I am in the process of planning and constructing a railing for a loft bedroom in our log home. I would like to make it all of wood. I plan to use upright 4×4 posts and make the rails be horizontal to look more like a country outdoor split rail fence but with multiple rails to meet code and safety issues. I plan on using two wood species, wanting the rails to be cherry or walnut and posts a blonde wood. I am looking for a couple of ideas for the following:
1- If the rails are 1″ square, will that be strong enough over a three foot span? Any suggestions.
2- I would like to have the rails go through the posts and protrude about one to two inches through and peg them. I would then have the rails alternate between posts in sections at different heights. For a beginner such as myself, any thoughts on these joints. What is the best way to obtain a good solid square tenon joint for this application.
Any ideas or advice is appreciated.
Thanks Marc
Replies
If you plan on having the house inspected you will want to contact the building inspector to see if such a system is allowed. Generally systems that form a ladder effect as you are speaking of are discouraged or prohibited by most building departments.
As far as constructing, you will need to build the whole system and then install it all at once. It would be really tricky to get everything to align and get the newell posts seated and fastened properly. At least that is my opinion.
I would consider cutting dados in the posts and kind of lapping the cross pieces through the dados and then pinning to the newell. You will still have to set each post precisely enough so that all the dados will line up. No small task, unless the floor you are working from is perfectly level and the newells can all be cut to the same length.
I can think of several other scenarios for such a system, but they all seem rather involved and it would take all day for me to type the description of the different ways and means of construction.
J.P.
JP, thanks for the advice. If i picture your suggestion correctly, i think you had a different vision of the rails overlapping, but i like your idea. I agree about the difficulty of alignment, as i have done enough in the past to just be dangerous.
marc
Generally systems that form a ladder effect as you are speaking of are discouraged or prohibited by most building departments.
JP,
Regarding codes, I thought the main design criterion for ballustrades was simply to limit any opening to less than 4". Provided that this criterion is satisfied, is there any legitimate reason for building departments to oppose horizontal railings?
They claim they are too easy to climb.
I was going to say the same thing. One of my 22 month old daughters can climb already. She would be in great danger from a horizontal installation.My goal is for my work to outlast me. Expect my joinery to get simpler as time goes by.
This is a good point, and one that i had not considered. Our children are all grown, but i do hope to have some grandchildren someday, and would not want to be responsible for such an accident.
marc
Marc,
I've attached a picture of a railing I built. It passed our codes (King county WA) without any question.
The uprights and rail are 2x4, and the horizontals are 1x4. It's all made of VG fir, and it's plenty sturdy.
I suggest building the whole railing in a controlled environment and then putting it up.
Thanks, I like the clean lines of the design. It is very similar to what i am thinking of doing. I appreciate the inspiration. Marc
Glad it was useful. The VG fir was finished with Watco danish oil, and has darkened nicely over the past couple of years.
But I'm a sucker for VG fir with danish oil.
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