How to Cut Stair Treads That End in a Semicircle

Stair treads featuring semicircle shapes give steps a distinctive look. To lay out lines for the semicircle treads, you'll need to use a scribing compass. Scribing compasses feature a sharp steel tip on one arm, and a pencil on the other arm. At the compass's center point is a bevel that allows you to stretch out the tool's arms to lay out scribed lines at different lengths. Once the circles are laid out, you can cut them using a jigsaw, which is designed to cut round objects with a tight radius.

Tread material
Tape measure
Pencil
Circular saw
Scribing compass
Jigsaw
Finish blade
Safety glasses

Instructions

- 1
  Measure the length of the stair tread including the width of the semi-circle; the semi-circle's width will be half the width of the stair tread. Add another inch to this measurement to allow for a clean semi-circle cut. Cut the line using a circular saw.
- 2
  Add the width of the semicircle plus the extra inch. Measure this amount from the stair tread end and place marks on each side of the stair tread face. Lay a straight edge, such as a level, from line to line and trace a straight line across the tread.
- 3
  Divide the width of the stair tread in half to find the center. Place a mark at the center of the line that you traced across the face of the tread.
- 4
  Set the compass scriber's steel tip on the center mark. Adjust the pencil end of the compass so it rests at the outside edge of the tread. Slowly rotate the scribing compass so the pencil leaves a semicircle mark on the end of the tread.
- 5
  Equip the jigsaw with a cutting blade designed to cut finish wood products to create a clean line. Cut the semicircle out, working from one end of the scribed line to the opposite side of the tread.

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