Simple stairs have just two components. The flat board that your foot steps on is called a tread. The treads connect to side ...

I feel it’s important for you to understand the structure of a set of stairs before you get out your saw and framing square.

The mortise method preserves all the strength of the 2-by-12. It’s a bit more work to create the mortises, but it’s worth it in the long run. You need a framing square, a circular saw, a router, and a ...