Stair railings

[jteneyck]

I used router bits from Grizzly because their handrail bits fit my needs.  I wouldn't spend more than needed for the bits you want.  You're only going to make a few feet of railing; longevity isn't a requirement.  That said, the Grizzly bits still look great but, like I said, I probably haven't cut more than 100 ft with any of them.  

Handrails attach to the wall with some form of bracket.  Make sure the ones you use put the inside edge of the handrail the required distance away from the wall; 1-1/2" IIRC.  You don't need to attach returns to the wall, unless maybe it's your only nearby anchor point.  I typically use 5 minute epoxy to join the returns.  FYI, vinegar cleans up epoxy squeeze out w/o damaging most finishes.  

John

[crokett™]

crockett - Unfortunately, it doesn't look like the pictures in your previous post are working, but I'd love to see what you did.

Questions

1. What router bits do you use/suggest? I usually go with Whiteside, but am not seeing much in the way of handrail bits from them. Mike, you mentioned a window stool cutter. Can you share which one?
   
2. It seems like there might be some specialized hardware for some of the joints (such as attaching the newel post to the tread or attaching the handrail to the wall, if I were to terminate it there). Any recommended sources for the hardware?
   

Thanks!
Tyler

try this link https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0c5ON9t3wGlhs

The only router bits I used were a roundover bit to ease the corners of everything and a rabetting bit.    the hand rails were made from 2 pieces of laminated walnut milled to size on a jointer and tablesaw.  looking at a cross section  the top is the widest, the middle is the narrowest and the bottom is not as wide as the top but wider than the middle.    The post was assembled and then the detail was more walnut milled and glued to each face of the post.  

You can buy handrail brackets pretty much anywhere in any style.  I got them from Home Depot.    The section of railing I built that has the balusters was built offsite.  The balusters run from the base trim up to the handrail.  The post has a 3" long block glued and screwed in the bottom and then lag screws through the bottom of the base into the post.  When it was installed the base was then screwed down to the framing and more screws were toe screwed through the post into the framing.

[BrentDH]

On a subject other than the handrail, you mentioned wooden stair treads.  Some people find those to be a little slippery and opt for a carpeted runner up the middle with exposed hardwood on both sides.  This also makes the installation much easier as you can use plywood filler in the middle of the tread, and you only need to align the hardwood edges on one side at a time.  If the hardwood to plywood joint isn't perfect no one will ever know except the carpet installer.

[jteneyck]

On a subject other than the handrail, you mentioned wooden stair treads.  Some people find those to be a little slippery and opt for a carpeted runner up the middle with exposed hardwood on both sides.  This also makes the installation much easier as you can use plywood filler in the middle of the tread, and you only need to align the hardwood edges on one side at a time.  If the hardwood to plywood joint isn't perfect no one will ever know except the carpet installer.

Yes, if you just have socks on, but carpeted stairs have potential hazards, too.  The carpet has to be very securely fastened so that it doesn't push forward when descending the steps, and the round nose the carpet creates from being wrapped over the front of the tread presents another slipping hazard.  I'm not arguing one over the other, only pointing out that each approach has dangers.  

John

[OneStaple]

John - Thanks for the tip on the Grizzly router bits. I'll take a look at those. It looks like they have two profiles.

crokett - Ah, your previous description makes more sense now that I can see pictures, and I can see how you could assemble it as a unit off-site. I don't think I'll be able to do quite the same, as the balusters will be mounted directly to the stair treads (unless I do modifications to the stairs). Looks nice though! I'm a sucker for walnut.

Brent - I've heard people mention that both hardwood and carpet are slippery on stairs. And, from my very limited sample size of observations, it seems like people find whatever they don't have to be more slippery (e.g., if you have and are used to hardwood, you find carpet slippery, and vice versa). I grew up with carpeted stairs, but have had bare hardwood ones for the past 15 years (keep in mind that the carpeted ones I show in earlier pictures are for the house we're about to move into). We either do socks, slippers, or bare feet in the house. At least with our current hardwood, slipperiness hasn't really been an issue. Should I expect new hardwood stairs to be any more slippery than what I have now? I know the current finishes are much more matte rather than the gloss/semi-gloss of the past, but I don't know that that would make a difference.

Any recommendations on sources for pre-made balusters? We would probably do ones that are painted white.

Tyler