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Welcome back to Kevin Jackson History!!

Today we have this glorious curved stair set with brass balusters

This dates back once again to 2009 and is again shot on analog film

Tune back tomorrow for our return to our regularly scheduled progress posts for our current stair adventures!

Welcome back to Kevin Jackson History!!

Today we have this glorious curved stair set with brass balusters

This dates back once again to 2009 and is again shot on analog film

Tune back tomorrow for our return to our regularly scheduled progress posts for our current stair adventures!

Today in Kevin Jackson History

These photos date back to 2009-- a year before the birth of Instagram!

Notice: the film border, yes, these are analog photos scanned and stored in the depths of a 6th generation iPod

This is a bit of mix today, but tune in tomorrow for more from the architectural record :)

Today in Kevin Jackson History

These photos date back to 2009-- a year before the birth of Instagram!

Notice: the film border, yes, these are analog photos scanned and stored in the depths of a 6th generation iPod

This is a bit of mix today, but tune in tomorrow for more from the architectural record :)

New day, new joint to doctor

As we lurch towards a finalized piece, we've entered end game where the task is now to finagle and adjust to perfection

Each fraction of a degree change or paper thin slice means the difference between a plumbed and pretty meeting of joint faces or some crooked and kinked chaos

Once we've got everything precisely to height and meeting end to end nicely then we will move from just aluminum baluster to the full support of the wooden balusters

New day, new joint to doctor

As we lurch towards a finalized piece, we've entered end game where the task is now to finagle and adjust to perfection

Each fraction of a degree change or paper thin slice means the difference between a plumbed and pretty meeting of joint faces or some crooked and kinked chaos

Once we've got everything precisely to height and meeting end to end nicely then we will move from just aluminum baluster to the full support of the wooden balusters

Mind the transition!

Today on site we are hustling to finish up the install process for the handrail, placing 4 more aluminum baluster at critical junctures of the railing

Finalizing the short rail and it's velute as well as the tight turns so everything is looking and feeling ship shape and seamless.

Lots of drilling, lots of goop and lots of careful mirco-adjustments

Mind the transition!

Today on site we are hustling to finish up the install process for the handrail, placing 4 more aluminum baluster at critical junctures of the railing

Finalizing the short rail and it's velute as well as the tight turns so everything is looking and feeling ship shape and seamless.

Lots of drilling, lots of goop and lots of careful mirco-adjustments

This week on Keeping Up with Kevin:

We finished up on Friday plumbing the baluster (making sure they're truthfully straight and level)

They're official installed, goop and all

Many a wooden baluster left to install now that the aluminum support balusters are permenantly there to keep us in place

Stay tuned for that process!

This week on Keeping Up with Kevin:

We finished up on Friday plumbing the baluster (making sure they're truthfully straight and level)

They're official installed, goop and all

Many a wooden baluster left to install now that the aluminum support balusters are permenantly there to keep us in place

Stay tuned for that process!

Today we have a stair from the archives!

Back in 2021 this entry stair had seen better days when the Kevin Jackson Team came on board to do some repair work-- decay and weather damage was plaguing this lovely historic staircase

We removed the damaged portion and brought it back to the shop as a model from which a replica was then fabricated

By bending and clamping material to the shape of the curved treads and then using the original stair as reference, a new stair structure was constructed, new trim was added to keep the original character and then finishes to crown this beautiful entry with a fitting piece of woodwork

Today we have a stair from the archives!

Back in 2021 this entry stair had seen better days when the Kevin Jackson Team came on board to do some repair work-- decay and weather damage was plaguing this lovely historic staircase

We removed the damaged portion and brought it back to the shop as a model from which a replica was then fabricated

By bending and clamping material to the shape of the curved treads and then using the original stair as reference, a new stair structure was constructed, new trim was added to keep the original character and then finishes to crown this beautiful entry with a fitting piece of woodwork

As we venture on down the line we descend into the basement on our install process

Imagine this, a corkscrew, the type you use to open a bottle, but massive

Now try to perfectly align that with a series of point while ensuring there isn't too much tension here or too much wiggling or wobbling there

Tricky business, but nothing the Kevin Jackson Team can't handle

Catch us eating nails for breakfast on our daily commute (not actually, that wouldn't be advisable)

Always awesome working along side @gcbuilders_ on site

As we venture on down the line we descend into the basement on our install process

Imagine this, a corkscrew, the type you use to open a bottle, but massive

Now try to perfectly align that with a series of point while ensuring there isn't too much tension here or too much wiggling or wobbling there

Tricky business, but nothing the Kevin Jackson Team can't handle

Catch us eating nails for breakfast on our daily commute (not actually, that wouldn't be advisable)

Always awesome working along side @gcbuilders_ on site

Let's talk hand tools!

