Professional Stair Tread & Riser Installation - Complete Install Process

In this video we cover how to install stair treads and risers. We take a look at how to use stair tread gauges to make perfect cuts. We also look at how to fasten everything together to ensure a perfect fit and squeak free staircase.
Festool HKC 55 Track Saw - geni.us/festoolhk (Amazon, Earns Commissions)
Collins Stair Tread Gauges - geni.us/BcY0VaH (Amazon, Earns Commissions)
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[@InsiderCarpentry]

THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!! Festool HKC 55 Track Saw - geni.us/festoolhk (Amazon, Earns Commissions) Collins Stair Tread Gauges - geni.us/BcY0VaH (Amazon, Earns Commissions)

[@northernlightsrenovations1710]

Great 2 videos Spencer! I learned a few little tricks and have a two story stairs to install in a few weeks. I have one question for you that perhaps you have answered in another video.... I have a 90 turn in the stairs for the last 3 steps, with one step at 45 degrees to all the other steps. Do you have any advice for that one (longer) stair tread at the 45 degrees?

[@propereagle1mma938]

We’re u using 2” finish nails 16 gauge gun

[@ZachMaxon]

Beautiful stuff man. As a young carpenter I find well done videos like this better than working with grump old dudes who don’t know how to communicate. You’re doing a service to anyone wanting to get better at their job...

[@gregorymosher5008]

💯

[@slimeslime2123]

Thank fuck for KZbin

[@mikecase9365]

That's part of the process youngin.

[@paulthewall4764]

Zach, your attitude is pretty stupid.

[@jonellwanger7258]

@@mikecase9365 respect is t given, it’s earned. Oh we’re talking to young people, 🙄 right, they earned everything already..

[@howardlaunius7484]

Spencer we are going have to start calling you Laser Cut Lewis. Those were some very nice fits on that staircase.

[@LexLuthier1]

As a retired carpenter/cabinet-maker, I can assure anyone watching this tutorial that this guy is really good. Follow this advice and you will end up with good-looking, solid, squeak proof stairs. My step-son and his wife just moved into their new house and want to keep their paid-for condominium as a rental property. They asked me to get rid of the carpeted stairs so I was brushing up. This is the only video I'll watch. That stair tread guage is new to me, but I'll get one because it will pay for itself on this one job. I wish I could say the same for the track saw. Thanks Spencer, tools and techniques are changing at an unprecedented rate and I subscribed so you can help me keep up.

[@Brian-dr2yi]

This is why you pay professionals. Anyone handy can cut wood. A true professional knows the tricks.

[@Christopher-pf8qt]

For sure you’re the absolute best instructor on KZbin. In every single video I learn incredibly valuable techniques. Thanks sooooo much for being so generous with your expertise.

[@llewol20]

Great work Spencer. I've been a carpenter 50 years this month. 69YO. I enjoy watching and learning new techniques. Great educational videos. Keep it up young man. Dave

[@TobyChin]

Spencer, the install on these stairs was INCREDIBLE. You showed the closeup of that last stair tread/riser combo and I just let out a long whistle of approval. Well done sir! Keep up the good work, positive attitude, and integrity!

[@tommyrinehart1017]

As a former custom builder, I really enjoy watching your videos and seeing alot of familiar techniques. One thing I used to do when building stairs was to leave the bottom riser off just in case I dropped a tool or something. Also had homeowners leave a time capsule of personal items under the top stair tread.

[@carteeair]

Do just the same with the bottom part

[@jamescooper9815]

Retired as a flooring contractor for 45 years .... You are a special breed keep up the GREAT work

[@rsharpe1985]

Man I love this video but I really wanna see a video on how you prep the stringers to get them ready for step treads

[@MrABC250]

Agree. Adding the plywood strips to the stringers I guess gives you another chance to get the cutouts square and plumb.

[@michaelmaas5544]

@@MrABC250 they probably had 2x12 treads on them so he had to add 1\2” because the hardwood is on 1” thick.

