the miter angles. (If the newels
have any trim attached, make
sure the rail will not interfere with
the trim at either post.) Make any
necessary adjustments to the
angles and elevation, and ensure
the final position achieves a con-
sistent rail height above all the
treads. Remember to account for
the thickness of the handrail, in
case your rail differs in size from
your template board.Once you’re satisfied with the
angles and position of the 1x2
template, transfer the measure-
ments to the handrail and make
the cuts on a miter saw. There is
a definite top and bottom side to
handrail, so don’t mix them up.
The rails mount to the newels
by drilling an access hole through
the newel for a lag screw. The lag
screw (with washer) is insertedthrough the newel and exits
through a second smaller hole on
the opposite side where it threads
into a predrilled pilot hole on the
end of the rail. Use a socket with
an extension to tighten the lag
screw. The newel holes are cov-
ered with matching wood plugs.
Pro Tip:Always visually inspect
the clearances of your mounting
hardware before driving screws inExtremeHowTo.com 39To determine the miter angles of
the rail, we placed a 1x2 board
over the treads and clamped its
ends against the newels.We marked the angle where the
board intersects the face of the
newel.After cutting the board to serve
as a template for the rail, we
positioned it flush between posts
and made final adjustments.The miter angles are transferred to
the stair rail and then cut on a
miter saw.The rail-connection screw threads
into a pilot hole drilled into the end
of the rail. Pro tip—Apply wood
stain along the edges of the cut to
help conceal the joint during
assembly.StairRailFeatureEDIT.qxp_Layout 1 6/24/19 1:10 PM Page 39