Nayaug Wood Works

Hi,
I am new to the forum and here's my first question. I live in Connecticut, and have a 100 year old victorian. I have completely replaced the front south facing porch with a new wrap around porch that now goes the full southern, eastern and part of the north and western side of the house. I have used either mahogany for the floors, and cedar for the columns. Now it's time for the railing. I want to duplicate the original spindles with is a rectagular shape, not round. It measures roughtly 1.5" thick, x 2.75" with a cut shape on the front side. Since I have over 300 to make, I want to do this once, and am looking for a recommendation on materials for both the spindles and the top and bottom railing. THe finish will be painted white. Since the porche is covered and not touching the ground, I suspect that any material that is properly primed and painted should hold up to the test of time. Any recommendations??

Thanks

skymaster

Same,Same Mahogany,or cedar will work great. With that quantity, make jigs first, will save a bundle of time in the long run.
prime,prime,prime

smitty1967

Hey WoodWorks: Have you thought of Cypress? Easily machined, takes paint well, and the last time I looked at a price list, much cheaper than mahogony. It is quite similar in machinability and characteristics to southern yellow pine, except that it has natural resistance to weathering, rot and decay and bugs....I've used it two or three times now on patio sets, and it's holding up great!

something to think about...
smitty

joesdad

I'll second the recommendation for cypress. Less spendy than the mahogany, and not as soft as the cedar. The 1.5" thickness may be hard to find unless you rip them out of 4x4 or 6x6's.

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pianoman

What do you mean (either mahogany) I get the cedar for the collumns...If you can`t tell what the original wood was and you`re going to paint it... why not use...cedar, poplar (or should I say Magnolia),Aspen, or Spruce. Don`t use Redwood...unless you have some laying around. As far as the shape of the spindles goes...I think you`re talking about a champher or 45 degree nip top and bottom? If so...use a miter saw (chop saw) with a stop block to cut the nip! Three hundred should only take about 2 hours to cut the spindles. If it`s 100 years old...they might have used what was or still is growing on the property.Hickory or Locust... I don`t know! Rick

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timp

I have an 1890s vintage Victorian and I'm in roughly the same boat as you. A former owner replaced the porch floor and understructure. The railing was not replaced at the time. (There's no railing currently.) The ball-and-stick arches above are still there (phew), along with the original columns which are in usable shape. Fortunately, I have a picture to go by for reproduction.

I asked in the DIY forums, which are a sister site to this one. There I was told Spanish cedar, rather than western red, would be a good choice. I need to do some turning on mine, which might have contributed to that recommendation.

According to my favorite local lumberyard, Spanish cedar is heavier and stronger than western red, but also significantly more expensive. I'm still considering my options...I might very well opt for the cheaper western red.

I might start with pre-made spindles and ball tops and mill/lathe from there. See the following for a sample of what I've found online:

http://www.railsimple.com/product_li...lear&view=list

I haven't bought from these folks, so don't consider that a recommendation or endorsement. It's just a site I found and have been considering.

I'll be interested to hear what you decide to go with.

Tim

westernspindle

In our area (Montana) we use a lot of Redwood, Port Orford Cedar, Western Red Cedar, and Douglas Fir. Spindles of Douglas Fir are actually our best selling spindle. First of all very good quality and quantity are available in my area. Second, it resists rot and insects very well when a quality finish is used and when not in direct contact with the ground. Third, it is one of the hardest softwoods and is strong, heavy, and machines well. You can see some examples of turnings using these species at www.westernspindle.com.