For a newel (about 4 inches square), should I make it up solid (laminated) or as a box? I’m looking at Andy Engel’s pictures in the new stair building book, trying to follow how to notch the newel, and some of the photos make the newel look solid, others like a box. With all that notching required, will a box work? Will there be enough wood left to anchor it securely?
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Replies
Whatever you do in the construction, you want it solid.
If a hollow newel, fill in around areas where you need the meat-with proper sized blocks glued and pinned, or screwed if you think it necessary. Just don't get any heavy metal where you may be drilling or cutting.
Reinforcement block where the rail bolt might go.
newel construction
typicaly most newel post are box construted with solid filler material glued in the center during the initial build. I would discourage the use nails or skrews untill final instalation, the glue or apoxi you use should be more than enough.The newel post Andy builds and explains in chapters 3 and 8 are both solid. there's a good pic.on page 143 that shows he at least partialy filled the void for this newel. If he had'nt it would;nt of worked with that many sawcuts. Even with hollow box const. the void should be filled with framing or a tenon at the piont of contact for a real solid instllation.