and quality, made to last through the lifetime of the property. The structural applications include no staples or nails.

Chinese Craftsmanship

• Chinese carpenters acknowledge Lu Ban as the founder of their profession. Born in 507 B.C., Lu Ban was a civil engineer and a renowned master craftsman. He also invented carpentry tools, like the drilling hook, the stone mill, the ruler and the saw. Lu Ban advocated a high standard of morality, personal discipline and kindness to others as the most important principles. Through the centuries, other master craftsmen followed in his footsteps, creating works of art that spearheaded China’s reputation for excellence in carpentry and woodwork. Handmade wooden stairs and stair parts are among China’s finest exports. Made-in-China.com, for example, lists selected manufacturers and product details. They include acacia, beech, teak, walnut and oak stairways, stairs and stair parts, custom made or modified according to the buyer’s specifications.

Mysterious Craftsmanship

• The Loretto Chapel in Santa Fe, New Mexico, contains a choir-loft staircase built by a mysterious carpenter. Completed in 1878, the original chapel design did not provide access to the choir loft. There seemed no remedy without reducing the seating capacity. The Sisters of Loretto reportedly made a nine-day novena to the patron saint of carpenters, Saint Joseph, for a solution. On the ninth day, a man with a donkey and a toolbox came looking for work. He duly built a staircase, then disappeared without a trace and without seeking payment. This carpenter constructed a staircase with two 360-degree turns and without a single nail. Experts have no answers concerning how the staircase stands with no visible means of support, the number of stair risers relative to the height of the choir loft, and the kinds of wood used. One theory is that the mysterious carpenter was St. Joseph himself.

Ancient Kauri Craftsmanship

• New Zealand's kauri (Agathis australis) is one of the world’s largest trees, reaching heights of around 160 feet. Ancient kauris are trees that fell thousands of years ago. Preserved in underground peat swamps, they're popular for construction. An example is the Ancient Kauri internal staircase on display at the Ancient Kauri Kingdom showroom, shop and factory at Awanui in north New Zealand. Carved from a section of an enormous log, the wood used to create the staircase represents a tree that lived for 1087 years before it fell more than 45,000 years ago, according to radiocarbon dating.

Custom Craftsmanship

• Homeowners contemplating the installation of a new staircase have a world of choices. Classic to modern staircase and handrail designs, the wide selection of woods and complementary handrail materials, the size and scale of the project, the construction time required, along with maintenance and cost are among specific factors to consider. As a useful starting point, companies like Stairsmiths.com provide a library of staircase pictures to illustrate the limitless possibilities. The company works closely with homeowners to design, build and install one-of-a-kind staircases that fulfill their dreams, offering expertise and experience to assist homeowners throughout the decision-making process.