Here’s a simple drying rack for hanging freshly painted balusters. It is made with a couple of sawhorses and 8-ft. 2x2s. I cut a dovetailed slot in the 2x2s, drive screws into the balusters, and hang the balusters by their screw heads in the slot.
I cut the slot on a tablesaw, starting with an angled kerf down the center of a 2×2, as shown in the drawing. Then I turn the 2×2 end for end and run it over the blade again, cutting an opposing angle. A third pass with the blade brought back to 90° cleans out the slot. The resulting slot should support the shoulders of a drywall screw.
Next, I drill a couple of access holes for screw heads (1/2 in. dia.) into the dovetailed channel. Before painting, I drive a 2-in. screw into the end of each baluster. After painting, I slip the balusters into the slot to dry. By the way, the screws are really useful when I’m handling the freshly painted pieces.
Brian Everest, Salt Spring Island, None
