Project Information
This is a custom railing that I made for a client. The only reason I post this is the special feature of the removable bottom section, which I thought might be of interest to some. The owners felt, quite rightly, that the bottom section needed to be removable to allow furniture and large items to be moved up and down the stairs. So the middle newel post splits, and the entire bottom section can be removed to accommodate this.
The first photo (on face value, the least impressive) shows the bottom section removed. The permanent half of the post is fixed to the structure with pocket screws on the inside (hidden) face.
If you look closely in the second photo, you will be able to see the 1/4" assembly fasteners that I used to clamp the split newel together. These seat in threaded inserts in the other half of the post. This household has small children, so I didn't want to just use screws and cover them up with plugs/caps that the kids could pull out and choke on. I was pleased that the antique brass finish of the assembly bolts camouflaged them against the finish. Dowels (1/2", unglued) assure the split newel re-aligns precisely. I milled, sanded, and finished the split post while assembled, so the casual observer would never notice that it is two separate pieces.
The bottom newel is attached to the wall by 1/4" hanger bolts, which are then connected to the same style of brass assembly bolts by a female union/connector.
The wood is maple, custom-tinted to match their existing kitchen cabinetry. Final finish is satin pre-cat lacquer. All parts were sprayed prior to assembly and then both the upper and lower sections of the open side railing were pre-assembled with dowels and glue. The assembly bolts are the only visible fasteners.
The first photo (on face value, the least impressive) shows the bottom section removed. The permanent half of the post is fixed to the structure with pocket screws on the inside (hidden) face.
If you look closely in the second photo, you will be able to see the 1/4" assembly fasteners that I used to clamp the split newel together. These seat in threaded inserts in the other half of the post. This household has small children, so I didn't want to just use screws and cover them up with plugs/caps that the kids could pull out and choke on. I was pleased that the antique brass finish of the assembly bolts camouflaged them against the finish. Dowels (1/2", unglued) assure the split newel re-aligns precisely. I milled, sanded, and finished the split post while assembled, so the casual observer would never notice that it is two separate pieces.
The bottom newel is attached to the wall by 1/4" hanger bolts, which are then connected to the same style of brass assembly bolts by a female union/connector.
The wood is maple, custom-tinted to match their existing kitchen cabinetry. Final finish is satin pre-cat lacquer. All parts were sprayed prior to assembly and then both the upper and lower sections of the open side railing were pre-assembled with dowels and glue. The assembly bolts are the only visible fasteners.
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