Stair Rail Progress Continues

Scott made fantastic progress on the connector stair railing system over the past week - in fact, he was able to attach all of the polycarbonate panels on the first and second floors. (The basement portion will wait for now.) After some thoughtful planning, the process went very smoothly.

Scott made a template out of a piece of scrap wood upon which he measured and marked the location of each hole that needed to be drilled. It was easy to keep the holes even from section-to-section.

Drilling through the steel was loud but not that difficult.

After drilling each hole, Scott went back and used a countersink bit to create a funnel-shaped hole. The head of each bolt would now settle in, rather than protrude and perhaps snag a passer-by.

The panels were held in place with spring clamps, then drilled through the previously-drilled holes. Six bolts and acorn nuts attach each panel to the steel.

The poly panels in place at the second-floor balcony.

I pitched in and helped attach the panels on the lower section.  Scott let me use the drill, and thread the bolts through each hole. Helping was a good distraction from the Husker football game on November 2nd - which, until literally the last second, we thought was a lost cause.

On Sunday, November 3rd, Scott purchased five oak handrails in a variety of lengths. He will cut each piece to the right length, making adjustments as needed to make them fit perfectly. It will be my job to help sand, stain, and polycoat each piece before he bolts them in place. 

Stay Tuned for Our Next Adventure!