I was always taught and still use 2x8s for the kick board (riser) when I build stairs.
I see quite a few guys using 1x8, or ripping 3/4" sub-flooring scraps to use.
Who uses What out there?
And now a relevant story.
Back in 2004, I was on a job in KY where besides doing the production CAD I was tasked with building just the stairs and platforms in 3 stair towers. It was a 3 story assisted living project. My best friend from Houston came up for the job and we knocked 'r' out.
I redrew the section dwgs to get exact dimensions for all the cutting and proper location of the platforms. It was going to be 36 stringers, 84 risers and treads, and 6 platforms.
I finished the first set of stairs up to the first platform (half way to the second floor) and upon returning the next day I was greeted by a note stuck on my stairs, from the Project Manager, which read...Who's the dumbass who uses 2x8 for risers...now my door swing doesn't work. You need to tear out those 2x8s and replace them with 3/4" material so I can gain back 2 inches.
I was a bit.....puzzled. (other words fit here but this is a family show)
As always, before I pull my pin and GO OFF...I double and triple check my work.
My drawing was correct. All the data from all the plan views and sections were accurately compiled on my drawing so that I was building it EXACTLY as required by the architect. Little did I know that the doors for the stairs had been changed to metal and the larger RO was not reflected completely in the plans...it was correctly annotated and dimensioned, but the actual door opening was not redrawn to the exact scaled size so no one knew this head ache was coming until I built it...it was only changed in the Door Schedule and then labelled on the plan view.
I was under the impression, from studying these 40 pages of plans, that these stamped and professionally drawn plans had considered that the door would swing within 1/4" of the final tread and that was okay.
Wrong.
No one had checked to see what impact the door change would make. Just looking at the plan view seemed to indicated plenty of room to squeeze a 2" bigger door RO into...and that's what happened all down the line.
Still, I couldn't figure out what the PM meant by replacing the 2x8s with 1x8s. I was sure that doing that makes no difference in where the final stringer lands. But this guy was adament. I called the framer I was subbing from and explained the scene. He got everyone including the architect out there later that day. I built a quickie stair model to demonstrate my point. When I placed it up next to the installed stringers...it landed exactly where they landed (like I knew it would). In the first pic below, you can see the demo stringer in the background.
If you use 2x material...you cut off that amount from the top back side of the stringer...if you use 1x material then you cut that amount off. Either way, the stringer lands the same run from the platform. The only way to make the change he was talking about was to change the run of each tread from 11" to something less.
At the field meeting I started to go off...but then I transitioned to mild sarcasm and the whole...stick to what you know and leave the framing to framers...oh...and if you don't want it built wrong...fix it in your plans first.
I left my demo model nailed up on the site for two days until the framing contractor called me and said the PM asked if I could remove it...he was tired of seeing it.
Kinda nice to finally win one.
I see quite a few guys using 1x8, or ripping 3/4" sub-flooring scraps to use.
Who uses What out there?
And now a relevant story.
Back in 2004, I was on a job in KY where besides doing the production CAD I was tasked with building just the stairs and platforms in 3 stair towers. It was a 3 story assisted living project. My best friend from Houston came up for the job and we knocked 'r' out.
I redrew the section dwgs to get exact dimensions for all the cutting and proper location of the platforms. It was going to be 36 stringers, 84 risers and treads, and 6 platforms.
I finished the first set of stairs up to the first platform (half way to the second floor) and upon returning the next day I was greeted by a note stuck on my stairs, from the Project Manager, which read...Who's the dumbass who uses 2x8 for risers...now my door swing doesn't work. You need to tear out those 2x8s and replace them with 3/4" material so I can gain back 2 inches.
I was a bit.....puzzled. (other words fit here but this is a family show)
As always, before I pull my pin and GO OFF...I double and triple check my work.
My drawing was correct. All the data from all the plan views and sections were accurately compiled on my drawing so that I was building it EXACTLY as required by the architect. Little did I know that the doors for the stairs had been changed to metal and the larger RO was not reflected completely in the plans...it was correctly annotated and dimensioned, but the actual door opening was not redrawn to the exact scaled size so no one knew this head ache was coming until I built it...it was only changed in the Door Schedule and then labelled on the plan view.
I was under the impression, from studying these 40 pages of plans, that these stamped and professionally drawn plans had considered that the door would swing within 1/4" of the final tread and that was okay.
Wrong.
No one had checked to see what impact the door change would make. Just looking at the plan view seemed to indicated plenty of room to squeeze a 2" bigger door RO into...and that's what happened all down the line.
Still, I couldn't figure out what the PM meant by replacing the 2x8s with 1x8s. I was sure that doing that makes no difference in where the final stringer lands. But this guy was adament. I called the framer I was subbing from and explained the scene. He got everyone including the architect out there later that day. I built a quickie stair model to demonstrate my point. When I placed it up next to the installed stringers...it landed exactly where they landed (like I knew it would). In the first pic below, you can see the demo stringer in the background.
If you use 2x material...you cut off that amount from the top back side of the stringer...if you use 1x material then you cut that amount off. Either way, the stringer lands the same run from the platform. The only way to make the change he was talking about was to change the run of each tread from 11" to something less.
At the field meeting I started to go off...but then I transitioned to mild sarcasm and the whole...stick to what you know and leave the framing to framers...oh...and if you don't want it built wrong...fix it in your plans first.
I left my demo model nailed up on the site for two days until the framing contractor called me and said the PM asked if I could remove it...he was tired of seeing it.
Kinda nice to finally win one.
. I usually cut one stringer top and bottom, but not each stair, go check it and make sure it fits nice and tight. Then go back and cut the rest and build them. 
