Banding Helps Lay Out Log Rail
This improvised tool makes it easy to trace a straight line around a post.
I was recently called upon to replace a worn-out deck railing for a log cabin. The posts were made from 6-in.-dia. logs and I needed to notch them so I could fasten them to the rim joists of the deck. As I was trying to figure out a way to put a level line on the log’s round surface, I spotted some steel banding that had held together a material delivery. I cut a section of the banding down to just a little longer than the circumference of the logs, and used my hands to put a soft bend all the way around the band so it would match the shape of the log. My improvised tool made it easy to trace a straight line around the post, over and over again.
— Curt Lyons, Fort Collins, Colo.
Edited and illustrated by Charles Miller
From Fine Homebuilding #273
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Ok, Your line will seem somewhat straight but not necessarily cutting a plan parallel to your post axis... You need a wider band to insure the marking is perpendicular to your post. Any piece of paper or carboard will work for a couple of cuts. Better: A thin sheet of metal 4 in. wide by 14 in. long would be ideal and durable for years on your job. Contractors around here call this a "Wraparound" and use it to cut large dia. pipes for welding on site. Good thinking Curt, carry on!
Mike, Trois-Rivieres, Canada.
I have been following this website and it is of great help to us.