Now that we have built the stair tread and riser, things are starting to come together. First, we built a base to support the bottom step. This was built out of 3/4" plywood sitting on top of 2x8's that had been ripped down to make the finished step the appropriate height. The plan is for most of the step to be supported by this base, while using the riser to provide additional support to the edge of the step (especially around the curves).
Installing the finished stair tread and riser was a little tricky. Because the one post was surrounded by tread on 3.5 sides, the tread had to actually be lifted over the two posts and guided down to the ground ... with about 1/4" of forgiveness. The tread and riser were secured by applying construction adhesive to the base, and by drilling screws from the basement up through the floor and into the riser.
The oak components of the first post were then installed using biscuit joins and wood glue, as well as a few nails in places that will be covered later (we want to minimize the number of nails showing in the finished product). I used simple right angle joints instead of 45 degree miter joints because this is the way the existing post was installed 80+ years ago.
