Got pics?

Really difficult to get pics in this location, but I'll try this evening.

Do you have a jigsaw? I did my stairs this way,. cut off the bullnose with a jigsaw. In some areas I took off more than necessary - that's ok, there will be enough surface area to glue the new riser and tread. Just use the jigsaw to pare away the additional overhang until it is flush. A belt sander might also work but would create more mess and take longer.

weedyacres - I took pictures but they really don't show what I'm referring too. I think to see the excess I would have to be a contortionist and shoot the underside.

tinan - You were my inspiration to start this project. I can try the jig saw again but I found it really hard to control to keep the cut perpendicular. Maybe slow and steady and close is good enough. I'll give it another shot this weekend. Thanks!

Oh, you may need a different blade. I had better success with better blade (carbide I think) designed for plywood. I took lots of breaks, too, to rest my arms. It was hard to cut if the blade got into the riser, I had to stop frequently to let the blade cool down - it got *very* hot. The blade gets dull, so you might need to change it.

To see where the overhang is, what I did was measure from the underside using a metal carpenter's square the measure that distance from the edge on the top and make dots across the tread, then draw a line through all the dots. Then you have a line to follow with the saw. My cuts were certainly not perfect I had to go back and gouge out some areas, I even resorted to the hand saw for some spots because it was easier to angle.

Just keep at it and chew away at that wood, you will get there!

tinan - Not only did I need a new blade I needed a new jig saw. Worked like a charm! Using a borrowed table saw , got all risers and 3 of 7 treads cut for first half leading to landing. I was a bit tentative at first since I have never used a table saw, it has no guard and the fence is not useful when ripping the risers (grrr). Now I'm working on getting the bottom tread cut to wrap around the wall a bit since it sticks out about an inch which looks stupid now that it's uncarpeted. It would be easier if my walls were 90 degree angles instead of those ugly radius edges.

Thanks for the encouragement!

A router would be better than a saw for that thin a section.

You could probably even (heaven forbid) use a hand plane and have it gone in less than a half hour.

Or even a random orbit sander.

Sounds like you are nearly there!

Use glue generously when attaching the new treads and risers.

Thick glue lines are not as strong.

You want smooth uniform glue coverage.
A small notched trowel (1/8 inch notches) actually works pretty well,
Vary the angle to aid spreading.

An old paint brush cut off with about 1 inch long bristles works OK also.

I just made zigzag patterns covering the entire area, the pressure from putting the treads on spread the glue out into thinner layers.