This is one of those ‘back burner’ projects. We built new porches a couple summers ago. With the pandemic messing with things my grandson hasn’t been able to travel up here to help with finishing the project and other things have kept me busy during that time.
Now, when time allows, balusters for the railing will be made a few at a time. Then one rail at a time will be installed.
First thing to do was finding the stock. A building supply store in Vancouver, WA had 2X2 clear cedar bundles at 48”:
a The Stock.jpg
That seemed perfect for the job. The first step is marking the balusters to be cut at 24”:
b Marking for Length.jpg
This is using a story stick with a locking head. It is set for 24”. The stock is marked from both ends since the stock isn’t a perfect 48” from the lumber yard. It is then knifed all around on the mark or between the marks if they do not agree. Then it is sawn:
c Sawing to Length.jpg
This piece had a little bow to it so the image looks odd. There are a few things to notice here. First and hardest to see is there is scrap under the ends of the piece being sawn for support.
Next is the piece of scrap 1/4” (6mm) plywood under the bench hooks to protect the bench top.
Finally notice the reflection in the saw plate. For a square cut it should look like a continuance of the piece being sawn. Keep an eye on this and your square cuts will improve.
Both ends are marked with a marking gauge for the length of the tenon:
d Marking Tenon Depth.jpg
This helps to prevent tear out on the shoulder of the tenon.
A spoke pointer is used to make a starting point for a hollow auger:
e Spoke Pointer for the Start.jpg
This is checked after the first few turns to ensure it is centered on the work.
It takes about fifteen to twenty turns to get it to size and then the hollow auger takes over:
f Hollow Auger Cuts Tenon.jpg
A check gauge is used to make sure of the size:
g Check Gauge.jpg
This is especially important if the blade has been sharpened between cutting tenons.
So far so good:
h Seven Down - Seventy Seven To Go.jpg
This is going to take awhile.
jtk