[@InsiderCarpentry]

Framers cut it wrong. They had it cut in for carpet with 2x framing material. So the framing lumber had to be removed and the treads shimmed up 1/2". I was going to put it in the video but it was getting too long.

[@robertconrath4379]

@@InsiderCarpentry Great videos, very helpful for us DIY to up our game! Quick question for you I’m replacing carpet with 3/4” hardwood on existing stairs. I was planning on gluing/nailing straight into the 2x materials under the carpet and pad that came out. Should this work, or is there good reason to rip out all the 2x12 treads and 1/2 ply risers?

[@oil1111]

At 76 years of age, and a woodworking hobbyist, I Love your videos and often wish I had had your inspiration in my youth, my career choice would definitely been different. Thank you for ALL that you do

[@marinusvanderlubbe7673]

I always finish a stairwell with the first riser, gives you an opportunity to clean out and retrieve anything you dropped 👍

[@MaxwellStart]

I happened upon your staircase video maybe a year ago and right away thought this is a much more efficient way than what our carpenters do. I shared the video with two of our stair guys and they switched to your way immediately! The time savings of using a track saw and the stair gauges and utility knife for marking is a major game changer!!! Thanks brother!

[@InsiderCarpentry]

Glad to hear it!

[@jeffreybrookes9731]

You do some amazing work . I worked for over 35 years in construction mostly as a finish carpenter. But I did almost everything. I would have to say that my favorite thing was trim carpentry. From what I can see you are top notch. I can tell you take pride in your work and want to provide a top level product. I would like to see where you end up in 20 or even 30 years. With that much more experience it's unimaginable what you may become. Just remember that a customer may not be able to afford the best that you can produce but you should always try to produce the best that the customer can afford!!! Best of luck to you, you young wood wizard.

[@monkeygraborange]

The beauty of watching a true professional work is that you make everything look so _easy!_ You should have 1,000,000 subs!

[@mikepirrone97]

Nice to see someone this day in age who knows what they are doing. Way too many out there are not taking the time to learn from someone and do things the right way! It's unbelievable how many are out there doing work that looks like a 3yr old did it and homeowners don't know the difference because said "carpenter" is a "licensed Contractor " . For the young guys out there, be humble enough to take the time to learn before going out on your own calling yourself a Contractor! I like how this video shows the reality of the materials like boards being cupped and having the experience to know how to work around it to make your work look good and completed correctly. Only thing I would make sure to mention is to ALWAYS predrill the top board before running a screw in. I noticed you did but didn't not mention it. Good job sir!

[@MattPetrowsky]

You are a freeeeeking MASTER. I just realized this is the second time I watched this and that's after doing my own stairs over a year ago from watching your other stair videos. I'm eternally grateful for the info you put out there.

[@Sean-ud6hy]

Much better and easier to follow video than the This Old House video.

[@stevebengel1346]

Excellent video as usual! I'm going to give my two cents worth on one thing: I would recommend that you treat every tread just like the last one by putting a thin bead of construction adhesive on the back edge before screwing through the riser into the tread. I get LOTS of calls to repair squeaky stairs done by other contractors and the usual culprits are rubbing between the treads and skirt boards and treads and the risers. Gotta remember kids, it looks great when you're done but give the stairs 10+ years of wear and tear and seasonal expansion and contraction and what you wind up with are squeaky stairs. PS, trim contractor and stair guy 38+ years experience. 👍

[@airbornbafoon7147]

He used wood glue on all the ones he could screw and pl where he couldn't get good pressure with the screws

[@JoseLopez-yn9eg]

you're right I use PL Adhesive around the perimeter where ever the tread is going to touch which includes skirt boards, rizers.(where the back of the tread hits) and under the top of the rizer(under the tread) then sometimes what I do is run 1 1/2 trim screw of 2 inch trim screws from the back of the rizer through to the back of the tread to reduce any gap and movement..they work worl perfectly in my opinion

[@chichidouglas5078]

I was just saying the same thing about squeaks when I was watching it, and my wife told me to stop talking to the tv so I went to the comments. You have more years in than I do, but I've fixed a ton of squeaky stairs in the 30 years I've been doing it, but I'm sure someone had to fix some of my mistakes I made early on before I knew better. I've learned more from mistakes than anything else

[@carteeair]

I use adhesive in the back of every thread, nobody told me, just common sense!

