Stair rail designs and codes

[Thomas Wilson]

I don't remember the details, but here (in CA) I do recall that the cap rail on the ballusters was too high and thick, and the newell post interrupted the continuous rail and was not an acceptable end for a handrail.. The only thing I found that was acceptable was a narrower (round in my case) hand rail below and inside the ballusters with wrap-around ends (I didn't see mentioned, above) that would not catch on clothing or a handbag strap.

For treads over 3' wide, he wanted handrails on both sides, though I think he said the code restriction was 4'.

Thanks Wayne. Handrails are governed strictly here too but with some differences. In Tennessee, the applicable code is the 2018 International Residential Code. There can be local amendments. The IRC code is generally behind a paywall so I only have excerpts and interpretations. I think only one side of the stair requires a handrail here. The range of dimensions of the grip of the handrail horizontally and vertically is 1 1/2” to 2” by 1 1/2” to 2” and edges must be rounded. Handrail grip must be terminated into a newel or wall. The ends cannot be exposed. The height range is 34” to 38” measured to the nose of the stair. The grip of the handrail must be continuous from landing to landing and may have newel posts at the landings. It may not have a post that interrupts the grip between landings. You may have a post but it must support the handrail from below. No opening that will pass a 4 3/8” ball through the rail is allowed on stairs. For open end treads, the max ball size is 6”. The max ball for guard rail is 4”. The rail must support 200 pounds from any direction.

My design meets all these requirements. I hope the inspector is impressed by timber frame joinery and not put off by something custom, not commercially available components.

[Thomas Wilson]

Thomas Wilson, Congratulations on your recovery! That is a wonderful looking room!

Thanks Maurice. I am very lucky to have reached my advanced age with no chronic injuries or illnesses, and Janicewhokeepsmehumble too.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

That is quite a chunk of Oak too. Janice is a super trooper! Are you working in the house or is she living the shop?

[Thomas Wilson]

That is quite a chunk of Oak too. Janice is a super trooper! Are you working in the house or is she living the shop?

JWKMH is indeed a trooper. You would not be the first to observe that I married way up. She is also the interior decorator of the shop. I really appreciate how good it looks. There are thousands of stories I could tell about her but I shall refrain.

By “house” I think you may be referring to the apartment side of the shop building. The actual house is down the street. JWKMH comes up to help often. The only problem is that we have no cell phone reception, no cable available, no over-the-air tv reception, not even a telephone. The visits tend to have a purpose and are short. We do sleep in the apartment when all the kids and grandkids are visiting and fill up the house. Also, we can sit and cogitate or rest in the study or on the porch when we are working. It is nice to have a place to sit down. JWKMH has her sewing machine in the upstairs bedroom. It gets a lot of use around Christmas.

[Thomas Wilson]

JWKMH came up to help with a glue up so I took a picture.

You can never be too rich, too thin, or have too many clamps. This is the dry clamp up of a 4” x 4” x 12’ piece for the top of the stair rail.

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I used every clamp I own shorter than 3’ and wished I had more big C clamps.

I wish this project would go a bit faster. I have been dreading some timber frame size mortises using cabinet making size tools.

[Thomas Wilson]

I am milling some more material for the 4” x 4” top rail. I need to true up one edge so that the piece can be ripped. I marked it with a chalk line.
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The piece is concave and needs to have a 3/8” wedge trimmed at each end. This seemed a bit much to work down with the jointer. I decided to hand plane it. This is kiln dried white oak. I used a No 5 1/2 with a straight ground blade. It was funny. I should have cambered the blade. I did it but now I need a nap.
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[Tom M King]

You should sleep good tonight, but I'm not sure about how much spring will be in your step when you get up in the morning.

[Thomas Wilson]

I did sleep well, shoulders are mildly sore today. Funny thing. When I ripped the piece, the edge bowed in the opposite direction of the original curve. Now I need to put those shavings back on to straighten it out.

For those who might think this is odd, it is not. This is kiln dried lumber. Frequently there are residual stresses in the lumber such that when sawn down the middle both halves bow outward in the middle. This kind of stress causes the kerf to close and bind the sides of the blade. It can be hard to rip and requires a wedge in the kerf to keep it open. This case was mild. Since this piece will be laminated to another straighter board, I will clamp the edges to straighten it out.