Victorian porch
All text and photos by InsideSpaces.com.
Once very popular in nineteenth-century homes, decorative millwork is beingrevived. This article will show you how to complete this Victorian railingproject from creating a pattern, to cutting your own balusters, and finallyinstalling the porch railing. This medium difficulty project requires a band orscroll saw and takes about eight hours.
Items needed:
- Band or scroll saw
- Ruler and marker pen
- Screw driver
- Table saw
- Sandpaper (trim or drum sander optional)
- Primer and paint
Difficulty: Moderate
Time required: Eight hours
Caution: Wear eye protection when operating power tools
| Step 1: Patterns and designs | |
| The design for your ornamental sawn baluster determines the look and feel for the porch. You can exaggerate the height, openness and style depending on the pattern. |
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| Step 2: Consider cutouts | |
| You don't need a hole saw to create the ornamental effect. Sawn balusters are typically offered in the following sizes: Widths: 3-1/2, 5, 7 and 8 1/2 inches
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| Step 3: Measure height | |
The overall height from the deck or flooring of a typical railing is 34-38 inches. Be sure to check local building codes for the minimum required height, then use this to calculate the length of the baluster needed.
Inside spaces created this this design. For a larger image which you can download and use to create your own template, click here. There are many variations. |  |
| Step 4: Choose wood | |
| If you don't have a band or scroll saw, sawn balusters can be found in a variety of styles. Prices vary depending on size and material, from $7 to $27. Two of the best materials for this project are kiln-dried redwood or cypress. This was not readily available for our project and Inside Spaces used standard pressure-treated pine. |  |
| Step 5: Cut stock to length | |
| With the pattern selected, cut the stock to length with a power miter or table saw. |  |
| Step 6: Trace pattern | |
| Trace the pattern onto the stock material, carefully avoiding making cut lines on knots. A pencil works well on most wood, but for pressure-treated a permanent marker is better. |  |
| Step 7: Set guard height on scroll saw | |
| The scroll work is best done using a scroll saw. Because our design did not have small radii cuts, we were able to use a band saw with a 1/4" blade. With the saw off, set the blade guard height to be about 1/4" above the stock and be sure the tension is correct. |  |
| Step 8: Begin cutting | |
| Start by cutting away smaller sections from one side. |  |
| Step 9: Continue cutting | |
| Now cut away on the other side. |  |
| Step 10: Cut larger sections | |
| Continue cutting away larger sections. |  |
| Step 11: Remove small sections | |
| Secure strap and remove the small sections carefully. |  |
| Step 12: Hand sand | |
| Sand cuts by hand, or by using a trim or drum sander. |  |
| Step 13: Secure bottom railings to post | |
| The hand and shoe rail can be made of 2 x 4, 2 x 6 or 5/4 stock. We used 5/4 fir for the base of the shoe rail. The hand rail is two pieces, cut from 2 x 4 and 5/4 stock with an angle and beveled on the top. Both rails must be securely fastened to the post. Note that this must be very strong to support the lateral weight of over 200 pounds. This can be accomplished through a series of screws. |  |
| Step 14: Slide balusters into shoe rail | |
| The balusters slide into the mortise in the shoe rail. |  |
| Step 15: Screw in shoe rail | |
| This next step takes more than one set of hands, so get some help on this. On the last baluster, you will need to rip the width to fit. Once in place, secure the rails with weatherproof screws every 18 inches. |  |
| Step 16: Prime and paint | |
| Once you have the railing in place, use a good quality primer and follow with two coats of paint for the final step. |  |
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The above instructions werecreated by InsideSpaces, a Website providing detailed home improvement stories. Text and photos,Copyright 2001, InsideSpaces.
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