I'm trying to source some metal brackets to fit a standard wooden
handrail to a staircase. The issue is that I don't want to attach the
rail to a side wall, but to a wooden balustrade-thing beneath - it's a
fully paneled, with a flat wooden top, to which a tatty old handrail was
formerly fitted and I am now replacing. Basically, what I want is just
like these...
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...17362&ts=26261
....but without the dogleg in the stem; ie it would be a straight rod
with a perpendicular drilled bracket at either end.

I've tried Screwfix, Woodfit, Isaac Lord, Ironmongery Direct, Romark,
Toolstation, Richard Burbridge ... surely they must exist somewhere?

Any ideas?

Thanks
David

"Lobster" wrote in message
...
I'm trying to source some metal brackets to fit a standard wooden handrail
to a staircase. The issue is that I don't want to attach the rail to a
side wall, but to a wooden balustrade-thing beneath - it's a fully
paneled, with a flat wooden top, to which a tatty old handrail was
formerly fitted and I am now replacing. Basically, what I want is just
like these...
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...17362&ts=26261
...but without the dogleg in the stem; ie it would be a straight rod with
a perpendicular drilled bracket at either end.

I've tried Screwfix, Woodfit, Isaac Lord, Ironmongery Direct, Romark,
Toolstation, Richard Burbridge ... surely they must exist somewhere?


David,

Have a chat with
http://tinyurl.com/yt4tfa

Lobster wrote:

formerly fitted and I am now replacing. Basically, what I want is just
like these...
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...17362&ts=26261
...but without the dogleg in the stem; ie it would be a straight rod
with a perpendicular drilled bracket at either end.

The tricky thing with "straight" fittings is they are not straight. The
support for the rail needs to be mounted on the fitting at the same
angle of inclination as the staircase, and hence is variable from one
staircase to the next.

Most fittings of this type seem to be hinged in some way:

http://www.stairplan.com/fusion.htm


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

On Mar 7, 2:05 pm, John Rumm wrote:
Lobster wrote:
formerly fitted and I am now replacing. Basically, what I want is just
like these...
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...17362&ts=26261
...but without the dogleg in the stem; ie it would be a straight rod
with a perpendicular drilled bracket at either end.

The tricky thing with "straight" fittings is they are not straight. The
support for the rail needs to be mounted on the fitting at the same
angle of inclination as the staircase, and hence is variable from one
staircase to the next.


There's no reason why they can't be straight. So long as the two
mounting faces are parallel, the angle of the stairs is totally
irrelevant and the handrail WILL be parallel to the stairs.

Looking at the link you gave, I don't think you understood the OPs
description of the problem?

MBQ

John Rumm wrote:
Lobster wrote:

formerly fitted and I am now replacing. Basically, what I want is just
like these...
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...17362&ts=26261
...but without the dogleg in the stem; ie it would be a straight rod
with a perpendicular drilled bracket at either end.

The tricky thing with "straight" fittings is they are not straight. The
support for the rail needs to be mounted on the fitting at the same
angle of inclination as the staircase, and hence is variable from one
staircase to the next.

Most fittings of this type seem to be hinged in some way:

http://www.stairplan.com/fusion.htm

See what you mean - if you need the "straight" element to be vertical -
but I don't, I want the straight bit to be perpendicular to the rail:
would only be about 2-3" long. They would replace the orignal 1950s
items which looked OK design-wise, just that they would have looked more
in keeping with a scaffolding tower than a domestic stairway!

David

wrote:

There's no reason why they can't be straight. So long as the two
mounting faces are parallel, the angle of the stairs is totally
irrelevant and the handrail WILL be parallel to the stairs.

Looking at the link you gave, I don't think you understood the OPs
description of the problem?

I understood the question well enough... If you use something that does
not remain vertical then it tends to look odd if there are vertical
elements below (for example splindles etc).

If you just need parallel to the exiting rail, a wood block, pocket hole
screwed to the exiting and new rails would achieve the same result.

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

John Rumm wrote:
wrote:

There's no reason why they can't be straight. So long as the two
mounting faces are parallel, the angle of the stairs is totally
irrelevant and the handrail WILL be parallel to the stairs.

Looking at the link you gave, I don't think you understood the OPs
description of the problem?

I understood the question well enough... If you use something that does
not remain vertical then it tends to look odd if there are vertical
elements below (for example splindles etc).

If you just need parallel to the exiting rail, a wood block, pocket hole
screwed to the exiting and new rails would achieve the same result.

OK, I've found a pic of the old installation - should have posted this
originally perhaps:
http://img.photoamp.com/i/joq3g08O.stairway

The old rail (now discarded) was steel, with welded-on, perpendicular
brackets attaching to the horrible white 'solid' balustrade thing below.

I've thought long and hard about ripping that out and fitting a decent
spindle-based set of bannisters, but have rejected it on grounds of time
and budget - I had a peek behind the white plywood cladding in the
folorn hope of finding a beautiful set of spindles concealed back in the
60s, but unfortunately it's just rough 3x2, so obviously it was built
like this.

So I want to tart up the existing balustrade as best I can, and thought
a natural-finish pine handrail on top, mounted on brass (preferably)
brackets as described originally. I'd wondered about some form of wood
blocks, but the whole thing already is already so solid and clunky, I
don't think it would really work.

So, still looking!

David