[@xTHEROOSTERSHOWx]

The Larry Haun of modern day production carpentry. I watch a lot of KZbin videos from a lot of carpenters/tradesman. This channel is the only one that I can’t recall thinking “eh there is a better way to do that”.

[@signmeupruss]

I've been schooled. Fantastic. This 15 minute video has upped my game considerably! Thank you so much.

[@excelsior2433]

Just started doing staircases about 2 months ago. Im pretty new to carpentry, other than watching/kind helping my dad or grandfather build stuff. I'm 22, btw. My Boss started me on paint grade with painted knee walls and risers and white oak treads, newl posts and handrails. We use a #2 pencil, kept sharp for fine lines and a skill saw for most cuts, except for 1×4 trim and smaller trim (ex. 1/4 round.) Its definitely a challenge making cuts like that without a brace, but when they fit in place perfectly, its so freaking satisfying. I've worked on new and old cars, mechanically and and some body work. I've cooked, worked in production, worked in a chicken factory, and cut grass, but this by far takes the cake when it comes to being satisfied with what I do. When the staircase goes from an empty turd with seetrock to a finished, ready to stain/ paint staircase, it makes me appreciate the hours spent on something other than a paycheck. I plan to get as good as I can and see how far I can take it while also enjoying the paycheck that comes with it lol. But, I'm definitely going to get a tread jig, because this would make things a lot easier in the measuring department.

[@yzraceradam]

I watched this video before rebuilding my stairs yesterday. They turned out beautiful thanks to you.☝️👍😁

[@ericklodnicki]

@InsiderCarpentry, you could permanently mark your stair tread gauge blades with 'R' and 'L' instead of marking the 1x2 each time it's cut. As ever, another master class. 👍

[@InsiderCarpentry]

Good tip!

[@ericklodnicki]

@@InsiderCarpentry ..... I figure I owed you at least one tip! 👍👍

[@kirkhepburnmiddleagedwhiteguy]

Everything I know about stair carpentry I learned from you, Spencer. Looking at doing my first paying install gig this spring. Thanks for the instructionals.

[@InsiderCarpentry]

Great to hear!

[@dirkg7062]

You are one of the best in the trade. Your attention to detail is outstanding. I enjoy watching and learning from every one of your videos.

[@chichidouglas5078]

Maybe on KZbin but definitely not in the trade. He doesn't have enough years in to be considered for that status.

[@dirkg7062]

@@chichidouglas5078 I see you're here on his channel watching and learning also.

[@chichidouglas5078]

@@dirkg7062 I'm a third generation carpenter, and I was an apprentice under my grandfather. I have 30 years experience and I still don't know everything and neither did my grandfather, but he was a master carpenter that learned from his father who was a master carpenter. So I've learned lot of crafty old man tricks and skills. I don't really watch these videos to learn. I watch for entertainment

[@ktm3850]

Good to know craftsman like this still exist. This is what you call real carpentry. Much better than the prefab pine stairs that you buy and nail into place.

[@JGerm]

Talk about a young man who is extremely detailed oriented . I recently read a message inside a fortune cookie that said : “ No matter the job , big or small , do it right or don’t do it at all . “ Keep up the great work …

[@johnbalzano6588]

Electrician here watching b/c i have a small project to take care of in my house. Good video answered all my questions in one video. On another note, i have been an electrician since early '80s i have never seen nor have i pulled wires through stair stringers.

[@FredD63]

Spencer I like your channel because you show people how to do carpentry right and your work is always quality driven … keep up the great work

[@rickteeden8656]

I know that this is an older video, but I wanted to tell you that I recently used this method to do my entryway staircase over and it came out amazing!

[@jameslund221]

I love how putting a screw in the right place at the right time pulls everything into place.

