Stair knobs/finials

[willstewart]

So some of you may remember the pine pineapple made with a [lathe and] 'router crafter' that eventually found service as a stair baluster knob/finial (if not I attach a pic at bottom).  When making this using two opposed (left-right) sets of helical grooves I rather liked the effect with only one set (though it is less like a pineapple!).  So here is a new finial made of oak with 24 same-sense helical grooves rather than 12 each way.  It is smoother than it looks - the finish from the router is quite good followed by a light wire brushing - but it does pick up dust! I will work on this. We quite like it and we wonder about replacing the last of the 3 with a similarly made acorn-in-cup (the originals are somewhat acorn-like oak - see pic). We like the idea of them all being related but different.

As an aside the originals (probably early 20C) are fixed using tapered square forged iron spikes, complete with barbs, driven into holes.  This seems to work and may be typical of the time.  I have gently levered off the original finials and then made a new base that is then similarly driven on (see pic) before the top is glued on.  The finial and base are both oak but I have re-used the first zebrawood top from the pineapple (changed for a more leaf-suggestive version on the pineapple).

PS - note that the base has cracked between the time it was fixed (pic 3) and now.  I guess the problem with this method of fixing although my hole is a bit bigger than the original.  It still seems pretty firm, though.

[Twisted Trees]

Have to say I agree on the one-way spiralling, though less pineapple like it looks much more tactile, though to my mind if I am reading the stairs layout correctly,  it is spiralled the wrong way guiding the hand up the finial when you are in fact stepping down? or is that just me misreading the camera angle..

Anyway an excellent way to display some quirky fun pieces, I am now looking at my staircase with new ideas, thank you.

Oh and yes of course you must claim ownership of the final finial 

[willstewart]

Well Twisted Trees here is the final finial!

In fact this one, unlike the other two, does get handled a good deal, hence the relatively smooth shape looked like a good idea.  This one also acquired a new specification that it should (like the bottom one) be removable to accommodate furniture movements.  So the iron spike was removed (with some difficulty!) and replaced with a 19mm steel tube that is a pretty tight fit in the finial and a fairly tight fit in the newel post (no glue).  This works pretty well - tight enough not to move under hand pressure but removable if needed (if the steel reacts with the oak this might change). The acorn cup patterning is also done with the router crafter.

(potentially useful note - the bottom pineapple finial on a 30mm wooden peg was tight when new but has loosened a little.  Fixed with a single layer of masking tape along the peg.)

[Bryan Milham]

I've repaired and remade newel finials for older houses but nothing (thankfully) as complex as these. Great work and I can see that sometime soon you'll have a staircase to match any in the great houses of this country.