I need to make my stairs child safe, currently the stair rail consists
of a bottom, middle and hand rail (see link below for image).
My problem is the way the rails join when the reach the top of the
stairs. They join on the ceiling above (and not on a post) see image below

http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/7091/timg2300.jpg

I was considering adding an extra rail between the hand and middle rail,
and also an addition rail between the bottom and middle rail. This
would make them child safe. My concern is how to attach the rails. The
bottom of the stirs is easy I would simple joint (or screw) the rails
into the post. But how do I make a STRONG join at the top. Once the
additional rails are in there would be a 1-2 inches of space (not much
room).

Any tips or alternative suggestions.

Thanks in advance.

Exhausted wrote:
I need to make my stairs child safe, currently the stair rail consists
of a bottom, middle and hand rail (see link below for image).
My problem is the way the rails join when the reach the top of the
stairs. They join on the ceiling above (and not on a post) see image below

http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/7091/timg2300.jpg

I was considering adding an extra rail between the hand and middle rail,
and also an addition rail between the bottom and middle rail. This
would make them child safe. My concern is how to attach the rails. The
bottom of the stirs is easy I would simple joint (or screw) the rails
into the post. But how do I make a STRONG join at the top. Once the
additional rails are in there would be a 1-2 inches of space (not much
room).

Any tips or alternative suggestions.

add a top rail in the plane of the ceiling. That can then support the
extra rails (they can be morticed or half lapped into it), and it can be
fixed to the exiting rails and the ceiling for support.

--
Cheers,

John.

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

"Exhausted" wrote in message
...
I need to make my stairs child safe, currently the stair rail consists of a
bottom, middle and hand rail (see link below for image).
My problem is the way the rails join when the reach the top of the stairs.
They join on the ceiling above (and not on a post) see image below

http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/7091/timg2300.jpg

I was considering adding an extra rail between the hand and middle rail,
and also an addition rail between the bottom and middle rail. This would
make them child safe. My concern is how to attach the rails. The bottom of
the stirs is easy I would simple joint (or screw) the rails into the post.
But how do I make a STRONG join at the top. Once the additional rails are
in there would be a 1-2 inches of space (not much room).

Any tips or alternative suggestions.

I saw someone on one of those design programs on the telly that had
something similar and they added one or two plastic cased steel cables in
the gaps.

Big eye rings in the woodwork at each end and a tensioner on the cable to
remove any slack. I suspect the ring screw would have to go into the wood at
an angle so the tension in the cable goes straight into the screw.

You'd need to check the minimum spacing allowed - As I understand it, its
got to be so small that there's no risk of a child's body getting through;
sadly, toddlers have throttled themselves on bunks and similar by sliding
their body through the gap and getting caught by the neck. I know that our
recently bought bunk bed had instructions to make sure its either less than
7.5cm or more than 30cm from the wall.

It's hard to judge how long the cables would be from the picture, but you
may need to pass the cables through some kind of spacer half way up so that
they can't be pulled more than 7.5cm apart at any point.

Hope this makes sense

"OG" wrote in message
...
....
You'd need to check the minimum spacing allowed - As I understand it, its
got to be so small that there's no risk of a child's body getting through;
...

IIRC, the British Standard test is that it will not allow to pass a sphere
100mm in diameter

Colin Bignell

"Exhausted" wrote in message
...


Any tips or alternative suggestions.


Put plywood sheets over the bottom half.
You can remove them when they have grown up a bit.

Exhausted wrote:
I need to make my stairs child safe, currently the stair rail consists
of a bottom, middle and hand rail (see link below for image).
My problem is the way the rails join when the reach the top of the
stairs. They join on the ceiling above (and not on a post) see image below

http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/7091/timg2300.jpg

I was considering adding an extra rail between the hand and middle rail,
and also an addition rail between the bottom and middle rail. This
would make them child safe. My concern is how to attach the rails. The
bottom of the stirs is easy I would simple joint (or screw) the rails
into the post. But how do I make a STRONG join at the top. Once the
additional rails are in there would be a 1-2 inches of space (not much
room).

Any tips or alternative suggestions.

Thanks in advance.

Parallel rails as you say, you could put horizontals in at ceiling
height between the existing diagonal rails, fixing to everything in
sight, then run your new diagonals from those.

Several other possibles too. Beware btw if running long strips of
unrestrained wood, store it in the house a while first, else its
liable to warp as it dries. Or add cross pieces to restrain it, or
accept the chance of warp etc...


NT

In article ,
"nightjar" cpb@insert my surname here.me.uk writes:

"OG" wrote in message
...
...
You'd need to check the minimum spacing allowed - As I understand it, its
got to be so small that there's no risk of a child's body getting through;
...

IIRC, the British Standard test is that it will not allow to pass a sphere
100mm in diameter

Yes, and a minimum distance between anything the child can climb
on and the handrail, which effectively means you can only use
vertical balustrades with no horizontals or diagonals part way
up them.

The one in the picture looks similar to my parents' one (except
theirs goes all the way up the stairs and then along the landing).
My brother and I probably spent 10 years using as an indoor
climbing frame, without ever falling off as far as I recall.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]