[@jpro112185]

The framers must do a damn good job on those stairs if you don't need to be using shims. I noticed you or someone put plywood on there so maybe you went ahead and corrected all that ahead of time. But we cut our own shims and just pl the crap outta them. You could still benefit from using paper thin shims in the middles though rather than needing to screw the risers to the treads. You use a lot of screws which isn't a bad thing if you have time. But the way we do it with the shims cuts out all of that extra stuff and with the few extra finish nails and extra pl, our stairs don't ever move. I do like how you do this though. I might try it out. Unfortunately we always have the filthiest insulation in our stairs and that can be a pain to try and screw. For time sake you might want to use another track saw to save adjusting the same one over and over. It just reminds me of having one drill or screwgun and having to keep changing the bits. Just trying to save ya some time. Nice job though, everything looks great! Keep it up!

[@chadhouse1375]

All of your videos are just amazing! Your my favorite on KZbin hands down. Can you please explain why you add blocking to all of your stringers?

[@Tool_Addicted_Carpenter]

I've done a lot of stairs but you're killing me with that saw. The tool budget is about to take a big hit lol great work as always man.

[@ArturoGarcia-vu7et]

Thank you young man for doing this! I’ll be redoing my stairs ripping out the nasty carpet and putting wooden ones! I’ve learned a lot of tips from you,really appreciate what you do!

[@AshOnTop23]

I’m going to watch the rest of this video but I gotta say you find the coolest gadgets…that riser gauge is just great.

[@rayrontour57]

You are great. Clear and concise I don't have any questions after watching this video. I am ready to install like a super star.

[@keithy.1179]

I was waiting for that calming music toward the end 🙏

[@frankleblanc6490]

I will be removing carpet and putting in treads and risers, and this video is perfect! Thank you for the information!

[@randyschuller2733]

Thank you for the tips and tricks. Your stair video from a few years ago walked me right through the process for me to pull a 1995 vinyl village carpeted staircase out and put both hardwood treads and balusters as well. Used my Mortise machine for the wrought iron ends. Worked great and looked outstanding. Thank you my Indiana brother.

[@rogerhodges7656]

The tip at 7:06 is great! Definately a Pro tip. It really improves the fit and finish. The only thing that would make this better would be if your riser stock was primed before installation.

[@picklepete9544]

Would be better if riser stock was made from primed 4x8 sheets of sanded birch ply. More efficient to prime, less waste, much more stable.

[@sminturn]

Very educational and straightforward! Would love to see the finishing process for the stairs, particularly if you fill the nail holes with wood filler or another filling medium, and how the visibility of the holes could be minimized with a coat of finish. Thanks!!

[@als1023]

Same

[@chichidouglas5078]

The risers were paint grade material. So the painter will most likely be doing that and they'll probably use an interior/ exterior non shrink spackle

[@sminturn]

@@chichidouglas5078 That makes sense that the risers would be painted. Do you think it would be the same case for the treads?

[@chichidouglas5078]

@@sminturn no the treads were stain grade so I don't think they'd paint them, but the painting contractor will probably finish them also. Every time I've done stairs like those the risers are at least pre primed if not pre painted and the treads are pre finished, because then they only have touch up to do so it saves time and money

[@matthewjeffrey9734]

I learned a lot from this video. There are some simple things that you showed that I never would have thought of. Thank you for the education

[@T.E.P..]

All the stair vids have been superb ... this one is really special and once again the results are incredible this video is full of wonderful tips and thoughts. hope your weekend is a perfect one. Thanks Spencer!

[@T.E.P.]

I also agree with this guy

[@InsiderCarpentry]

You bet Thor.

[@Chicagot52]

Great job on the stairs , I would like to see you do a video on hanging prehung doors . How you deal with twisted cripples ,cross leg etc.. Always enjoy your videos ,thanks for taking time to do them I know it is time consuming and a lot of work

[@elizabethrandall5016]

we've been watching loads of stair building vids & this is the best one we've found, with loads of great tips to help us get a professional look to our diy stair build. thankyou!

