Update: a 60 year old installer in Tulsa told me to stop guessing at stairs, and it saved me a callback
Was pulling up old tack strip at a rental in Tulsa when the guy helping me, 60 years old, asked why I was measuring each step with my tape. I said thats how I learned. He laughed and said pal, just cut a template from a scrap of pad and trace it, takes 30 seconds. I tried it on the next flight and nailed all 13 steps with zero waste. Cost me nothing and probably saved me a trip back. Any of you all use templates for stairs or is that just an old school thing?