Constructing Staircases, Balustrades & Landings: (Building Basics Series)

Rating:
Summary: This book has everything I needed.
Review: I purchased every book I could find on staircase building including _Basic Stairbuilding_ (usefull but not as straightforward as this one) and _Stair Builders Handbook_ (absolutely useless - don't waste your money).

This book (Constructing Staircases...) contained the clearest diagrams and language that was easy for someone with no construction background to understand. I've used it exclusively to plan the construction of my staircase and am ready to begin building.

Most of the reviews of this book are negative. I don't really understand why. If you want to build a staircase and have very little construction experience, this is the book you need. Building a staircase isn't rocket science but is reasonably complex as far as construction goes. Good luck!

Rating:
Summary: Great Inexpensive Staircase Book!
Review: I purchased the "Constructing Staircases, Balustrades & Landings" book after getting frustrated by the lack of details in the general purpose books out there, reguarding stairs.

The book is GREAT! I learned a LOT about the basics in just the first two chapters. At under [$$], this book is a steal if you are looking for info on making your own staircase!

Rating:
Summary: Not useful for railings
Review: I'm in the process of remodeling my house and am replacing a stair railing. I used information from instructions the stair parts manufacturers produce and help from a stair parts salesman to figure out the parts I would need but needed some additional help in actually installing it. I found this book at a woodworking show and thought I was set. Unfortunately almost all it covers is the design and constructions of the stairs themselves. The design and construction of the railing is barely touched on. I got more information from the manufacturer's instructions and the instructions that came with some of the installation hardware.

I can't really comment on how good the stair construction information is since that's not what I was interested in, but I can't recommend this at all if your looking for information on stair railing design and construction.

If you're looking for railing information I would recommend the book "Stairs: The Best of Fine Homebuiling". (ISBN 1561581313)

Rating:
Summary: The Price Is Right - The Book Is Wrong
Review: Like the photograph on the cover, this book is not what it seems. The text is simplistic, skimming the surface of a topic that people can devote a rich lifetime to studying.

I bought it on the price and the strength of the cover photograph, because I'm Scottish (i.e. cheap), felt ambitious, and wanted to build a circular staircase from scratch.

The book doesn't touch on that subject at all. The cover "photograph" is actually a poorly-rendered computer graphic, and the text inside matches it well.

(By the way: DO NOT attempt to build a circular staircase from scratch unless you have years of woodworking under your belt, a very complete workshop at your disposal, are completely comfortable with extremely complex geometry, and have a source of income that allows you infinite free time :-)