Hi, its going to be a handrail for a short 4 foot ladder to a raised loft bed.I want it about 2-3 inches off the ladder and a miter on each end butting into the ladder rails.
1 on each end. nothing will get caught on it or snagged on it that way. i thought if it somehow had a hidden fastener it would be safer.
I rebuilt a 1960 Grady White and used the West System so I have some experience in it, I know its very strong but not so great on butt joints.
was thinking maybe i could somehow tongue and groove it??? would be a unique joint.
Ralph - have you considered drilling holes in each end of the bend of the dowel
so you can bend a threaded rod and encapsulating it in the dowel with epoxy ?
I would suggest the boat style handrails for the ladder.
Sorry I dont have a side view.
This is the same steps in the previous reply.
The hand grips are part of the side boards that the steps set into.
The first photo (the previous reply) you can better see the hand hold
These are steps/ladder I built for my boat.
I think that you are over thinking this problem. First, this joint is not a pure butt joint. The bed side has no end grain. The 33 deg cut in the handrail means that is also not pure end grain.
Second, the handrail in this application will not be exposed to heavy loads. It is primarily used for the person climbing to maintain balance. The ladder is the object subject to the loads.
What is this rail attaching to? The bed or the ladder? Can you provide a sketch of how you thing the joint will look?
The older I get the more I rely on hand rails, what was something I just rushed past is now vital to my safety, a fall when over 75 years old often does not end well. However it is made a 1 1/8" diameter joint is not something I would feel comfortable with to hold my weight if it had to.
Gluing two sticks together end to end will result in a medical emergency. Find a better way.
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