Treads and Risers

Re: Treads and Risers

Stephen in Utah

>I put the risers on first making sure they are flush with the stringers. The treads lay on the lower riser and butt into the back riser and are secured with a peg or nail from the backside of the riser. If you do it the other way the nail or peg is not providing any stability to the back of the tread. Also rain will drain down the back side and not puddle if it is an exterior application. Probably squeaks less too.

Stephen

Concur, with some amendments

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>If you fasten the riser on top of the lower tread, it will eventually separate because the tread gets downward pressure (whereas the riser is just there to keep you from seeing the dust bunnies behind the stairs), and you will see the gap as you walk up the stairs. If the riser is behind the lower tread, any gap will be prominent only as you look directly down on the step, and probably not visible if you're looking down from the step above.

I was taught that proper construction requires one of two treatments of the riser/upper tread connection: either a groove on the underside of the upper tread for the riser, or, barring this, enough overhang of the tread over the riser that you can nail a cove molding to the underside of the tread, held firmly against the riser. Either will prevent any unsightly gap between riser top and tread.

Cove molding is most easily nailed at 45 degrees anyway, so a slight slant so that the nail enters the tread but is angled to pull the molding against the riser will accomplish it. I prefer the groove, myself, though it does require extra work.

Re: Treads and Risers

Adam Cherubini, NJ

>I had to replace a tread in my shop and the risers sat on top of the back of the tread. I thought it was that way to help hold the treads down when you setp on the front end. But these were basement steps and they may have been wrong.

Adam

One additional entirely speculative thought

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>It seems like treads will have a harder life than risers. If you run the riser past the lower tread, you could replace the tread (if it's mounted on the stringer, rather than being housed in the stringer), whereas if the riser rests on the lower tread, you'd have more work to replace the tread.

Re: One additional entirely speculative thought

Mike G. in SC

>Besides hiding dust bunnies, risers also give additional stiffness to the stringer. On long stringers that are going to be covered underneath, I like to add strongbacks, one on the outside stringer and two on the rest of the stringers.

Mike G. in SC

Re: Treads and Risers

Phil Joines Krum,TX

>Many decades ago I worked at a lumber yard in Amish country in PA. Besides selling lumber and farming timbers we made stairs, including circular, church pews and large stained glass window frames and a lot of church fixtures. On treads and risers we mortised the tread into the riser behind it and the lower riser into the tread above it. I doubt anyone does it that way now.

BTW the table saw used a 24� blade. No guards of any kind. The fence was located with two pins that dropped into holes in the table which was 12� wide and 6� deep. We had a 4 sided planer that would do a 6 x 16 with �� cuts in one pass. It was made in 1906 and was the size of a small locomotive.

One piece of lumber I still remember was hard maple 4� thick, 35� wide and 40� long. Not a crack or check in it. I used to imagine making a really huge table from it.

Re: Treads and Risers

Phil Joines Krum,TX

>Just remembered asking what they wanted for that slab. $120. More than two weeks pay at that time.

Re: Treads and Risers

Warren in Lancaster, PA

>I have made stairs with a shallow housing under the nose of the tread for the riser and a tongue at the back of the tread to fit in a groove in the next riser. I think it makes a diiference whether the stairs are the main stairs in a house or are in the basement or a shed. Utility stairs often have a thick tread and no riser.

Re: Treads and Risers

Phil Joines Krum,TX

>Warren,

Do you know if Stoltfuss (sp?) Lumber is still around? They were in Leola. I lived on Duke Street in 1969.

Leola, Pa

Warren in Lancaster, PA

>Phil, there was a Stauffers in Leola that did millwork and may be the same place. I think they are still there.

Yep, that's the place.

Phil Joines Krum,TX

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