Pinch Sticks - Stair Construction And Measuring
Pinch Sticks can be made out of two pieces of scrap plywood. Since I didn't have a picture, I created an illustration that should provide you with a pretty good idea, how they're used by stair builders.
How Do You Make Your Own Pinch Sticks?
If you need to cut stair treads for a 36 inch wide stairway, (like the
picture above) all you need to do is cut two pieces of scrap plywood, 24
inches long and about 3 inches longer than the width of your stair
treads.
After you've cut your pieces, simply lay them on top of the area, where
you will be installing your new stair treads. Place one on top of the
other and then you can push one of them, up against one side and the
other up against the opposite side and then, use a couple of
C clamps to
clamp the two boards together.
After you have clamp them together, you can take the Pinch Sticks off of
the stairway and then use them as a pattern to mark each side of your
new stair tread. This provides you with an accurate measurement of the
stair tread width.
This also provides you with a pattern for any angle imperfections, just
in case one side or the other side isn't perfectly square. You can also
use Pinch Sticks for other construction projects, like countertops and
shelves.
Stairs / Stair Glossary
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