What is a Stringer?

The dictionary[1] defines a “stringer” as one of the following:

1. A person or thing that strings. 
2. A long horizontal timber connecting upright posts.
3. Architecture. A long horizontal beam that is used for structural purposes.
4. Architecture. Another name for stringboard.
5. Civil Engineering. A longitudinal bridge girder for supporting part of a deck or railroad track between bents or piers.
6. A longitudinal reinforcement in the fuselage or wing of an airplane.
7. Also called string correspondent. Journalism. A part-time newspaper correspondent covering a local area for a paper published elsewhere.
8. A stout string, rope, etc., strung through the gills and mouth of newly caught fish, so that they may be carried or put back in the water to keep them alive or fresh.

Ken Snyder

I learned something new a few weeks ago. There is another definition of stringer that is not included in the dictionary. It is related to the architectural and civil engineering definitions, but still different. Stringer also refers to the supports for stairs in a staircase that is “strung” between two different vertical supports.

I learned this because last week, we started installing the stringers for our grand staircase. See the attached picture. After installing the stringers, the contractor will then install the steps on the top of the stringers.

Thought you’d like to know…

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[1] http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/stringer?s=t as of May 2015