Method and apparatus for making a tread-belt assembly for a pneumatic tire using a supply ramp to supply green rubber tread stock for application on a substantially cylindrical green rubber belt package; advancing the tread stock along the supply ramp toward the belt package; positioning at least a final portion of the supply ramp substantially along a plane tangent to an outer circumference of the belt package; and applying the tread stock to the outer circumference by moving a leading cut end of the tread stock from the supply ramp to the belt package along the plane tangent to the outer circumference. The green rubber tread stock is held from above for moving by inserting a plurality of transfer pins downward into both edges of the green rubber tread stock such that each transfer pin is angled toward a closest laterally outside edge. The green rubber tread stock is secured for cutting; and is cut using an ultrasonically driven cutting blade such that a wedge of space is created between a back side of the cutting blade and the cut surface of an adjacent cut end of the green rubber tread stock, thereby preventing partial curing of the cut surface of green rubber. A cutting edge of the blade is moved along a first plane which coincides with the cut surface, but the back side of the cutting blade is coincident with a second plane which is angled forward from the first plane by an acute angle.