Switched my plan on the fly after a stair tread split on me

I was building a set of oak stairs for my 1920s house in Portland and had it all figured out. Then about halfway through, I cut a tread maybe 5/8 inch short because my tape measure slipped on the second story landing. I stood there staring at the gap, then just cut a new tread instead of trying to shim it like I normally would. Using a piece of scrap to test the angle first saved me from ruining another $40 board. That split happened because I was rushing to beat the rain coming in through an open window. Has anyone else had a moment where stopping for five minutes actually saved time?

2 comments

2 Comments

juliam4015h ago

Did you end up salvaging the short tread for something else? I once cut a shelf board way too short and turned it into a little shelf for my plant collection, so at least it wasn't a total loss.

tarak177h ago

Honestly that changed my mind about what counts as a wasted cut.