Round Over Tread Edges
From How to Protect Hardwood Stairs from Wear with Removable Treads · Step 3 of 6 · Video by Jay Bates
Showing 5:16–7:59 of the source video. Watch the full video with every moment.
What happens in this clip
Set up a router table with a flush trim router bit. Place a Rockler radius jig (a 1-inch radius is chosen in the video) onto the corner of a white oak tread. Carefully guide the tread and jig along the router bit, ensuring to feed the material 'downhill' (against the rotation of the bit on the cutting side) to prevent tear-out, especially on end grain. Repeat this process for all exposed corners of each tread.
Goal: Use a router table with a radius jig and a flush trim bit to safely and accurately round over the exposed edges of the stair treads, preventing tear-out.
What's used
Tools
- Flush Trim Router Bit
- Rockler Radius Jig
- Router Table
- White Oak Treads
About the full video
This video details the process of constructing custom wooden stairs designed for a pet cat with decreased mobility. The project involves selecting and milling lumber (walnut for stringers, white oak for treads), precision cutting of all components, creating dado joinery, rounding over edges using a router and jig, and finally assembling and finishing the stairs with shellac. The goal is to provide a safe and accessible way for an older cat to reach its elevated food platform.
What's said in this clip
the final step before assembly is to add a like a 1 8 of an inch radius to all these edges just to break them up but before i do that i want to add a radius to these corners several different ways to do that trace something with a pencil sand it down shape it however you want but one of the fastest ways is to use a radius jig and a flush trim bit in the router table which is what we're going to do here so this is one of those radius jigs and actually they have there's a bunch of different radiuses to choose from here each one of these corners has a different radius and i've got three different plates so between these three that's 12 different radiuses to choose from i'm going to go with a one inch radius this blue piece clips into place with the radius that you want right in the center if you go to the back side you have some grippy material to hold onto your work piece but you also have some tabs on either direction so those tabs will stop the material in either direction allowing you to put it into the corner so that the jig straddles the corner of your material then you can use a flush trim bit on the jig to transfer the radius of the jig onto the material perfectly every time no guesswork involved the only thing to take into consideration is you want to route downhill this is wood grain that is going in this direction with the end grain over here so picture this wood grain as a bunch of straws you have a whole bundle of straws with the ends up here if i rake my hand this way we know that'll just just slide over the top of those straws but if i push my hand this direction it's going to snag those straws into the end the end of those straws and bend them over the same thing is going to happen with wood grain on the end grain here if i come in like so it's going to grab that that material the the end of the straws the end of grain and break it off you're gonna you're gonna get a bunch of tear out so you wanna go in the downhill direction to make a nice smooth cut so what we're gonna do is cut this one skip this one spin it around cut this one downhill skip this one spin it around and now we can cut downhill and then downhill once again so it's a little bit of an order of operations
Automatically transcribed from the source video.
Step 3 of 6: Prepare Tread Edges (Optional)
For a more finished look and to reduce the risk of snags or sharp edges, you can round over or chamfer the front edge (nosing) of each cut tread. Use a router with a roundover bit or a sandpaper block to achieve the desired edge profile. This step is particularly beneficial if the tread material has a sharp or unfinished edge.
Every video in How to Protect Hardwood Stairs from Wear with Removable Treads
Step 1: Measure Stair Treads
- 0:57–1:16 Measure Treads and Mark Laminate
- 0:43–0:52 Measure and Cut New Treads
- 0:41–1:06 Measure and Mark Treads
Step 2: Cut Tread Material
- 0:19–0:22 Measure and Cut FastTread
- 4:34–5:55 Measure and Cut Treads
- 0:55–1:05 Measure and Cut First Tread
Step 3: Prepare Tread Edges (Optional)
- 7:51–8:14 Round Over Edges and Sand Treads
- 5:16–7:59 Round Over Tread Edges (this video)
- 0:08–1:13 Prepare and Finish Wood Stair Treads
Step 4: Test Fit Treads
- 2:13–2:35 Test Fit and Adjust Treads
- 1:35–1:41 Dry Fit Tread and Nosing
- 1:38–1:50 Dry-Fit Laminate Pieces to Each Tread
Step 5: Install Securing Mechanism
- 3:25–4:32 Secure Treads to Stairs
- 4:32–5:29 Finalize Tread Placement
- 0:49–2:35 Install the Tread and Nosing Components
Step 6: Install Protective Treads
- 0:20–0:37 Apply Stair Treads
- 0:10–0:16 Install the Stair Treads
- 0:59–2:07 Install First Stair Tread
How to Protect Hardwood Stairs from Wear with Removable Treads
This project outlines the process of creating and installing removable treads to protect hardwood stairs from wear. It involves measuring, cutting, and fitting treads that can be easily secured and removed without damaging the original hardwood.
Read the full guide Browse all guides
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