Story poles are scale models of a stairway conveniently marked on a single stick. They keep the math to a minimum and the measurements honest.
In this video, Gary Katz illustrates Jed Dixon's method for laying out stairs using a story pole and a construction calculator.
Video Transcript:
I'm Gary Katz in the Katz Roadshow, and this is Carpentry Magazine. I don't know how many times I've heard stories about framers complaining about finish carpenters, and finish carpenters complaining about framers. I mean, I've been one of them. It's almost as bad as contractors versus architects.
Sure, rough openings for doors are a flashpoint, and so are bowed studs and “where the blank is the backing?” But stairs are probably one of the biggest points of contention.
Jed Dixon says that when a finish carpenter or a stair builder gets to a job and sees the rough stair already installed, he should save himself a ton of swearing, shimming, and hair-pulling and just tear the thing out and start from scratch. But there's a smarter, faster, and better way—education.
Problems with Stairs
The first problem with stairs is that all the risers have to be within a quarter inch of each other. If you don't know the finished floor elevations, good luck solving that problem. The easiest way to avoid a big mistake with any stair is to start with a story pole, no matter how good you are at visualization and arithmetic.
The second problem with laid-out stairs and landings is cumulative error. First, I'm going to demonstrate Jed Dixon's method for making a story pole so you can work from the finish to the rough. Knowing your finish flooring is critical, just as it is for setting doors, casework, and even installing baseboard. Watch what happens, because I'll get to the cumulative error pretty quick.
Stair Set
This looks kind of weird—this is a set. It's the same stair set that we use on the Katz Roadshow at every presentation we do, and we've done this stair presentation in lumberyards all over the country. The set's really handy because we can get right to the issues that really matter.
Notice that the stringers are hung from a ledger board that's actually supported by the tails on the newel posts down here. In other words, the stringer comes all the way back to the back of the tail of the newel post, and this 2x12 ledger—or hanger, whatever you want to call it—is bolted right through the face into the tail of the newel post. That way, the outer stringers can bolt into the side of the newel post, and all the intervening stringers, like this one here, can be hung off the ledger or hanger with Simpson stair hangers.
Let me show you an illustration here to explain why I want to drop my stop tread one riser from the top of the deck.
International Residential Code
The International Residential Code (IRC) requires that rake railings allow no space between the bottom rail and the tread and riser greater than six inches. If you cut the stringers with the top tread flush to the upper floor or deck, you can't meet that code requirement without installing a newel post at the nose of the top tread.
That's why it's so important to drop the stringer so that the top tread is one riser down from the upper floor deck. I hope those illustrations helped explain what I'm talking about here regarding dropping the stringer one riser. Now that we've got that straight, let's go make a story pole.
Measuring the Drop
The first thing you have to do is know what the drop is between the elevation of the deck, the top of the deck, and where the stairs are going to land—not directly down from the deck, because there could be a huge difference in elevation between the two.
To do that, you can take a level, set it on top of the deck, and hang it way out to measure down to the ground. But what if the stairs have to come out ten feet? You can't hold a level out that far. That's where a laser comes in really handy. All you have to do is turn the laser on, take your tape measure, and measure to the laser line.
An even easier way: don't even use a tape measure. We make too many mistakes when we use tape measures. Start using your story pole right now. Set your story pole right where your stairs are going to land and make a mark right on that laser line. I'm going to write "laser" right there so I know what that mark represents. But that's not really the elevation of the deck—that's the elevation of the laser line. The laser line is about an inch and three-quarters above the rough deck, so I'm going to have to subtract that from this mark right here, and I'll do that next.
Measuring Risers
Before we go lay out that story pole, I bet there's a few people out there thinking, "Hey, how do you know where the stringers are going to land if they're not already in there?" Well, it's really easy; you just have to do a little estimating.
The first thing you have to understand is that you always have one more riser than you have treads. We're going to do some arithmetic here, and this is important. Notice that there's a riser at the end and a riser at the beginning. That means you've got one, two, three, four, five, six, seven risers and only one, two, three, four, five, six treads. It's going to always be that way.
It's kind of like wainscoting—when you put wainscoting on a wall, you always end up with a stile in each corner and the panels in between, so you always have one more stile than you have panels.
