Create a new stair

In this video we will learn how to select a new stair project from the list of models, set up general dimensions and parameters, and add components like the strings, handrails and newel posts.

To begin, open the StairDesigner software which will give you a Start menu with 3 options, and choose the 1st option called New Multi-Flight Stair. Alternatively, you can also close the pop-up Start menu and click at the top left of the screen on the New Stair Multi-Flight Winding icon, or alternatively click on the File menu and >New Stair Multi-Flight Winding option.

We will concentrate on the Models tab in the New Stair menu that has opened from the previous step. We have models to choose from including Stair Without Landing and Stair With Landing. For our example we are going to select Model #2 which is a quarter-turn stair with winders.

We now have a range of parameters listed below:

• The first one listed is Method, which is a group of preset ways to build the stairs so that you can apply them very quickly; StairDesigner’s Quick Design libraries come with a variety of methods, or you can create your own. We’ll look at this in another video
• Next in the parameters we have Floor Height, which is the height of the stair from one landing to the next, which is normally going to be the ground floor to the first floor
• Next we have Rotation which indicates if we want the stair to turn to the left or the right
• After that is the Length of Flight 1; in the image on the right, it is the length from the red line at the bottom of the stair design, which is the first step, to the top of the image, which is the back of the stringer of the second flight, so where the stringer would be touching the wall, if there was a wall in this project, if you play around with changing the length to 2 meters, you can see how it changes the image of the stair design on the right of the menu box
• Next is Width of Flight 1 per meter, which is the width of the overall stairs, so the distance from the outside of the strings
• Next in the list of parameters is Length of Flight 2, this is measured from the red line on the right of the stairs image, which is the nosing of the last step, to the left of the image, which is the back of the stringer of the first flight
• There is a Landing Step parameter, which is currently set at 0mm, meaning there is no landing step, but normally you are going to want to add one in; we can adjust the size to 100mm, or whichever length you choose, to add it in, we can now see it applied in the image

Below those parameters are Components, which lists the elements that you want to add to your stairs:

• Stringboards, which are currently selected to be on the left and right, but which we can remove by clicking the drop down menu and selecting No
• Handrails which are selected to be on the right, and which we can see in the image as the green handrail
• Lateral Cut Strings which we can add if we want
• Newel Posts which are selected to be on the right with the handrail

By clicking OK we will now create the stairs. We can now see a 2D plan view of the stairs. Let’s add some more details by going to the View menu and click to:

• Display Handrails, which are now shown in green
• Display Risers which are now shown by the dashed lines
• Step Numbering which adds a number to each step
• Step Dimensions which shows the dimensions of each step; please note that the dimensions are not shown in the Free/Demo version of StairDesigner as they are part of the manufacturing details

Click the solid green box icon along the top of the screen to show the 3D View which will show our stairs in 3D. Now click on the new tab that popped up called ‘Stair1-3D’ and click New Vertical Tab Group so that we can see the 2D plan version of the stairs side-by-side with the 3D version.

Finally click the blue disk icon at the top of the screen to save the stairs, or alternatively click the File menu and click >Save As. Type in a new file name, select where you want to save the file to, and click OK.

Thanks very much for watching this video.