Having the right tool is the name of the game when the thickness of a piece of paper could mean the difference between a perfect fit or something off kilter

Now while the power tool has it's benefits and uses, this we do not deny, a hand tool? Wowee!

If you're looking to take a 1/8" off, well sure use the power sander, go buck wild

But if you're looking to adjust the angle of a joint on a precision piece of work-- well then we are talking 1/32" or sometimes less and a power sander sometimes simply does not allow for the deft touch of a thoughtful hand plane or sanding block or spoke shave

Let's talk hand tools!

Having the right tool is the name of the game when the thickness of a piece of paper could mean the difference between a perfect fit or something off kilter

Now while the power tool has it's benefits and uses, this we do not deny, a hand tool? Wowee!

If you're looking to take a 1/8" off, well sure use the power sander, go buck wild

But if you're looking to adjust the angle of a joint on a precision piece of work-- well then we are talking 1/32" or sometimes less and a power sander sometimes simply does not allow for the deft touch of a thoughtful hand plane or sanding block or spoke shave

Double handrail all the way!

Today we finished fitting the full handrail and it's looking mighty fine!

Have a great weekend and stay tuned :)

Double handrail all the way!

Today we finished fitting the full handrail and it's looking mighty fine!

Have a great weekend and stay tuned :)

Here we have Noka installing a funky lil' velute to the end of the handrail

We've been using up to 5 clamps per set up (see final slide)

This ensures that when we take the bits apart we can get them precisely back where we had them and keep them at a consistent height

Great fun! Stay tuned for more!!

Here we have Noka installing a funky lil' velute to the end of the handrail

We've been using up to 5 clamps per set up (see final slide)

This ensures that when we take the bits apart we can get them precisely back where we had them and keep them at a consistent height

Great fun! Stay tuned for more!!

In seriousness, happy April Fools and here's our handrail progress!!

This bad larry took some wiggling, some wobbling, but here we are-- arrived at a happy spot with all our lines aligning :)

In seriousness, happy April Fools and here's our handrail progress!!

This bad larry took some wiggling, some wobbling, but here we are-- arrived at a happy spot with all our lines aligning :)

Fellas, in the interest of time we've decided the staircase has no need of a railing and it's actually more efficient to simply not fall off or down the stairs, you're welcome for the excellent advice

Featured here: Kevin and Noka looking down at the blow up airbag they installed as a safety mechanism instead

Love, the Kevin Jackson Team

Fellas, in the interest of time we've decided the staircase has no need of a railing and it's actually more efficient to simply not fall off or down the stairs, you're welcome for the excellent advice

Featured here: Kevin and Noka looking down at the blow up airbag they installed as a safety mechanism instead

Love, the Kevin Jackson Team

Today in Kevin Jackson News, it is a most auspicious day on site-- we received the curved portion of the custom milled hand rail delivered by @hornermillwork and now?

We install 🫡

Today in Kevin Jackson News, it is a most auspicious day on site-- we received the curved portion of the custom milled hand rail delivered by @hornermillwork and now?

We install 🫡

Variety is the spice of life, so today in the woodworking repertoire we have several features all in the same house

From the custom bar to the beautiful cane work in the library to the structure of the stair then excellently finished by @painteexo

This project has a lot to look at-- a buffet of design to digest

Variety is the spice of life, so today in the woodworking repertoire we have several features all in the same house

From the custom bar to the beautiful cane work in the library to the structure of the stair then excellently finished by @painteexo

This project has a lot to look at-- a buffet of design to digest

Today in Kevin Jackson Co history we have this wild and wonderful curved stair out in Cambridge

With beautiful white oak treads and a mahogany railing this tall glass of water screams elegance with just a touch of whimsy-- gotta have a hanging glass orb to complement the woodwork, you know?