Let's look at this measurement here. That's like 49 inches to the top of the deck, and the decking is actually going to put it at about 50, but let's use 48 because it's a real easy number. If we take the 48 inches and we divide it by 8 inches—which is the maximum riser height—we'll get six risers. But we know this is over 48 inches, so we're probably going to end up with seven risers.
If we have seven risers, how many treads are there? One less—so you're going to have six treads. The IRC code is kind of funny; if you Google it, you'll see that areas around the country interpret the code differently. In some places, 8 inches is the maximum rise, and in other areas, 7 and three-quarters inches is the maximum rise. The tread depth is interpreted differently, too, but in most places, the minimum tread is 10 inches deep.
If we're going to have six treads, and they're each 10 inches, that's 60 inches or 5 feet. So, all you have to do is measure out 60 inches—5 feet—and that's pretty close to where those stringers are going to land.
Measuring Rough Deck
I've got the story pole on my stand here. This is a stand that we use at all the road shows so that you can see better what I'm doing when I'm laying out the story pole. Later, I'm going to use the same stand to lay out the stringer too. I'm going to strike a really clean square line for where the laser is.
I'm going to take my square and measure down an inch and three-quarters from that line, and that's the actual top of the rough deck. We can label that "rough" because what we really want is the finish, and the decking is one inch. So, I'll take my square, measure up from there one inch, and scribe another line right there. That is the top of the deck.
Remember, Jed Dixon said you've got to work from the finish back to the rough, and that's what we want to do with this story pole. Now let's go down to the bottom and detail that.
Measuring Finish to Finish
At the bottom, I want to play a game—I want to make this a lot harder. Let's say that you're doing a stair onto a concrete slab, like an old one, and the owner is going to come in later on and lay two-and-a-half-inch thick brick right on top of that concrete. This is so typical, you know, because if you didn't know what the finish was when you're cutting the stringers, you could really screw this up.
The brick is two-and-a-half inches thick. All you have to do is measure up from the bottom of the story pole two-and-a-half inches and score a line right there. That's the top of our brick. Now we know what the finish-to-finish dimension is. If that's the finish top of the brick, all we have to do is measure from that elevation all the way up to the top of the finish decking to get our finish-to-finish drop.
To make this easy—because it's a presentation, and I want you to see what I'm doing—I'm going to take a speed square and clamp it down right to the top of the brick. That way, I can hook my tape measure on it, and we can measure from the top of the brick to the top of the deck. Look—it's 47 and 7/8 inches. That is the finish-to-finish dimension.
Using a Construction Calculator
Now we're going to use a calculator. This is my desktop construction calculator. Most of you should have a calculator on your phones, too, or a smaller construction site-type calculator. If you don't have a calculator, then get one. This is a tool that you absolutely have to have, and I'm not kidding.
I'm going to demonstrate using this calculator why it's so important—and it's not just for stair layout. I use this for wainscoting, balusters, squaring up buildings, and squaring up rooms. It's endless, the amount of stuff you can do with a calculator and get dead-on right the first time.
That's what I'm going to do here. I'm going to take this measurement, 47 and 7/8 inches. I wrote it down on my scratch pad so I don't forget it, and I take my calculator here and enter 47 and 7/8.
Setting Ideal Riser Height
Now I'm going to divide that by seven risers. That comes out to six and 27/32. I'm not going to ask you to figure out what 27/32 is on a tape measure. You know why? Because it’s easy—look at this! I just hit the [Inches] key, and the calculator converts that instantly to six inches and 27/32.
Okay, let's go to the next step. The next step is to find the ideal riser height, and this is pretty important because all of the risers have to be within a quarter inch of each other.
This is just the beginning of what we have to calculate for the riser, but getting this first part right is going to save you so much time and effort down the line.
Adjusting for the Finished Floor
Okay, we know our ideal riser height is 6 and 27/32 inches. Now, we're going to make sure all of our risers are even by adjusting for the finished floor thickness, which we accounted for earlier. Remember, the top finished floor includes the decking, and the bottom includes the brick. We need to be aware of those thicknesses when we lay out the stringer.
