Today, I built a set of stairs for a stage they want to use at Amber’s school. The stage height is 24″, so I scouted around on the Internet to figure out what the ergonomics behind steps are. Turns out you want a rise of no more than 7-3/4″ for each step, and something over 5″ is recommended. I choose a 6″ rise, so it would work out to be 3 evenly spaced steps. The depth of the steps are called the tread, and you want rise + tread to equal 17 to 18″. I choose 11″ to make that work out. I had originally planned the steps like the picture to the left, but after a review by my family expert in the field, I learned that letting the steps overhang is not a good idea. People with prosthetic legs cant move their legs backward and might get tripped up. The spaces between the steps is a no-no too. I changed it up a bit and came up with what is pictured below. I used up almost a whole sheet of 3/4″ plywood. All I was left with was a few thin scraps, very little waste! The school district is gaining this sturdy piece of furniture for the cost of the materials, which was only $35. I couldn’t help comparing this to the $59,000,000 stadium they are in the process of building, which is a continued sore subject with me!
This is Texas, the brand new stadium is REQUIRED. They just finished ours last year. Our grandchildren will pay it off.
Interesting to note that FOOTBALL seems to be more important than the education itself. (in Texas)
The City of Fort Worth just completed parking garage at the Will Rogers Memorial Center. The 1,110 space parking garage cost $27 million. That’s roughly $25,000 per parking space. It brings parking capacity from 5,300 to 6,400. I think money could have been better spent.
Oh yeah, nice stairs.