Today in Kevin Jackson Co history we have this wild and wonderful curved stair out in Cambridge

With beautiful white oak treads and a mahogany railing this tall glass of water screams elegance with just a touch of whimsy-- gotta have a hanging glass orb to complement the woodwork, you know?

Here we have some bits and bobs ~from the archives~

Here the team used a steel core to create the appearance of a floating tread and then finished it with a maple shell to boot!

Check out the side by side on slides 3 and 4-- from process to product :)

Here we have some bits and bobs ~from the archives~

Here the team used a steel core to create the appearance of a floating tread and then finished it with a maple shell to boot!

Check out the side by side on slides 3 and 4-- from process to product :)

The best kind of present came today, the unwrapped treads!!

Our friend Fikret came to do the final sand and stain on these beautiful white oak treads which, while they got the pre-sanding special at the shop, got a nice facial today and are now smooth like the Santana song

Gotta love that post-stain glow, am i right?

The best kind of present came today, the unwrapped treads!!

Our friend Fikret came to do the final sand and stain on these beautiful white oak treads which, while they got the pre-sanding special at the shop, got a nice facial today and are now smooth like the Santana song

Gotta love that post-stain glow, am i right?

Is that an eel stuck in a net or something strange like that?

No silly, that's an aluminum baluster in it's flexible netting to keep it from harm along side it's original sample!

What are we doing with it, you say?

Well, the most difficult part of constructing a beautiful staircase is making sure no one falls off of it especially when it’s a two story drop, very important to remember!

That’s why we worked with FH Peterson Machining out of Stoughton, MA to ensure a high quality product, discussing and confirming dimensions and crafting a strong supporting member with a careful finish to be primed and painted to look like a standard wooden baluster

These aluminum balusters, different from your more typical wooden balusters that we will be installing soon, provide additional support to the complex, curved handrail that spans the two stories and ensures you have something sturdy to hold tight to

The threaded piece at the bottom will then sit into holes we will drill along with some construction adhesive to keep them securely in place

Take a look at the graphic on the last slide to learn your staircase vocabulary, courtesy of our confused apprentice

Is that an eel stuck in a net or something strange like that?

No silly, that's an aluminum baluster in it's flexible netting to keep it from harm along side it's original sample!

What are we doing with it, you say?

Well, the most difficult part of constructing a beautiful staircase is making sure no one falls off of it especially when it’s a two story drop, very important to remember!

That’s why we worked with FH Peterson Machining out of Stoughton, MA to ensure a high quality product, discussing and confirming dimensions and crafting a strong supporting member with a careful finish to be primed and painted to look like a standard wooden baluster

These aluminum balusters, different from your more typical wooden balusters that we will be installing soon, provide additional support to the complex, curved handrail that spans the two stories and ensures you have something sturdy to hold tight to

The threaded piece at the bottom will then sit into holes we will drill along with some construction adhesive to keep them securely in place

Take a look at the graphic on the last slide to learn your staircase vocabulary, courtesy of our confused apprentice

Ok, so you have the skeleton of a staircase, what now?

Well, you must finish the install with trims and treads and nosing– oh my!

This is no simple feat– yes, it might look simply beautiful in the end, but like a well cooked meal it takes many ingredients, techniques and micro-decisions along the way to make sure the final product tastes as good as it looks

*Advisory: do not eat your staircase, constructions adhesive does not taste good, it will not go down well, trust us we know*

P.S. see our next post to see how we worked with a local machine shop who expertly machined our aluminum balusters which have begun to be added for additional support given the scale of this stair

(Photo cred: 1,5,6) @luminary_media.co

Ok, so you have the skeleton of a staircase, what now?

Well, you must finish the install with trims and treads and nosing– oh my!

This is no simple feat– yes, it might look simply beautiful in the end, but like a well cooked meal it takes many ingredients, techniques and micro-decisions along the way to make sure the final product tastes as good as it looks

*Advisory: do not eat your staircase, constructions adhesive does not taste good, it will not go down well, trust us we know*

P.S. see our next post to see how we worked with a local machine shop who expertly machined our aluminum balusters which have begun to be added for additional support given the scale of this stair

(Photo cred: 1,5,6) @luminary_media.co

Did someone order delivery?