Next, I'm going to take the story pole and mark each riser measurement down from the top finish mark. I do this because I want to see exactly where each tread and riser line up on the pole. It helps me visualize the stair in front of me.
I’ve already measured and calculated the finished height; now I mark each step, making sure that the distance between each mark matches the ideal riser height. I’ll label each step from top to bottom on the story pole, which makes laying out the stringer much easier.
Laying Out the Stringer
Here’s where it gets fun. I’ve got my framing square and stair gauges ready. These little brass knobs make all the difference because they hold the square securely in place while I’m marking the stringer. They save a ton of time compared to measuring each individual tread and riser.
I set my square for the ideal riser height—6 and 27/32 inches—and the tread depth, which I’m keeping at 10 inches as per the code requirements. Now I start laying out the first step by aligning the square to the edge of the 2x12 stringer. I make my mark, move down for the next step, and repeat the process for each one.
Cumulative Error and Checking for Accuracy
Now, here’s something you don’t want to forget: cumulative error. If you make even a slight mistake on one step, it can add up by the time you get to the bottom of the stair, which will throw off the entire layout. That’s why I’m always double-checking my marks with the story pole as I go.
I also use a tape measure to ensure that the total length of the stringer matches the calculated finish-to-finish height. This step helps catch any small mistakes early before cutting the stringer. The story pole is like my insurance policy; if I follow it precisely, I know I’m going to end up with a perfectly even stair.
Cutting the Stringer
With the stringer laid out and double-checked, it’s time to cut. I use a circular saw for most of the cutting, but I always stop just shy of the corner to avoid over-cutting, which can weaken the stringer. For the last bit in the corners, I use a hand saw to make a clean, precise cut.
Once I have the first stringer cut, I use it as a template for the others. I don’t want to measure and lay out each stringer separately because there’s always a risk of tiny variations creeping in. Instead, I clamp the first stringer to the second one and trace the cuts. It’s faster and more accurate this way.
Dry Fitting the Stringers
After cutting all the stringers, I always do a dry fit before moving forward. I set them in place, check the level at every step, and make sure everything lines up according to the story pole. If the rough fit looks good, I’m confident that the final assembly will be solid.
Installing the Stringers
Now that the stringers are cut and confirmed, it’s time to install them. I start by attaching the top of each stringer to the ledger board with strong, secure hangers. I prefer to use Simpson stair hangers for this, as they provide great support. I make sure to level the first stringer before driving in the fasteners, then move on to the others, spacing them evenly.
With the top of the stringers secured, I check that the bottoms are in the correct position on the ground or landing pad. If there are any discrepancies, I adjust the stringers slightly before permanently securing them.
Nosing and Tread Installation
Next, I focus on the treads. The nosing—the part of the tread that hangs over the riser—needs to be consistent for a professional look and to meet code. I mark and cut the treads, ensuring they fit snugly over the stringers without any gaps. I like to use construction adhesive in addition to screws to secure each tread. This prevents squeaks over time and ensures the stairs are rock-solid.
For outdoor stairs, I always use galvanized or stainless steel fasteners to prevent rust. For interior stairs, I opt for trim-head screws because they’re easier to conceal with wood filler or a matching plug.
Installing the Risers
The risers come next. I cut each riser to fit and secure them to the back of each tread and the stringers. The risers provide additional strength and stability to the stair structure. If I’m working with painted risers, I often use MDF or a pre-primed material for a clean, smooth finish. For stained risers, I carefully select matching wood grain for a uniform appearance.
Final Adjustments
Once the treads and risers are in place, I make any final adjustments. This includes checking the alignment of the balusters, the height of the handrail, and ensuring everything meets the IRC code requirements. I’ll fill any gaps with wood putty, sand rough edges, and make sure the final product looks polished.
Conclusion: A Good Stair from the Ground Up
This entire process starts with understanding the finish height, using a story pole, and working from the finish to the rough, not the other way around. It’s about precision and making sure every step, literally, is thought out before the first cut is made.
So, to all the framers out there: if you set up your rough stairs with these tips in mind, your finish carpenter or stair builder will walk in with a smile on their face. A little extra care in the rough stage makes the finishing work go smoother and leads to a better-looking and safer stair.