Fitting Handrail on Balustrade

[pnburdon]

Hi.

I am fitting a new balustrade in my house. The newell posts and base rails are in and the landing balustrade is complete - I just have to do the handrail and balusters on the diagonal part of the stairs.

My question is how is the best/easiest way to join the handrail to the newell posts at either end? On the landing I used fixings supplied with the 90 degree bend part I had - but it was awkward and the finished result was not what I had hoped for either in appearance or stength.

I do not have a bracket fix system - just a pine rail and pine newells. Newells are already fixed so dont really want to loosen them although this is not impossible (for the bottom one at least)

Shouls I dowel and glue? are there any other tricks?

Any advice appreciated!

Thanks in advance.

 

[big-all]

you need to choose your fixing system before you secure BOTH posts
you can just about dowel 1 end in but not the other if they are secured

i always do a mortice and tennon but then i have a morticer and a slider[pull saw]

 

[pnburdon]

oops!

I can remove the bottom post. I realise it may not be the best job but I just need to fix it securely. What about drilling halfway through the newell (it is a square stop chamfer post) with a 10mm bit and then screwing from there into the rail and then filling, sanding and painting the drill hole?

 

[big-all]

if your mortising then i can help you
if you are using a fixing system choose a fixing system preferably one that will adapt to posts already fixed in lol and then get back to us what system you have chosen

 

[Newboy21]

Cutting mortise and tenons takes ages and i've never bothered. i've just installed and how I space spindles. But the handrail is easy to fix. I cut two spindles to length and clamp one to the post at the top and one at the bottom. These help me hold the handrail in position and I also know the handrail is the right length when it sits perfectly on top of the them.
I generally glue each end and pin it with my finish nailgun to hole it in position. Remove the spindles and screw the bottom up with a 100mm wood screw, where it will be covered by the infill strip. You can get an excellent fixing there and put 2 screws in if you want.
The top I screw through the back of the newel again with a 100mm wood screw. I use a 12mm auger though to drill a 10/15mm deep hole that I fill with a wood pellet cut from an offcut of post/spindle/handrail for an exact colour match. There are draw dowels on staircases and pellets resemble them and don't look out of place, more like a feature. Make sure you drill them in the center of the post.

 

[gregers]

nice web site,why does it seem to have an american twang to it though?.