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Stair and balustrade terms (RSOS lists)
The stair styles, components, balustrade components, joinery techniques and layout lists given in RSOS Task H-19.
What this page covers
This page collects the lists that RSOS Task H-19 (Builds stairs and balustrades) gives. Many of these lists repeat across the layout, machining, assembly and installation sub-tasks; others (such as stairwell dimensions, layout tools, installation site conditions and fasteners) appear in only one. Task H-19 names the items but does not define them.
Stairs
| List | Items |
|---|---|
| Stair styles | straight, winders, spiral, curved |
| Stair components | treads, risers, posts, stringers, volutes, landings, newel posts, hand rails, balustrades |
| Considerations in building stairs | required headroom, rise and run ratios, spacing of balustrades, building code requirements |
| Stairwell dimensions (verified at layout) | opening, total rise, allowable headroom, total run |
| Site conditions (installation) | thickness of finished floors, square of opening |
Balustrades
- Balustrade components: hand rails, balusters, newel posts, buttress caps, fillets.
- Balusters are machined to the stair design to ensure proper alignment and adequate strength at installation.
- Balusters, hand rails and newel posts are shaped to approved drawings.
Joinery, fastening and assembly
- Stair joinery techniques: dowels, mortise and tenon, rabbets, dados, screws, construction adhesives.
- Fasteners (installation): screws, nails, bolts, glue blocks.
- Stringers are machined to accept treads and risers using jigs and templates.
- Adhesives, fasteners and wedges are used for strong and silent stair construction.
- Components are reassembled on-site with adhesives, shims and fasteners, then secured to studs, joists or stairs.
Layout, codes and standards
- Layout tools: framing squares, angle finders, wing divider, trammel points, lasers, laser levels, plumb bobs.
- Jurisdictional standards and codes: National Building Code (NBC), jurisdictional building codes.
- Industry standards: AWMAC, AWI, WI, CKCA, shop-specific standard.
- The rise/run ratio, radius and spacing of balustrades are found by mathematical calculation. Full-scale layouts are then drawn from those calculations and site measurements.
Wood properties to consider
strength, shrinkage, warping, species, grain, cut
Source: Red Seal Occupational Standard – Cabinetmaker, Task H-19 (pp. 128–135).
Related tasks
Sources cited on this page
- Red Seal Occupational Standard – Cabinetmaker, Canadian Council of Directors of Apprenticeship (CCDA) and Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) (2021 (Cat. No. Em15-3/37-2022E-PDF, ISBN 978-0-660-44580-9)). Where: Task H-19, pp. 128–135.