| Project by yokel | posted 242 days ago | 634 views | 2 times favorited | 8 comments |  |
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I built these stairs for my mom whom recently got a new brussels grifon puppy. The carcase & internal compartments are 1/2” red oak ply with edge banding on the exposed surfaces. The treads & trim are solid red oak. The joinery is mostly biscuits with a few pocket hole screws where not visible. The top & bottom stairs are hinged/cleated to allow for storage space for all her little toys & treats. The bottom has a through door for a indoor dog house if you will(& you will!). That’s where i made a bit of a flub. I made mouldings that wrap around the 1/2” ply & decided to miter them. Unfortunately i realized half-way through that you can’t get the last piece in if you miter them. So if you look closely you can see i cut the last piece in half leaving a small gap where i wedged in a piece of molding to fill the gap. If i were to do it again i’d probably just but them or make it a design element & use a contrasting wood to show of the flub. I finished with a minwax natural stain 3 coats of polyurethane. Right now i’ve got the carpet just taped down with double sided carpet tape. This keeps the carpet in place okay but the edges tend to curl up. If anyone’s got a better idea on how affix the carpet, please do tell.
8 comments so far
winecountrywhimsy
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70 posts in 242 days
posted 242 days ago
Cute dog. I have two English Springer Spaniels. They can jump up on our bed, but may need this when they get older. Great design with the dog house and storage.
Thanks,
Todd
-- Todd @ winecountrywhimsy Sonoma County, CA
Betsy
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2386 posts in 790 days
posted 242 days ago
I like this project. The idea of a lidded top and a doggie house at the bottom was brilliant. I’m thinking of get a small dog myself and would have to do something like this so you’ve inspried me.
As for the carpet – double sided tape is ok – but messy if you want to pull it up later. I was use small carpet nails. The heads will be hidden in the pile of the carpet – but will hold the edges down tight. The holes are small enough that they can be filled and hidden if you ever take the carpet up and don’t replace it.
I have a friend with a Brussels Griffon and he’s one of the best dogs around. Cute, fun to play with, very loyal and trainable. She’ll love having it with her.
-- You can't get a hug from Facebook.
Cory
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197 posts in 314 days
posted 242 days ago
Nice project Yokel.
To fix the carpet, could you rout out a section of the tread so that the carpet is a little more flush with the top of the tread, then use carpet tape or nails?
-- Premium firewood created daily.
Homers
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36 posts in 303 days
posted 242 days ago
This is a great project Yokel. I have quite a few dogs and as they are getting older it’s harder to jump up and down off of the bed. I like your design, great use of space.
-- Homers / Murphy, TX
a1Jim
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16776 posts in 471 days
posted 242 days ago
Hey Yokel. Good job creative design.
Jim
-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon
yokel
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14 posts in 319 days
posted 242 days ago
Thanks for all the ideas & feedback guys. Cory, i really like the idea of recessing the carpet. Think i’ll give that a try in combo with some carpet nails. Right now i’ve just got the pine resin based carpet tape on there(not the heavy duty stuff), so it’ll come off real easy.
Peloton
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27 posts in 329 days
posted 241 days ago
I love it, great work. Very cleaver and useful. Our little dogs would love that.
-- “I'm thinking about it, ... I'm thinking it's the best way to piss [the French] off.” -Lance Armstrong
MarkWilk
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183 posts in 771 days
posted 238 days ago
Really outstanding work. I have some older pups that might enjoy some assistance getting up on the bed, so your project inspired me. Great work with the extra storage, too!
-- Mark, Florida, http://penturner.wordpress.com/