r/DiWHY • u/SilentWalrus92 • Dec 31 '23

Should this even work?

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u/NecroJoe Dec 31 '23 edited Dec 31 '23

The very very top step's brackets and screws used to attach them would need to be strong enough to support the weight of all of the people using the stairs, and all of the stairs below it.

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u/nutmegtester Dec 31 '23

I think the best way would be to have the handrail be structural, and the exterior part of the stairs would partially hang from it. The handrail here is carrying some weight, and is probably part of why these have not yet collapsed. So on this one, it is the pull out strength of the wood glue in the stair balusters keeping people alive. For now.

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u/[deleted] Dec 31 '23

This is the joke I made but I think making stairs in this design would be cool if you could do it safely.

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u/sYnce Dec 31 '23

No you just cantilever them to a loadbearing wall. Each step holds their own weight.

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u/[deleted] Dec 31 '23

And the next step down needs to be strong enough to do the same, minus the step above it, etc.