I agree with everything Rocky stated above.  Quality tools are a must in finish work and it is possible for a novice , like I was, to do quality work if they enjoy it and with good tools.  A finish carpenter friend came to my house to,look at what I did and he said,”Festools can make an amateur look like a pro.”  Eh, at least give some credit to the one operating it.  The Festool track saw has blade adjustments as fine as 1/10 of a millimeter, and their Domino Jointer is unbelievable to join pieces of wood.  Like groveler, my finish saws and wood chisels are Japanese made, my hand planers are Lie-Nielsens.  When I had my house in Kailua built, I did all the interior finish work, even though I never did that kind of work before.  Just take your time and measure and cut carefully.  In finish work, 1/32nd of an inch is WAY off.  You need to be spot on.  I made these stairs, put up the chair rails and made closet organizers all for the first time in my life.

I agree with everything Rocky stated above.  Quality tools are a must in finish work and it is possible for a novice , like I was, to do quality work if they enjoy it and with good tools.  A finish carpenter friend came to my house to,look at what I did and he said,”Festools can make an amateur look like a pro.”  Eh, at least give some credit to the one operating it.  The Festool track saw has blade adjustments as fine as 1/10 of a millimeter, and their Domino Jointer is unbelievable to join pieces of wood.  Like groveler, my finish saws and wood chisels are Japanese made, my hand planers are Lie-Nielsens.  When I had my house in Kailua built, I did all the interior finish work, even though I never did that kind of work before.  Just take your time and measure and cut carefully.  In finish work, 1/32nd of an inch is WAY off.  You need to be spot on.  I made these stairs, put up the chair rails and made closet organizers all for the first time in my life.

NICE GUN / LOADING ROOM ! 

I agree with everything Rocky stated above.  Quality tools are a must in finish work and it is possible for a novice , like I was, to do quality work if they enjoy it and with good tools.  A finish carpenter friend came to my house to,look at what I did and he said,”Festools can make an amateur look like a pro.”  Eh, at least give some credit to the one operating it.  The Festool track saw has blade adjustments as fine as 1/10 of a millimeter, and their Domino Jointer is unbelievable to join pieces of wood.  Like groveler, my finish saws and wood chisels are Japanese made, my hand planers are Lie-Nielsens.  When I had my house in Kailua built, I did all the interior finish work, even though I never did that kind of work before.  Just take your time and measure and cut carefully.  In finish work, 1/32nd of an inch is WAY off.  You need to be spot on.  I made these stairs, put up the chair rails and made closet organizers all for the first time in my life.

See building your own stairway is the kind of skills I’m looking for. How did you just figure that out on your own? Did you just follow a set of plans or something?

See building your own stairway is the kind of skills I’m looking for. How did you just figure that out on your own? Did you just follow a set of plans or something?

Buy a book!
I can build any kind of stair you want.
There is a formula for tred to height
so you don't trip over your feet,
when you had too many beers.

My carpenter friend said stairways are tough to do and he would have never attempted that without someone who has done them before.  All the parts for the railings I bought at Lowe’s.  They sell the base, the posts, the top rails and whatever you call the upright things that go in between.  My stairs were straight up, no turns or landings and four ft wide.  The framers made the stairway to go up and down when they were framing the house.  I just put up the safety rails and covered the stairs with oak boards that was also purchased at Lowes.  I also had never hung a door before, but I put 21 doors in this house, including a fire rated exterior door going into the garage which requires a self closer.

This photo is toward the bottom of the stairs and the storage I built underneath and another of the cabinet framing and close up of the doors.  HD would get a shipment of poplar every week and I would go there every week to select only the ones with a lot of color, as most poplar is rather plain wood.

My carpenter friend said stairways are tough to do and he would have never attempted that without someone who has done them before.  All the parts for the railings I bought at Lowe’s.  They sell the base, the posts, the top rails and whatever you call the upright things that go in between.  My stairs were straight up, no turns or landings and four ft wide.  The framers made the stairway to go up and down when they were framing the house.  I just put up the safety rails and covered the stairs with oak boards that was also purchased at Lowes.  I also had never hung a door before, but I put 21 doors in this house, including a fire rated exterior door going into the garage which requires a self closer.

This photo is toward the bottom of the stairs and the storage I built underneath and another of the cabinet framing and close up of the doors.  HD would get a shipment of poplar every week and I would go there every week to select only the ones with a lot of color, as most poplar is rather plain wood.

Good job.
The reason I like boats is you can fit things to what is needed.
Not what some government licensed PE civil engineer thinks you can
do.
I have loads of respect for the guy that
designed B2 hangars on Guam.

I have learned some things from my dad and a lot from Youtube. But what really has made the most difference is just doing it and learning through mistakes. I have build dining tables, cabinets, and a bed and various other items but not something the level of like a whole house.

My carpenter friend said stairways are tough to do and he would have never attempted that without someone who has done them before.  All the parts for the railings I bought at Lowe’s.  They sell the base, the posts, the top rails and whatever you call the upright things that go in between.  My stairs were straight up, no turns or landings and four ft wide.  The framers made the stairway to go up and down when they were framing the house.  I just put up the safety rails and covered the stairs with oak boards that was also purchased at Lowes.  I also had never hung a door before, but I put 21 doors in this house, including a fire rated exterior door going into the garage which requires a self closer.

This photo is toward the bottom of the stairs and the storage I built underneath and another of the cabinet framing and close up of the doors.  HD would get a shipment of poplar every week and I would go there every week to select only the ones with a lot of color, as most poplar is rather plain wood.

I would always dig for the poplar with the color variations, those pieces really make the wood beautiful when oil is applied!