[@ACE-sx8mo]

Impressive precision and simple explanation for a complex assembly. When he said a pencil line is too imprecise for a cut mark, I immediately subscribed to his channel!

[@leswelch6619]

Excellent, good take aways that should help anyone with tackling stairs. I know I learned something. Love the craftsmanship.

[@justinmcwilliams6759]

I love the GRK construction screws. Those things hold so much better than any other ones I've used!

[@Mikey83943]

Your attention to detail is very impressive.

[@tyreynolds6211]

Really great videos. Been a carpenter since I was 16 , now I’m 51 . Not afraid to admit But there is still things I learn . Stairs can be intimidating but you make it really easy for others to understand . Well done

[@Guildbrookfarm]

Wow, we just made almost the same video on our build that posts tomorrow morning. I've watched all your other stair videos and learned a lot, so thank you. I'm tackling building custom box newels now trying to use your tape folding method. It's freaking difficult. 😣 I don't have a track saw and my table saw is pretty clunky, but we're getting there.

[@kyleriesland7863]

Remember though, this guy doesn't take short cuts! He rips on the table daw, uses the joiner to get it straight and within a 1/16th of his desired measurements, then he planes it to the right size. And that's why his quality is tits!!!!!

[@Stefan_Kawalec]

That's trade school grade material. Top-tier trade school. Brilliant video.

[@trbillington]

Absolutely love the more detailed videos you have been putting out lately, I have leant so many carpentry tricks that I get to try out so my work comes out better! Thanks!!!

[@brianbishop476]

Great work and fantastic tips! The only tidbits I can add is that instead of right and left I put a big sharpie mark on the points of the stair gauge to indicate bottom/ back. That way on risers the dot is always indicating the bottom and on treads it's always at the back. Also, I like to put a spacer under the stair gauge, the thickens of the tread so I'm referencing where the top of the tread will be and it also makes it easier to bump the back of the gauge to the riser. The only downside is that's two more blocks to fumble with on an already crowded staircase. Obviously your system works great! Keep up the great work on the job and with the videos. 👍

[@T.E.P.]

You are amazing with the vids and it’s always impressive how you can share so much while you work …. Best tips and your passion comes through in every vid

[@atticusgalt765]

Thank you for this video! This was the primary how-to that I used to install treads and risers in my own place. First time ever doing anything like this and it turned out beautifully!! Thanks a million!

[@duaynenaugle4186]

Some tips that I use are as follows : screw all your risers directly to the skirt board much like a Kreg fastners. There will be no movement in your stairs once this is done. , back bevel your tread about 5 degrees through it’s length and screw through the back of the riser. It will lay the tread down dead flat without the need for face grain fastners. Once the PL dries it will not move. When you set your jig down for exact tread measurements , instead of laying it on the stringer , set it up the height of a tread on top of a piece of scrap cutoff. This is where the actual measurement should be taken in case the stringer is not at a 90 degree angle. A 1 degree end angle is plenty to drop the tread into place , Everything I install is pre finished so I don’t use any visible fastners except for scotias and trim pieces. Use a 23 gauge nailer for those. PL is the cats ass but messy!

[@InsiderCarpentry]

Good stuff.

[@mattywho8485]

Use Gorilla Construction Adhesive !!! PL ALWAYS spews all over the damn job ! Plus Gorilla sticks to the work way better as you lay out a bead of it.

[@duaynenaugle561]

@@mattywho8485 I have been using PL premium since it first came out , I like the fact that it expands as it cures + Gorilla glue is 2wice the price of PL , I'm used to using it and all the problems associated with it , I can say that I have never had a squeaky tread after using PL

[@jimmyfavereau]

Gold, thanks guys!

[@jrfk2]

What size/length of screws do you recommend to screw the risers to the skirt board? thanks!

[@fdelacou]

Always wondered how stairs were built and have everything so tight. Now I know! Excellent video!

[@seaturbo]

Great work. Thanks for the instructions. I’m making my first staircase for my son and your videos have been vital!

[@marcmartin5283]

keep videos coming! like a sponge trying to catch on to all the details! thanks for taking the time to educate! Great video i would love to understand more concerning railings and spindles and all associated with stairs parts.

