# hexagon stair gauges vs Starrett # 111



## jlhaslip (Dec 31, 2009)

Californiadecks said:


> The small stair gauges don't play well with dips and wanes.


You have to select good lumber for stairs. No wane, no knots falling out, no centre heart, nice and straight, vertical grain if available.

I always go to the yard and pick my own for stair stringers. It is worth the extra effort.


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## Youngin' (Sep 16, 2012)

jlhaslip said:


> You have to select good lumber for stairs. No wane, no knots falling out, no centre heart, nice and straight, vertical grain if available.
> 
> I always go to the yard and pick my own for stair stringers. It is worth the extra effort.


I'm usually cutting stairs for garages and decks. It's tough to find good stuff in the summer when all the PT is getting picked over. Sometimes I go through half a lift looking for the right lumber. 

Once got a whole lift of j-grade from Rona though. Don't know how they got their hands on the stuff but I didn't complain.


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## Calidecks (Nov 19, 2011)

jlhaslip said:


> You have to select good lumber for stairs. No wane, no knots falling out, no centre heart, nice and straight, vertical grain if available.
> 
> 
> 
> I always go to the yard and pick my own for stair stringers. It is worth the extra effort.


There's no such thing as perfect lumber. Even the smallest dimple can be a pain. Especially with pressures treated out here. It's all incised. Makes the edges often times splintered. And of course I pick the best material I can. 

I like this for stairs.


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## asevereid (Jan 30, 2012)

If I have crappy lumber, I reverse my gauges. I use the hex ones, and the extra meat can usually make it past the wane (if it's present). When that fails, the diagonals get marked with a knife and the I'll register the square with the marks to make a template stringer. 
Sometimes you just get dealt a crap hand and gotta roll with it the best you can. 

Sent from my Gravity 5 LTE using Tapatalk


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## jlhaslip (Dec 31, 2009)

Californiadecks said:


> There's no such thing as perfect lumber. Even the smallest dimple can be a pain. Especially with pressures treated out here. It's all incised. Makes the edges often times splintered. And of course I pick the best material I can.
> 
> I like this for stairs.


My comment said "good" lumber, not perfect. Hardly see perfect lumber. 

I have a similar set up. The difference is that yours is sliced at the ends. I sliced mine in the middle but that is an insignificant difference. Still used two bolts to hold it. 

Works great for laying out rafters plumb cuts and rafter tails on I-joists as well.


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## Calidecks (Nov 19, 2011)

jlhaslip said:


> My comment said "good" lumber, not perfect. Hardly see perfect lumber.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




How old are you?


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