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I thought this would be an easy project. I was wrong. I did 4 flights of stairs and the measurements for each flight were different. Also, lining up with anchors in the wall can be tricky. Nonetheless, we got it done.

This is 8/4 red oak. There are dowels embedded in each of the joints. There are bolts connecting the rail to the wall, with a 2.5" spacer to keep them out from the wall. The bolts are countersunk .75" and the holes filled with plugs that, as much as possible, match the grain around them. Finished with poly.

This is not a high profile, spectacular project. It is very practical and its purpose is safety.

May I say that these rails are VERY solid and I think that is important.

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Yeah it seems like a simple thing to do but I can appreciate the challenges. Looks nice.
 

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Rich,
I agree things that seem easy can get tricky! Well you nailed so to speak. Great job on the look and saftey! First thing I noticed was how well you did with trying to mach the plugs grain. For some reason I always llok at the pics first then read about it. I like to look for things befroe knowing how they did it.

Great post as always!
 

· In Loving Memory
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Those are both functional and very attractive. Now you need to turn some collection bowls/platters. Your signature appears everywhere in your church. Good on you!
 

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How many holes in the cement block, and how many carbide drill bits?.............(-:
 

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Jim - 19 holes into the cement blocks. We initially used a 5/16th bit through the wood to get a starter hole. Then we used a 5/8th bit to bore the hole out to the correct size for the anchors. Of course, we used a hammer drill. We only had to use 1 bit of each size.

Our bolts were 5/16 in diameter and on each flight we had to bore the hole in the wood out to 3/8th to give us some "wiggle room" to line things up on 1 or 2 of the holes. I don't think that compromised the integrity of the rails very much, if any. There are only 2 people (and everyone who reads this) that will know about that.
 

· In Loving Memory
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Rich- were you concerned that Tapcon screws wouldn't hold well enough? I love em cause they are so easy.
 

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I have an old corded hammer drill which I have used for that function over the years, and they are the ticket. I am always amazed to see how well the carbide bits hold up, but I thought you would probably have gone through more than one. Very attractive railings. They will out live the building probably, so maybe someone will have the common sense to salvage the lumber…...........

I love to tell the story of some solid oak boxes my son made for the day's pulled charts for our office in 1985. They were commisioned at our supervisors request. Made the dividers out of two pieces of 3/16 one sided oak veneer plywood glued back to back. I helped him glue his large sheet together and use cement blocks for pressure. Then he cut dados on the RAS in 3/4 inch solid oak. Boxes were glued, nailed and countersunk. The boxes were finished with 3 or 4 coats of spar varnish. 27 years later they are still in use and look like brand new. They will be in use for another few years while we still use the old charts, but the EMR is replacing the paper.

Oak doesn't rust, and keeps looking better over time.
 

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gfadvm - I'm also a fan of tapcons screws and have used them often. I usually use tapcon screws when I am penetrating solid concrete (e.g. going into a concrete floor). In this case we were going into concrete blocks which are hollow. You are only penetrating about 1.25" of material.

I suspect that tapcons would have been okay, but I think the anchors we used are just a bit more solid.

As an FYI, I have broken a tapcon screw with my impact driver. It's rare, but it does happen. When that happens there is nothing you can do but cover it up with a wooden plug and leave it.
 

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Regarding Oak - - If anyone is familiar with my projects, you will know that I have done numerous projects for my church and every one of them is done primarily in oak (often with a bloodwood trim or accent). In my opinion, oak is what is right for these church projects. However, I have to say that oak is not my favorite wood to work with and I am really getting tired of working in oak.

On a recent project for one of my sons, and on a current project for the other son, I am using walnut. What a delight to work with.

FYI - my current project is a cradle because my other son, and his girlfriend, are about to provide us with our first grandchild.
 

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Sorry for the late entry but been out of town, and no time for email. Great to hear about the grandchild….....should be a lot of fun for everyone. Oak definitely have its issues, but it lasts.

Now you have another focus for your projects…............variety is usually a good thing.
 

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As a follow up - i use (and I really need) these handrails often. i never thought I would be a primary user of these handrails.

For those who do not know - I am recovering from a very serious stroke in April.

i
 
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