Gluing and clamping railing ballister in place
#11
Friends house has a single broken ballister.  Was hoping to glue it up and pull it back together in place.  Certainly am NOT going to take this railing apart.

Anyone have a suggestion for how to get this pressure to pull it back together, in place?

Colin

   
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#12
Can you wedge something between the bottom of the spindle where the round tenon enters the base?

Does the hand rail have enough flex to allow clamping?

My first thought is to wrap some rubber electrical tape around the spindles above and below the break.  Then attach a hose clamp around each band of tape. 

Then I get stuck because I cannot figure a way to clamp to the upper and lower hose clamps. 

Perhaps you can put a piece of wood under each clamp and run a screw from the top one to the bottom one to draw the pieces together.

Or perhaps only clamp the bottom part and use a ratcheting strap to pull it up to the upper.  You could simply stand a ladder next to the banister and use that for the upper anchor of the ratcheting strap.

No easy answers though.
No animals were injured or killed in the production of this post.
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#13
There is mitered trim on the outboard side of the tread.  If you remove that can you pull out the spindle and then put the assembled spindle back in and re-attach the trim?
No animals were injured or killed in the production of this post.
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#14
(05-18-2020, 03:34 PM)Cooler Wrote: There is mitered trim on the outboard side of the tread.  If you remove that can you pull out the spindle and then put the assembled spindle back in and re-attach the trim?

hmmm...that's an interesting point.  I should investigate that a bit-- unless someone else comes up with some ingenious clamping method.

Colin
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#15
Take two pieces of soft wood 2x2x4ish" long. Bore a straight hole thru both about the size of the bottom of the baluster. Taper (on a lathe) one to roughly match the taper of the baluster above the break. Slice the 2x2's in half longways. Clamp one above and one below the break with good parallel clamps. Use the sides of those clamps to clamp with 2 more clamps.

g
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#16
(05-18-2020, 03:21 PM)Cdshakes Wrote: Friends house has a single broken ballister.  Was hoping to glue it up and pull it back together in place.  Certainly am NOT going to take this railing apart.
Anyone have a suggestion for how to get this pressure to pull it back together, in place?
Colin

Norm Abrams did this exact repair on the new This Old House episode that aired Saturday on PBS. He removed the side trim and the bottom of the baluster was dovetailed into the stair tread. See if you can find Saturday's This Old House and check it out.
Mike B.

One thing is for certain though. Whichever method you use, you can be absolutely certain that you are most assuredly doing it wrong.        Axehandle, 2/24/2016
Do not get in to much of a hurry buddy...  Arlin, 5/18/2022
Apology excepted.  TT. 2/25/20223
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#17
There appears to be a good bit of rotted wood in it.
Gary

Please don’t quote the trolls.
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Say what you'll do and do what you say.
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#18
(05-18-2020, 04:45 PM)rectangle618 Wrote: Norm Abrams did this exact repair on the new This Old House episode that aired Saturday on PBS.  He removed the side trim and the bottom of the baluster was dovetailed into the stair tread.  See if you can find Saturday's This Old House and check it out.


Yes. A lot of the older staircases had the dovetailed baluster's. I'd say 50's and down.
60's and up were mostly drilled, with a tenon on the ends on the baluster's.
Steve

Missouri






 
The Revos apparently are designed to clamp railroad ties and pull together horrifically prepared joints
WaterlooMark 02/9/2020








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#19
Isn’t it true that no matter how it is clamped, in place, or removed from the step, that the little glued spot will have no strength? Wouldn’t you have to drill out both ends and insert a dowel?
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#20
(05-18-2020, 07:01 PM)petertay15 Wrote: Isn’t it true that no matter how it is clamped, in place, or removed from the step, that the little glued spot will have no strength? Wouldn’t you have to drill out both ends and insert a dowel?

Yes, true. And that's what Norm did in the This Old House episode I mentioned. Either that, or turn a new baluster.
Mike B.

One thing is for certain though. Whichever method you use, you can be absolutely certain that you are most assuredly doing it wrong.        Axehandle, 2/24/2016
Do not get in to much of a hurry buddy...  Arlin, 5/18/2022
Apology excepted.  TT. 2/25/20223
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