[@user-ym5rc9fc3z]

Awesome. Lots of help. Only question is you breezed over stringer prep. Is the reason for the strips just to true everything up ?

[@JonathanExcels]

I used your previous stair installation video with great success. I picked up a few more tips on in this video. Thank you very much.

[@DaveCollette]

This is amazing! I'm about to redo the stairs in my old house and this video helps tremendously. Thank you

[@chichidouglas5078]

Good video, but I have to point out that if you test fit the top tread and riser and mark them where you want them with some tape you can screw them together and then install them. It will probably develop a squeak after a few years of traffic without a mechanical connection. The first and last couple of steps take the most impact

[@martinbeirne7621]

Do you have a video on newel posts? Do you have a video on working on old stringers with new risers and threads? Your videos are great and the details really help. I enjoy your videos and look forward to them

[@InsiderCarpentry]

Newel post video will be up next week.

[@mariocarreiro6946]

Spencer thank you. Spot on as usual you just take carpentry to the next level. You give guys like myself & teach us how an experienced guy like yourself does what he does best. I've learned & just keep learning so much from your videos. Thank you so much. 🙏

[@milleniumanil]

good video. thanks for sharing this. Would love if you can also show pictures of all the meterial used and also applying stainer and ploy coating as well. that would really complete the whole project.

[@hansangb]

Your attention to detail is mind boggling! Kudos! The way you prep, your Bible study classes must be like AP Bible Study 😁 /* for non US viewers AP is Advanced Placement, so it's like honors classes */

[@SloopyDog]

Precision work.

[@shigthehandyman]

Such a wise young man!! Mad skills Spenser!!

[@dngriffiths8105]

Thanks, Spencer, for yet another terrific and thorough video on your craft. We always appreciate you going to such effort to share your hard-earned expertise. This will be yet one more of your videos to go into my reference file for if and when.

[@papiwe1]

I'll never build stairs, but you give me a standard to shoot for in my work.

[@lrc87290]

Fast and Good- A rare combination!

[@texascraftsman7215]

I always enjoy your stair videos I haven’t put treads on open stringers in a long time builders always cut the stringers with 2x12 already on top I spend more time shimming and prepping for treads and risers and that cupped weathered framing…

[@matthewshull8376]

What another wonderful behind the scenes learning exclusive! Thank you so much for putting these videos out for everyone, you have helped me in so many ways showing me better and different ways to improve my skills each and every day. I love soaking up all the knowledge and using it in my company whenever the need arises, I can just say, hmmm, I wonder how Spencer does it!!

[@nickpersenaire4443]

Another Awesome video Spencer, I am keeping this for my upcoming stair job at my parent's place. Keep up the great content.

[@thecarpenterpros9822]

Thanks for put this up. Excellent as always. This is exactly how I install my staircases. The only difference is that I remodeled them so a lot of times I have shim them as I install them. And I also install a Scotia molding under the nose of the tread. I wrote an article for JLC on installing treads like this. Thanks again!

[@muddywater6856]

The quality of this video matches your work!....that good. PL glue is the best thing ever for stairs. Worked without it for years, and fought squeaks and cracks by additional fastners that dramatically increased effort.. Subfloor adhesives don't cut it. Did you mention the shiming of the stringers?....can be a real pain and effort sometimes, depending on the framing......edit: after reading the comments, plenty of input on the stringer shims😀 (Old guy disclaimer)...Almost exactly my normal process, after refining it for 47 years and 400 plus installs.

[@ryanb8487]

Spencer you make some of the best carpentry videos I've seen, Plenty of useful tips for all experience level. I also like that we've chosen many of the same hand tools, Power tools, Have a Ron Polk bench , And I made a similar Extensions for my compound miter saw

[@hamb7260]

I love the part you put a screw inside to suck the wood together. That takes skills. Very nice job!

[@MichaelCZUSA]

Actually doing this very process in two days. Your timing is perfect, your work excellent. Now, if ya just post that video on the JambMaster use, I'll buy it from your store and be all set for the next trim job! LOL!

