# Stair rail joint advice



## Steve Blackdog (30 Jun 2022)

Hi folks,

I am scratching my head about whether I can cut the joint on hand rail to a rotated newel post using machines, or whether it will need to be hand cut.
see photos. The newels are on an angle, so the joint will need a to sit at around 42 degrees from the vertical, but also have a V slot cut to take account of the ‘corner’ of the post.

Those Victorians were too clever for their own good!

any ideas?

cheers

Steve


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## MJ80 (24 Aug 2022)

I'd make a saddle for the different cuts and hand cut it, then pair it back. I can't really see how I would do that on the machines. That is a great staircase


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## rogxwhit (24 Aug 2022)

Just a brief thought that if you are providing a new handrail (which is how I read your post), I would tenon it and scribe the shoulders whilst it was still in the square, and run the moulds afterwards ...

PS: the thread is from 30th June ... however it may still be educational.


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## Steve Blackdog (25 Aug 2022)

Thanks for the responses - not too late as this is still work-in-progress. I have all the parts made, except for the spindles - which I am taking forever on! Unfortunately, rogxwhit, I have already had the rails made - so missed the chance to make them in the square. Now that they have been moulded it is a b*gger to hold them firm enough to put them on a machine.

So I will cut the tenons by hand. @MJ80 making a saddle is a good idea. This isn't a case of "measure twice, cut once", more like "measure twenty times, cut once"!


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## Against_The_Grain (25 Aug 2022)

Hard to tell how they’ve done it from the photographs, but could the whole handrail profile be let into the newel rather than V-shoulder cuts and so on? It was quite a common practice back then to let the handrail about 1/4” into the post along with the mortice and tenon.


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## MJ80 (25 Aug 2022)

The first photo looks like it has been let in a bit, or is it my eyes playing tricks


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## Steve Blackdog (25 Aug 2022)

MJ80 said:


> The first photo looks like it has been let in a bit, or is it my eyes playing tricks


I will try and find out - not sure that would make it any easier would it, or do you think it would give you a little more wriggle room?


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## rogxwhit (25 Aug 2022)

Not much in it, is there? To house it in by any amount you'd have to scribe the profile on to two adjacent sides of the post ... probably by cutting a 'dummy' scribing sample to offer up. But then if the bottom of the housing could be square (flat), the tenon shoulders wouldn't need scribing ... decisions, decisions!


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## Steve Blackdog (25 Aug 2022)

rogxwhit said:


> Not much in it, is there? To house it in by any amount you'd have to scribe the profile on to two adjacent sides of the post ... probably by cutting a 'dummy' scribing sample to offer up. But then if the bottom of the housing could be square (flat), the tenon shoulders wouldn't need scribing ... decisions, decisions!


Whichever way I do it, I will wish I had gone down the other road


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## MJ80 (26 Aug 2022)

How many have you got to do, you could have the best of both worlds


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## Steve Blackdog (11 Oct 2022)

All

I thought you might like to see the finished staircase. Obviously Still needs a few finishing touches and a few coats of French polish.

Thanks again for your help.


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