In article . com,
Zimmer wrote:
I'm constructing a deck railing with 4"x4" posts, 2"x4" rails, and 1/2"
copper balusters. For reasons I won't go into, the spacing between the
posts is not equal for each section of railing (i.e., some distances
between posts are 44.25", while others are 46", etc.).

Aesthetically, is it more important to maintain the same O.C. spacing
between balusters for all sections of the railing (e.g., all balusters
are 5" O.C.) or is it more important to maintain equal baluster spacing
within a section of the railing (e.g., a 44 1/4" span would result in a
baluster spacing of 4.76" while a 32.25" span would result in a
baluster spacing of 4.41")

You want to keep the spacing "approximately" the same all around.

Two ways to do this:
1) use fixed spacing _between_ all the balusters, and 'fudge to fit'
between the baluster and the post (split the difference between the
two ends of the section)
2) lay out each section with 'standard' spacing, to see how many balusters
go in, and then 'fudge to fit' that number of balusters with equal
spacings.

Unless you've got som _really_short_ sections, to the casual eye, either
will look equally good. The first is a bit 'easier' to construct, because
a single spacing template can be used for all the baluster-to-baluster
intervals.