How to find a talented carpenter?

[valleyboy]

Hi,

I have had some atrocious carpentry work done over the last couple of years and am yet to hit the jackpot and find a decent local carpenter. I am posting this here in desperation and hope that there is a highly skilled carpenter browsing these forums that can help (I am in the South Wales Valleys).

I have a reasonably awkward job to be done (beyond my fair to middling DIY skills) that envolves repair to the lower section of a stairway (stringer), this will require a replacement piece of timber to be matched into the existing moulding profile.

Over the last couple of months I have had in excess of ten carpenters view the job, never to return again. Some say they will come have a look then never turn up, others say they have not got the time. If the work involves more than knocking a few nails in they don't seem to have the required skill level.

I have come to the conclusion that there are carpenters........and then there are carpenters.

Could somebody please give me a few pointers on finding a very experienced carpenter that may be interested? I am now at a point where money is no object, I just want the job done. Please help.

If you've got this far.......thanks for getting this far!

Cheers.

 

[^woody^]

Why can't you DIY this?

Your problem is not finding a talented carpenter, but finding one that does not mind awkward jobs.

You probably need more of a joiner used to joinery, rather than a carpenter who does roofing work say.

What about kitchen fitters, they can be used to this type of work?

 

[Jasonb]

Its actually quite a difficult job if its a traditionally constructed staircase.

The stringer will have a tennon on the end that fits a mortice in the newel so the newel will need removing. It will also have been housed out to take the treads and rizers, these will need routing out to match. The whole thing will have had the wedges glued in and there will be a number of glue blocks, all of which could damage more of the stair when you try to remove it.

It will also require access to the underside of the stair, is this covered with plasterboard or boxed in?

A joiner with experiance of staircases would be your best bet but expect to pay in excess of a days work.

Jason

 

[valleyboy]

Its actually quite a difficult job if its a traditionally constructed staircase

........My thoughts exactly. Looks like it needs a bit of finesse.

It's at the bottom of the stairs so will not effect the newel (the newel is stuffed now anyway after a shoddy carpenter replaced the bannister for me, it's infuriating!)

Photo of the problem area below:

Untitled

• valleyboy
• 17 Apr 2009
• 1

The newly plastered section has replaced an old section of wood that was rotten (caused by under-floor leak, now repaired). This had been installed as an aesthetic addition, along with a 'fish-tailed' bottom step) and butted up against the existing stringer but did not have a machined profile to match the rest of the existing wood (shambles basically). When ripped out (along with old bottom step) it did not appear to be part of the stairs structurally, so what I am after is probably just a cosmetic patch-up.

 

[masona]

When ripped out (along with old bottom step) it did not appear to be part of the stairs structurally, so what I am after is probably just a cosmetic patch-up.

Your best bet if you can do a bit of diy'er is to get underneath and support the first and second tread from the floor with timber stud work then maybe go to a joinery shop to match your string moulding then cut out the section and slide it in but make a template first or get the joinery shop to do it for you.

 

[valleyboy]

Exactly what I would like to do. How do I go about making a mould/template of the profile to take to a joinery?

 

[masona]

Hardboard or card board etc

 

[gregers]

and a profile gauge.