I have to rebuild my handrails in the front stairs and tunawife mentioned cedar. I love the idea. Stain on cedar would look great.
So...
3. what is the best way to anchor the newel at the bottom into the concrete?
Bump for the morning crowd.
By "bumpy bit," do you mean the round corner? Those are pre-made pieces, you'd have to find them in cedar somewhere but I don't know if they're made in cedar. You could find a local mill / lumberyard that makes those pieces and ask them to make them in cedar. Our local mill is surprisingly affordable as long as they have the knives already made.
Yeah, those are pre-made pieces. They come in different profiles, but like dculberson, I've never seen any in cedar since fancy handrails are typically used indoors, and cedar is a soft wood that may not withstand the abuse that a handrail sees.
What type/material will your newell/balusters be?
In reply to STM317 :
Cedar for newels and cast iron balusters.
I think I'd use a bracket like this for the posts:
And then hide it with some trim boards around the base like this:
They make them for cedar, but the price is totally outrageous. One volute is going to a couple hundred bucks.
So... maybe I make these from scratch with a router and several pieces of cedar glued together.
I don't think I would like to use volutes made out of cypress.
It's a softwood. Volutes are subject to strain when the railings are pushed on. Soft woods crack under strain.
Those handrails inside your house are oak. It's a hardwood.
I would suggest cedar newels, painted oak handrails and volutes using stock pieces, and wrought iron balusters.
In reply to SVreX :
If I want a stain rather than a paint (translucent, not opaque is what I mean), can I still use oak outside? I was under the impression that cedar was better for outdoor use, and would be happy to make most of the designs (albeit simplified) with a router instead of shelling out many hundreds, even for oak, for specialty handrail parts.
Like most things, the answer is "It depends"...
Cedar is more naturally resistant to rot (although it can rot too)
Oak (or any other wood) can be used outside if it is well sealed and the finish is well maintained. Helps if it's in a sunny area.
ANYTHING that is not well maintained can (and will) deteriorate. Since most of us suck at preventative maintenance, rot resistant woods are usually recommended.
I once built a magnificent curved balustrade completely out of redwood- backprimed, vented, completely done right (and VERY expensive). Only lasted a few years because the owner did not maintain it.
In reply to SVreX :
Let's just say that I prefer cedar for rot resistance and also because it looks prettier.
I'm still thinking that I can make this piecemeal and use a router bit combo to make it decent. The only thing I can't figure out how to make easily are the bumps. Perhaps a steel plate clamped in place to allow the router bit guide bearing to ride on?
In reply to tuna55 :
White oak is decay resistant but most railings and fittings are made from red oak. Don’t be fooled, I was, red oak can look like white oak but it doesn’t have the decay resistance and will rot!!
Second
clear or translucent finishes will eventually weather no matter how carefully maintained if exposed to steady sunlight. I did my whole exterior in Black Walnut protected with a good grade spar varnish. and it looked gorgeous for a couple of summers. Then gradually even though the finish itself held up the wood underneath bleached out.
I stripped the wood and restrained the Black Walnut but the vibrancy and real beauty was gone. Keeping it dark like the original wood just turn muddy.
Over 12,000 bd ft of Black Walnut Timbers and trim and I’m going to paint it soon.
In short paint don’t try to stain anything outdoors.
In reply to tuna55 :
I understand it is prettier. Still may not be the right material for the job.
Aluminum is prettier than steel, and rust resistant. But I wouldn't try to weld a piece of aluminum into a steel car frame as a patch. (Well, maybe if I went to GA Tech! Lol!!)
I agree with frenchy about the stain. It doesn't last. A heavy-bodied stain can work, but that is much more like paint...
If you are committed to wanting a stained finish, consider teak, and a marine varnish. It's a hardwood that can make a nice rail.
Softwoods simply aren't strong enough to make a decent rail
BTW, those volutes and goosenecks are not necessary. They are pretty much never used on exteriors.
In reply to tuna55 :
The answer to your question about making the "bumps"...
You don't need a steel plate. You make your blank a finished product with a smooth sanded radius. The router guide will end up on the high point of the crown- the transition from a outside curve radius to an inside curve. These are 2 different cuts with 2 different bits. The guide point is where they meet- it's not routed at all. Perhaps just some light sanding at the meeting edge.
Heres a video:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=58UwIYJ3bDM
The finger grip (underside of the bump) is a little harder without a shaper. But I get the impression you may not be concerned about precision in this detail.
If you'd like to come visit, you are welcome to use my shaper. ;-)
Ipe ( iron wood) can be relatively affordable, and is as close to rot proof as you can get. I also do a lot to avoid stains outside, because of the aforementioned maintenance headache. There are a number of hardwoods that can work outside, teak, purpleheart, various mahogany, etc. Red oak has an open cell structure, so water has access to the whole piece. White oak is closed cell, but I still wouldn't use it outside.
But the key to happiness is "embrace the greying wood"
On the other hand, I made a fixed outdoor table for my folks, used tiger wood for the top (pretty stunning). And I also made a removable pitched structure to cover it in the winter to slow down the degradation. Still needs regular maintenance.
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