Analysis of Sample From 'Miraculous' Stairs in Santa Fe Found Unknown Species of Wood

reply to post by predator0187


In order for it to be an unknown species of wood, you'd have to know the genetic structure of the unknown. If they know its wood, then it's known what species it is. Or at the least, most related. However mysterious it is, it's not that special. It's wood. God bless the man who made it. There's also plenty of examples of stairs without center supports as well.

This is some amazing work. I got to see this when I was a kid on a family vacation. You have to see it to truly appreciate the craftsmamship.

reply to post by predator0187

Do a little research your behind the times.... This is an article from 2007: www.snopes.com...

reply to post by chr0naut


That is true,its like the wet cloth and iron bars theories

I've been to the Loretta Chapel. It's absolutely beautiful. And most architects would agree that the design of the staircase should not be possible. And the fact that its also a double-helix makes it even more interesting.

However, I thought that the wood was identified, but that it was discovered to be a wood that was not native to the southwest. I don't have a source though, but I think that's what my tour guide said.

I know it's easy for a lot of people on this board to immediately discount this extraordinary story just becomes it comes from a church, but to shoot it down without even stopping to appreciate the mystery just seems ignorant to me.

Something extraordinary happened there, and the proof of it still stands today. Instead of attributing it to aliens, trickery, or greedy nuns, just stand back and marvel at something truly beautiful and mysterious. Just because the church calls it a miracle doesn't mean it isn't one...

reply to post by audio assasin
My thoughts exactly. After all Jesus, was a carpenter. I wonder if the Roman Catholic Church has ever thought of deeming it a "miracle."

reply to post by predator0187


The saying comes to mind, "be kind to strangers since you may be entertaining angels, unawares.."

The design is one we see often today, the coil is found in metal earrings. How this man knew about it is odd since one would expect others to know about it and we'd have seen it elsewhere. How he came to them is as odd - as how he vanished. But then there are enough examples of extraordinary powers given to agents of mercy in cases of dire need, angels, voices and even dogs step in more than bonafide "heros" sometimes.
Is it Supernatural? Or is it Natural....turned up a notch? The perseverance, creativity and resourcefulness of the human spirit, undoubtedly. This is how the old man lives on after death. But is it even more? This, no one knows.

Originally posted by NNEECE
reply to post by predator0187

 

Do a little research your behind the times.... This is an article from 2007: www.snopes.com...

Relying on info from snopes is right there with trusting wikipedia, jeesh! There are HUNDREDS of examples on snopes that have been proven to be completely 100% wrong. Now what did the state architectural foundation think of that staircase? That might have some meaning.
www.newmexicoarchitecturalfoundation.org...


PS. They don't think the staircase should exist.

reply to post by predator0187

"dowels or wooden pegs actually strengthen critical joints because, unlike iron nails or screws, the pegs expand and contract under varying weather conditions at the same rate as the surrounding wood."

urbanlegends.about.com...

Also, Nails and Screws tend to split wood under stress, Dowels don't, for the above mentioned reason and the fact that a hole is drilled first to accommodate the dowel or peg.

It looks like a cold Bending process was used to form the outside edges of the staircase then Dowels or pegs were used to attach these to the flats (The bottom visible portion of the stairs and the Steps and Risers)

Beautiful effect none-the-less, It was definitely built by a Master Woodworker.

Would be very interested in seeing a close up photo of the sides.

Bit off topic..not really but anyways here is some info...

A good friend of mine is a custom cue builder..yes billiard sticks..

He uses many exotic woods, but the one thing that has me scratching my head is how he removes air from all wood....after reading the guy making the stairs used tubs...it sounded similar..

Dave as I will call him uses a product similar to thompsons water seal, puts wood he wishs to treat in PVC tube, the tube is black "can be done by sun light".......leaves it vented "unsealed" heats it up to a set temp around 160 F I think he uses...
then seals it up and puts in in a refrigerator....which in short creates a vacuum drawing out the air inside the wood, and filling it with his solution.....thats how he started anyways..

Now he uses a pump off an old refrigerator to draw a vacuum, think he said -7PSI is best.. on the wood under liquid...to avoid the need for heat...it is really neat to see the wood ....it kinda looks like its sizzling...as all the little air voids are drawn out..he uses clear tubing now...neat to watch.
Anyways, this wood is now unidentifyable, its basically a wood alloy "for lack of a better term" ...all though Im sure there is still ways to figure it out...and it makes it uber strong...4-15 times stronger, than other pieces of the same board... depending on his solution he draws into the wood..color can be added...bonding agents ....etc..etc.

I've seen this staircase in person. It is absolutely exquisite but I don't see where in the article it talks of an unknown species of wood. Also the staircase has been labeled a religious artifact so I highly doubt a "sample" would be allowed to be taken. There is indeed no nails used on the staircase and when you look at it, it does have an eerie vibe to it.

