A Simplified Guide to Custom Stairbuilding and Tangent Handrailing

Rating:
Summary: Essential for advanced stairbuilding
Review: More easily understood than "Treatise on Stairbuilding". I have consulted this book on many occasions, and it has never let me down. Well written, but will take some study to master the vast amount of information contained in the book. This book is not for the geometrically challenged.

Rating:
Summary: Essential for advanced stairbuilding
Review: More easily understood than "Treatise on Stairbuilding". I have consulted this book on many occasions, and it has never let me down. Well written, but will take some study to master the vast amount of information contained in the book. This book is not for the geometrically challenged.

Rating:
Summary: A Little Misleading
Review: The title and even the example pages that are viewable are very misleading to the actual content of the book. I did not pay close enough attention to the chaper/page breakdown. Only a third of the book has anything to do with the construction of the stairs, and the rest is covering handrail design construction. The information in the first two sections did not provide me with any usable info on how to build a staircase. If you are building a very complex railing system, this may be a good purchase, otherwise, save your money.

Rating:
Summary: A Little Misleading
Review: The title and even the example pages that are viewable are very misleading to the actual content of the book. I did not pay close enough attention to the chaper/page breakdown. Only a third of the book has anything to do with the construction of the stairs, and the rest is covering handrail design construction. The information in the first two sections did not provide me with any usable info on how to build a staircase. If you are building a very complex railing system, this may be a good purchase, otherwise, save your money.

Rating:
Summary: The really useful book out there
Review: This is the only book available that one can actually use to learn tangent handrailing, and classical stair design. This is an advanced text for the architectural woodworker with some grounding in stairbuilding. If this describes your situation, buy the book, glue up some practice blanks out of construction lumber, and begin your exploration of a fascinating craft. Mowatt is a great conversation piece on the bookshelf, but the only reason I know what he's talking about is owed to the time I spent with DiChristina's book. My copy is somewhat beaten-up due to the time it has spent on the workbench. I am grateful to the author for the clearest and best organized book on this subject.

Rating:
Summary: The really useful book out there
Review: This is the only book available that one can actually use to learn tangent handrailing, and classical stair design. This is an advanced text for the architectural woodworker with some grounding in stairbuilding. If this describes your situation, buy the book, glue up some practice blanks out of construction lumber, and begin your exploration of a fascinating craft. Mowatt is a great conversation piece on the bookshelf, but the only reason I know what he's talking about is owed to the time I spent with DiChristina's book. My copy is somewhat beaten-up due to the time it has spent on the workbench. I am grateful to the author for the clearest and best organized book on this subject.