Please, sign here for a staircase that looks like it existed since the construction of your 1910s historic home

If you missed the last installment the kevin jackson team constructed these two parts to one honking curved staircase off site then used the shops ceiling rail system to haul and maneuver the parts into a trailer then on to their permanent home

From there it’s easy, shimmy two very heavy staircases through the front door, drop the first one down ten ft into a hole in the floor, then hoist the second one up to the 2nd floor balcony with the help of the amazing @gcbuilders_ crew

Jokes aside, there's no wonder why sometimes you gotta pause and ponder before you go swinging a staircase around

A slower process is always better than a broken product

Did someone order delivery?

Please, sign here for a staircase that looks like it existed since the construction of your 1910s historic home

If you missed the last installment the kevin jackson team constructed these two parts to one honking curved staircase off site then used the shops ceiling rail system to haul and maneuver the parts into a trailer then on to their permanent home

From there it’s easy, shimmy two very heavy staircases through the front door, drop the first one down ten ft into a hole in the floor, then hoist the second one up to the 2nd floor balcony with the help of the amazing @gcbuilders_ crew

Jokes aside, there's no wonder why sometimes you gotta pause and ponder before you go swinging a staircase around

A slower process is always better than a broken product

How do you build a two part curved staircase that makes your handrail guy say “this is original, right?”

Well, it begins with a plan, also known as an architectural drawing thanks to our friends-- @pauli.uribe.architects

Then a pattern or layout of the critical proportions, a reference to ensure you have your lines all lining up politely

Then there are the materials– soft, hard, pliable or structural –the key is choosing ingredients to fit the job

Two bys for the cage upon which the lauan or thin ply are built up in layers for strength is carefully applied in a curve to shape the coming treads– like sculpting, but it’s just wobbly thin sheets of wood that together form a greater whole

You carve away excess, you respond carefully to the material, the proposed design and then make the reality of a well crafted staircase come to life!

Tune into the next post to see us drop it into a hole and not break anything or anyone in the process

How do you build a two part curved staircase that makes your handrail guy say “this is original, right?”

Well, it begins with a plan, also known as an architectural drawing thanks to our friends-- @pauli.uribe.architects

Then a pattern or layout of the critical proportions, a reference to ensure you have your lines all lining up politely

Then there are the materials– soft, hard, pliable or structural –the key is choosing ingredients to fit the job

Two bys for the cage upon which the lauan or thin ply are built up in layers for strength is carefully applied in a curve to shape the coming treads– like sculpting, but it’s just wobbly thin sheets of wood that together form a greater whole

You carve away excess, you respond carefully to the material, the proposed design and then make the reality of a well crafted staircase come to life!

Tune into the next post to see us drop it into a hole and not break anything or anyone in the process

Can you smell that?

Sawdust and wax? WD-40 and broken or abandoned wood work waiting to be repurposed or restored? Left over bits and bobs? Scraps of wood big and small waiting for their next life?

The sweet sweet smell of a craft practiced for the love of a hand-made piece of custom wood work?

The finger prints come free of charge

That’s the smell of the Kevin Jackson Co. Wood Shop

30+ years of making the impossible possible

Can you smell that?

Sawdust and wax? WD-40 and broken or abandoned wood work waiting to be repurposed or restored? Left over bits and bobs? Scraps of wood big and small waiting for their next life?

The sweet sweet smell of a craft practiced for the love of a hand-made piece of custom wood work?

The finger prints come free of charge

That’s the smell of the Kevin Jackson Co. Wood Shop

30+ years of making the impossible possible

Now we’re making a window sash

Using a 1925 double spindle shaper

Now we’re making a window sash

Using a 1925 double spindle shaper

Ready to ship

Ready to ship

A proposed studio space above the Kevin Jackson Co. shop

A proposed studio space above the Kevin Jackson Co. shop

Another big door for some folks in Weston, MA

Another big door for some folks in Weston, MA

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@kevinjacksonco

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Located in Somerville, MA, Kevin Jackson Architectural Carpentry is convenient to Boston, MA.

Want to learn more about our services? Contact us today.

Contact Us

Located in Somerville, MA, Kevin Jackson Architectural Carpentry is convenient to Boston, MA.

Want to learn more about our services? Contact us today.

Contact Us

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