It is a beautiful staircase, but perhaps not as mysterious as first stated, but still, its rare to find such a craftsman these days eh!

There is something really magical about spiral staircases, why is that? Echoes of DNA?

I thought this three floor, marble staircase, which kinda grows out the wall, really impressive...

www.flickr.com...

There are only a couple like this in Europe, It almost defies logic!

Originally posted by AnnieMaine
There is an article on the Snopes site about the stairs that say the legend is false. The wood is spruce. And it does have a center support because the inner wood stringer has such as narrow radius, it acts almost like a solid pole. Also the outer stringer is connected to one of the columns that supports the loft. So it apparently is not such a mystery; however, it is a very beautiful staircase.

Where do you see this "almost inner pole".
There is no center support.
Why are you lying?

Here the unsolved mysteries episode

Somebody should take some samples of the wood and check it out! Great looking stair btw!

I have been there as well... someone on the first page said it was in the middle of nowhere, I think that is not correct... it is in a complex in town with a crappy tourist gift shop right next door.(expensive crappy tourist gift shop... it is in Santa Fe...)

The thing is pretty cool, not nearly as majestic looking as it might look in the photos. Small, tight, in a small tight chapel.

The one thing I wish I could share with you guys was a curious raised symbol on one of the main 'pillars' on the wall, painted white like the rest. My memory says it was like a compass and square... but not exactly a compass and square. And of course, I was probably biasing it with my ATS Eyes..

I didn't have too much time to investigate around the rest of the place, it is small and packed and there are ropes and signs telling you to go away just look at the stairs etc.

Cheers.

ETA: If you pause the video above at 1:32, the symbol was in the center of that beam, but painted over with the same paint as the walls. I am pretty confident that it is there, the video is just too blurry to pick up that kind of detail. The shadowy light they have for normal tourist visiting now may have made it more obvious. For all I know, the symbol could just have been the builders initials or something like that...

Perhaps the same symbol in the stained glass at 5:19, could be the symbol of the congregation or whatever.

But 33 stairs, in a helix? Thats about as esoteric as it gets... Perhaps it was an elusive Adept like the Count of St. Germain...

great op. but before calling it miraculous or alien, i would suggest that in this day and age, is it not possible that all forms of architechtural design and implementation are not exhausted. perhaps a deeper study into this structure may be worthwhile. a new design schematic of steps in a helix formation providing greater stability and strength... i would think this could be duplicated. amazing find. legend and story aside, there is a wooden manmade structure that seems to defy today's architechtural design and logic. i would note that many many years ago, the apollo missions were set out with very little computer technology, as opposed to today's computurs. also, the sr-71 was designed without computer aid. today's technology sometimes seems to limit what can and what cannot be done. just saying.

Originally posted by CordDragonzord
I want to eat these stairs, is that normal?

Why can't a mysterious man come up to me and build me a house that defies logic!?

because you aren't a nun
I think thats the reason he didn't ask for payment. He probably seen it as a selfless gesture to be nice to the church.

Well again, what this proves is we are either not as smart as we think or we don't give people enough credit for their smarts back in the day. Kind of like the assumption Egyptians were too dumb to build pyramids. Not saying they did but how do we know for certain? Regardless...I am very amazed by this staircase as well. It is a work of art. Hell for all we know this guy could have built it by accident.

The only thing I think is mysterious is the man who built it. As for the staircase itself, that can be pretty easily explained.

The inner and outer binding is what supports weight on the Z axis (up and down).
-this is strengthened by soaking and "molding" the wood with water and letting it dry in the molded position.

The top of the stairs are pinned to the balcony which reduces the load on the stairs significantly. Also keeps the stairs from toppling over in the x and y axis.

The inner binding spreads out the weight from top to bottom. They are essentially "wooden springs". The balcony supports the majority of the weight pulling down and the bindings push back up against the weight.

The only mystery to me is how one man in the 1800's could have pulled this off. To me the staircase is not as mysterious as the man who built it.


I grew up in a family of carpenters and I have seen my dad build some amazingly strong furniture using the pressure molding system. Which was just a heavy duty boiler, rubber hoses, and a box with the pre-formed molding that the piece of wood is clamped to. Steam it for a day, then tighten the clamps little by little, then let it steam for another day or two, then open the box and let the wood re-dry.

What you get is a super strong/dense piece of wood that can handle 10x the weight it could before the treatment.

As for the dowel pins. If one dowel pin can hold 10 lbs. before it snaps, just think what 100's or 1000's of dowel pins could hold. Also, as another posted stated, dowel pins can flex, expand, or contract without damaging the integrity of the wood it's pinned into. Screws and nails tend to splinter the wood over time as the wood expands and contracts, which eventually weakens the whole structure.