Sloped wood top railing – where can I source this?
trexsol
| Posted in General Discussion on
Fixing a front porch on a 100+ year old historic house. The top rail and bottom rail are sloped with a flush subrail. Not sure whether the size is standard or where I can source this. The new rails need to match the old rails to the naked eye. The spindles are classical, likely not historic but can’t be replaced or local boards will have a fit. Photos attached.
Any guidance is welcome. Thanks.
Replies
Looks like you have a site built rail similar to what was shown in these two articles.
https://www.finehomebuilding.com/project-guides/decks/better-built-wood-railings
https://www.finehomebuilding.com/project-guides/decks/make-rot-resistant-deck-railing
Thank you. This is helpful. I don’t have a table saw and will find one. It looks like the easiest way to get the result I want. The second article has useful pointers regarding the kerf.
For the top railing I have created a v bevel like that with my planer. Tack a 3/4” thick strip of wood 1” wide down the along bottom edge of the wood. This will make the rail sit at an angle. Run it through the planer a couple of times slowly lowering it each time. Take the strip off and switch it to the other side of the bottom of the rail. If you play around with this you will come up with the correct thickness of wood to get the angle you want. Make sure your fasteners are short so you don’t accidentally knock your planer blade.
For the balusters I have looked for local wood turners to make them for me. The last ones I got were cedar and cost about $50 a piece.
Thank you. The planar use is a clever idea.
That just looks like a rectangular stock that got beveled on the top for shedding water. Do you have a table saw? If not, take a piece to your local millwork shop and they can probably replicate the profile. Can probably match the wood species.