this post was submitted on 09 Nov 2026
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Making stairs is one of the most skillful jobs from a carpenters point of view. At least do said my grandad, who was a carpenter (he made stairs).
I built a two story garage and sought advice from a carpenter friend. He said the same thing then told me a story about he was hired to fix a set of stairs and while initially looking at the job tripped on a stair then ripped off a fingernail catching himself on the handrail. Stairs need to be predictable and consistent. We walk them every day without thinking about it
Making stairs that support people.
I mean, I could knock together something resembling stairs, but no-one should walk up them.
Hanging a door is the one that pisses me off. I can build fine furniture, build fine staircases, whatever you need. But hanging a door is a nightmare.
I'm not a carpenter, just a stupid homeowner. Learning how to bend hinges to fix problem doors was life changing. Especially in an older house that has shifted over time.
It's tricky to explain. Fortunately there are videos online that show how it works.
Anyway, I know that's not the same thing as hanging a door. That's much more involved.
Hanging a door is super easy*!
*only pertains to new construction in places where the workers before door installation made sure the rough opening is plumb, level, and square.
Installation in a settled house is often a massive compromise on angle, tilt, placement, and sometimes squareness. When all else fails, bending one or more hinge pins to add friction to the door is the last ditch compromise just to have something kind of work.
I'd say doors are tougher than stairs, at least stairs are stationary. If the floor isn't level where the door is swinging, that bottom gap can be.. Public bathroom worthy.
The house I live in is 4 years old and half the doors don't close right.
I don't bend the hinge pins, I bend the hinge "knuckles". That's probably what you meant.
bending the knuckles is one of several solutions for specific issues, bending the hinge pins is specifically done to keep the door from swinging freely (just in case the wall happens to be leaning enough that the doors own weight would move it). Bending the knuckles slightly adjusts the swing and orientation of the door.
My grandad might be biased, fwiw
The tricky part, I am told, is ensuring every step is the same height
Here's a video of a subway staircase where one step is slightly higher than the rest. Everyone trips.
Wait, isn't that just a hallway? Don't you want each step to be a higher height than the previous one?
where's the fun in that? Make the last step a little bit shorter or higher!
Funny story: I built the staircase heading up to my loft, and spent days sourcing the perfect planks for the risers so I'd have exactly 13 steps.
Forgot to account for the loft's floorboards and beams, now I have a 13.25-step staircase.
They do this in some castles to trip up the invaders
Not invaders but assassins. The people who belong to the castle will be used to the stairs. Any outside intruders will stumble about and therefore be heard.
That's a subtle ingenious trap.
"stumble steps"
also "trip steps"
Thats what these guys are for:
Somehow Lowe's only has these things in pressure-treated lumber. So I made my own for my stairs in my basement using regular lumber. And then my basement flooded.
It's very easy to make shitty stairs
You underestimate how bad I am at carpentering.