Decorative Front Railing Joints

[Deen]

I'll be starting the build on a decorative front porch railing shortly. 

 

I'm looking for suggestions on joints to support the decorative "boxes". I can imagine that their children may step on the boxes and am worried about stability. 

Fence Design

[wtnhighlander]

@Deen, first let me welcome you to the forum. Second, I must ask you to confirm the link you included is simply an example of what you want to build, and not your own web site. Linking to external sites for monetary gain is against forum rules, except for the personal web link allowed in your profile.

Third, let me say that the materials you choose will dictate how practical that design really is, as well as the building codes for your locale. The linked site itself mentions dovetail joints and splined miter joints, which are about as stong as I can imagine, while retaining the smooth appearance. But I wouldn't attempt that with any North American softwood species that are commonly used for outdoor work. A dense tropical species, like sepele, would probably work well.

[Tom King]

I'm seeing open spaces a lot larger than 4".

[Coop]

On 9/27/2022 at 2:27 PM, Tom King said:

I'm seeing open spaces a lot larger than 4".

When does this become a concern, just curious? 

[wtnhighlander]

Any home with small children, as they can get their head stuck through spaces that small. I believe it is a residential code standard in many places.

[G Ragatz]

On 9/27/2022 at 10:34 PM, wtnhighlander said:

Any home with small children, as they can get their head stuck through spaces that small. I believe it is a residential code standard in many places.

Pretty sure those would not pass code here, unless the drop beyond the railing is less than 2 feet. A little one could clearly get through one of those openings and take a tumble.

[Tom King]

A lot of Inspectors have a 4" diameter ball that they test balustrades with.  The 4" ball can't pass through anywhere and the railing meet code.

https://inspectoroutlet.com/products/stairway-inspection-spheres

[Deen]

@wtnhighlander Yes, the website is an example the house owners sent. 

 

They are using the railing out front as decoration only, it is going around the front walk that is only 6" raised from the yard. Thank you all for the tip on spacing, I'll look into code. I just do handy work so I don't ever promise clients that I know code but it is a good thing to fill them in on.

Any other suggestions on types of wood? 

 

[wtnhighlander]

Probably the question to ask is what materials are available, and within your client's budget? In my opinion, those dovetail joints will be prone to splitting most North American softwood species that are suitable for outdoor use, like cedars or cypress.

Try going to The Wood Database and filtering for the features you need. I preselected for durability in the link, but you might add location and/or color filters as well. Look for results that mention interlocking grain to find species less prone to splitting.