How did you make your hand-rails for stairs?

[Kurt Voss]

I have two stair ways to make hand rails for. I'm trying to decide between buying bits for the router table to shape rails vs making something simpler using some oak or maple boards that are nicely finished and use some wood pieces to attach them to the walls and create an adequate stand-off for gripping. Your thoughts and pictures are appreciated!

[Richard Wolf]

Let me say first, that a hand rail with a profile or shape to it feels much more comfortable and safer than a flat board of any thickness.
Second, I would suggest that it is not the easiest thing to make your own profile handrail. You will most likely need long lenghts, 12 to 16 feet, and without a long bed shaper or molder it may be difficult.

Two choices, 1) Home Depot, I know, we all love to hate that place, but they sell oak rails in the stair department. the profile, called 6010, is the most common choice of rail in the U.S. Why? Because it fits in everybodies hand and looks good.
If that does not work for you, go to a good lumber yard that sells millwork. They can get you rails made by L.J. Smith, the lagerest rail supplier in the U.S. You can pick from about six or seven profiles, including 6010.

When mounting these handrails to the walls, use good rail brackets, Ives makes very good ones, $10.00 each at HD. Keep the handrail a minimum of 1 1/2 inches from the wall. Use mitered return pieces at the top and bottom. Make sure you find studs.

Richard

[Dev Emch]

In short, I have to agree with what Richard said. That is the quick and easy way out.

Fact is, the slang term for shaper cutters is "meat cutters". And some of the nicest meat cutters I have seen are the stair rail cutters. I have no immediate memory of having seen a cutter set for use on a router table. The cutters I have seen are corregated T1 HSS mounted in a corregated steel head that weighs a bunch! And these are not safety heads... the knives are out there! You will need a real heavy duty shaper along with input and output support tables. A minimum of 30 mm or 1.25 inch bore along with at least 5 HP. Also, you will need to equip your shaper with a power feeder. Now some will say you dont need it; however, to get perfect results quickly, you will! My head weighs almost 10 pounds and uses a 40 mm bore. I salvaged this head off a wynig moulder and adapted it for use on my shaper. So as I mentioned, the quick and easy way out is to do what Richard said.

[Kelly C. Hanna]

Good advice to buy yours, but if you just wanna make 'em, I'd recommend NOT doing it on an everyday router table. I'd go with a shaper.

[Chris Damm]

You can make a nice looking rail by cutting the sides at 5 degrees and using a 1/2 or 3/4 roundover bit. I made some out of 8/4 red oak and my wife liked them better than anything she saw at the borg.

[Steve Clardy]

A molding machine is the best and safesy way to make railing. I have done it on a shaper, but not without a lot of problems.
They do make railing router bits, but I sure wouldn't attempt it. Those are large bits, and you would need a slow speed router, and make numerous passes.
Steve


http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=2492

[Kurt Voss]

Thanks for the replies. I priced oak rails at Lowes yesterday, they run about $4/ft - which with brackets would be close to just buying the bits. So I think I'll buy them. Another question - the rails come in 16' lengths tops and I have a 22' straight stairway to do. What sort of joint to join two rails together would you suggest that could be accomoplished on lumber of this size and be strong as well as aesthetically pleasing?

thanks much

[Richard Wolf]

22' is a long run. If I need more than a 16 ' run I use a carefully executed half lap. I overlap by a least 12" and try to make the lap joint on the profile where it is difficult to see.

Richard

[Steve Clardy]

Rail connector bolts are also available.