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How To Cut Common Stairs---Pt.2
Calculating Your Stairs
1.Calculating The Risers
You first have to calculate the vertical height of your stairs.
---If you are building your stairs from a concrete pad to your deck:
Measure from the concrete pad's finished surface to the top
of the deck's finished surface.
Our Example:
Measuring from the concrete pad's finished surface to the deck's finished surface--
Measurement To Finished Deck Height----------- = 48"
Total Vertical Height------------------------- = 48"
The diagram below shows the measurement from concrete pad to the finished deck.
Click on the picture below
for a larger view
2.Laying Out Stairs
Most building codes do not allow riser heights to be more than 8" so it would be a good idea to contact your local code enforcement officer and ask what the maximum riser height is for your stairs.
To begin, the common number used to divide into any stair height is 8".
In this case, divide 8" into the "Total Vertical Height" which is 48" . As you can see 48" divided by 8" equals 6. This means that your risers will be 8" tall and you have 6 of them.
Our Example:
Your stair calculations are--
6 risers @ 8"
5 treads @ 9-1/2"
Lock your stair guide on 8" of the Tongue for the Riser.
Lock your stair guide on 8.3/4" of the Body for the Tread.
Mark off the count of Risers and Treads you need for your stairs
3.Cutting Out The Stairs
Begin to cut out the triangle that is created from the framing square and
continue from bottom to top of the stringer.
As you can see in the below diagram, the stair cutouts (in black).
Click on the diagram below for a larger view.
.
Stringer Cut Out--finished
The diagram below shows the 8" Riser cut with the 8-3/4" allowance for the Tread cut. When you layout your Stringer, you must make allowances for the Tread (1-1/2") and the Riser (3/4").
Click on the diagram below for a larger view.
4.The Tread Widths
Now we begin to calculate the tread widths .
Common tread widths are 9.5" to 11.5" depending on your local building codes.
These numbers could be different so it would be a good idea to contact your local
code enforcement officer and ask what the maximum tread width for your stairs.
Also-- you want 3/4" to 1" overhang (nosing) at each tread to riser location.
5.One last cut to be made.
You must cut 1-1/2" of the off the bottom of the first step of the stringer.
The diagram below shows the first Riser at 6-1/2". This first cut is the thickness of the treads (1-1/2") .
Click on the diagram for a larger view
6.Finish Stair Layou With Risers and Treads
The diagram below shows the Stair Stringer with the Risers and Treads. As you can see the Treads are 1-1/2" x 9-1/2" (2x10) and the Stringer was cut for the allowance of a 3/4" Riser.
Also there is an allowance for a 3/4" Nosing (overhang) where the Riser meets the Tread. This is what the 8-3/4" dimension is for.
Click on the picture for a larger view.
6.Connecting To The Deck
Generally you would have stringers app. 12" to 16" on center so if your stairs were
36" wide you will have 3 stringers to cut--left side, right side, and center.
Depending on which way your floor joists are running your stringers would attach
to the framing as shown in the diagram above.
Your stairs must maintain consistent equal riser and tread dimensions for
safe usage.
Not equal dimension
Your stair height is 7'-7" or 91" high.
Your first calculation is 7'-7" or 91" divided by 8".
Result = 11.375"
11 risers @ 8", ----but you have .375" left over.
The result does not equal out so you would add another riser.
Now just add another riser to your calculation, which would now be 12 risers.
7'-7" or 91" divided by 12 "risers" = 7.58" -----app. 7-5/8".
12 risers @ 7-5/8"
That is the new calculation for this example set of stairs.
I hope this helps you in your attempt to cut a common set of stairs.
download this tutorial :
How To Cut Common Stairs in .pdf format-------> here