A No-Weld Spiral Staircase

David A. Griffith

Though center-column spiral staircases are structurally simple, they are not particularly easy to build. The fact that they are generally made of metal makes them especially challenging for any shop not equipped for welding. As a university Technical Director faced with this problem, I turned to physics lab technicians for help. With their advice (and the use of some of their equipment) my carpenters turned out a sturdy 10′-tall spiral staircase that uses plywood and PVC pipe instead of metal as the main components. Other non-welding shops should find the design described here just as useful as I did.

FIGURE 1: PARTS & MATERIALS

CONSTRUCTION

Figure 1 identifies the parts and materials this staircase ...

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