10
Tried a power stretcher on a tight staircase and almost took out a window
Last week I had this job in a split level house in Tacoma where the stairs had this weird angle at the bottom landing. I figured I could save time by using my power stretcher instead of doing it by hand with a knee kicker. Set it up, cranked the tension, and the head slipped off the pin and the whole thing shot sideways into the window frame. Cracked the trim and scared the homeowner's cat so bad it ran into a closet. I learned that power stretchers just aren't meant for tight staircases with odd angles no matter how careful you are. The rest of that landing I finished with a knee kicker and it came out perfect in about 20 extra minutes. Has anyone else had a power stretcher go rogue on a tricky spot?
2 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In2 Comments
emerychen23h ago
Power stretchers are perfectly fine on stairs if you know what you're doing lol. The trick is to brace the head against the opposite wall or use a stair tool adapter instead of just hoping the pins hold on that tiny landing. Sounds like you just didn't set the pin depth right or had the angle off, because I've done dozens of tricky split level stairs in Seattle with zero issues using a power stretcher. The knee kicker is slower and gives you inconsistent tension across the width, so blaming the tool for a setup mistake is kind of a cop out.
8
ericp6722h ago
400 something stairs in Seattle and you're telling me a knee kicker is slower? Man @emerychen, I've seen guys try to brace a power stretcher on a spiral stair and almost take out a chandelier. That stair tool adapter is a lifesaver but let's not pretend the first time you used one you didn't have it slip and send you sliding down like a sled. I get that you know what you're doing, but for every pro like you there's a guy who brings a power stretcher to a townhouse with carpet stairs and ends up looking like a cartoon character. I'll stick to my knee kicker for tight spots and save the big gun for the straight runs, just seems safer than trying to be a hero.
2