[@brianwball40]

Bonus tip! Leave the very first riser off until the end, so when you drop your pencil, it slides out at the bottom.

[@InsiderCarpentry]

That's a great tip, this stair ate my pry bar. LOL And I've lost torpedo levels in the past.

[@authorjackgarrett]

I needed this video! You summed up everything without any fluff. Thank you and nice work.

[@energyflowswhereattentiongoes]

nice thanks. and finally someone who plays relaxing filler music and doesn't make me want to change the channel

[@sylvaingauthier4140]

I like the way you work with all the details that make sense. Very happy to see you video l am doing my oak stairway tomorrow. Thanks a lot😊

[@SawdustmakerLori]

Very interesting and informative. There is so much more involved to building stairs than I realized. You did a beautiful job and explained everything very well......thank you!

[@johnhunt2772]

Super vid. Self taught contractor, frame to finish, who developed the exact same techniques over the years. (38) Bought the stair gauges after seeing you use them in a previous vid. The kind of purchase you’ll never regret. Should probably get the festo. My Mak track saw needs a neat aftermarket similar attachment!!!!!! Always have cut my stairs with sliding compound. 1 degree. Or what I call the pencil cut…pencil under the end to cut. Creates a 1-2 degree bevel. Used a square -each -end 1x12 , cut 1/4” or less too short to test fit and eyeball off angles. Often meant I could cut the tread square or eyeball a slight off angle. ( I framed the walls and stringers VERY CAREFULLY, so that helps. Plus BLOCKING IN THE WALLS!) Use shims to slightly change the treads angle slightly to a square blade. Don’t try to keep changing the saw angle. Two bevel gauges, R and L. Made one cut one end leaving tread 1/4” too long . Test fit and or alter before final cutting the other side. Saw setup at bottom of stairs. Sharp hand plane speeds things up, tweeks cuts, and rounds bottom cut on side pushed down last. No need to recut a bigger bevel. For those who can’t afford all the goodies!! Love your stuff. Wish you and KZbin around when I started!!

[@dougvanscoy2842]

Thank you for this video and the other similar one you made a while ago. Almost done with my 1st set of stairs, (completely replaced my old basement stairs with new stringers, skirt boards and red oak treads and birch ply risers). One question... Why are there plywood strips on the stringers?

[@RWoodmansee]

He mentions in another video that the stringers were originally cut for carpeted stairs

[@jakewrtt]

Amazing bro. Those are some tight stairs. I’ve learned a lot from your channel and it has made me a better carpenter. Thank you. Keep it up!!

[@heathereslinger7492]

I see a lot of the stringers you work on have blocking on them. Can you do a video on how and why you do that?

[@ElizabethGreene]

Upvoting for the stair tread gauge. That's an 11/10 tool I didn't know I needed.

[@John-cb6wn]

I am always amazed by your knowledge, the best on the internet

[@propainters1270]

Very Nice, Clean and Professional. Well done 👌

[@alexdailey1359]

love the pride you take in your work. excellent job

[@007Darktower]

Best stair tread how to video period.

[@BenjaminFabert]

I will be relying HEAVILY on your stairs videos. Moderately experienced in carpentry but my stairs are a little intimidating. I committed myself to doing it by tearing out my old staircase already! I’ll need help on the “open” side of the staircase with the posts and railing. Not sure yet how that skirt/wall will look and how it will support that stuff. I’m starting from complete scratch with the framing next week

[@briancorboy1042]

Quality work as always. A little bit different than the way I do it, but I can see that it works well for you. I never did like the stair jigs. I don't think they are accurate enough. I haven't seen a flat skirt board for years. I scribe the tread to the skirt and cut it on the miter saw. I can compensate for a cupped skirt by pushing or pulling the tread towards or away from the blade as I make my way through the cut. I've done some doozies over the years. Worse one was about a ¼".

[@jrwinckler6744]

Man I wish this video was out when I learned, so many good tips and great video editing really enjoyed this one 👍🏻