DIY How To Tip: Baluster Template Guide
Symmetrically Spaced Balustrade
Earlier blog episodes featured discussions of how old timey carpenters spaced balusters with
lumber scraps and a firm grasp of Euclidean Geometry.
No fancy tape measures or calculators, just wood sticks and their brain!
Short version:
Long Version:
Today’s episode features a trip out to the field to demonstrate how to use those
measurements to make a template guide and install balusters with little effort.
Pretty basic stuff. Use your template guide board to tack individual pickets into
place with pin nails and then fasten them securely with coated deck screws.
One note: the treated wood picket is not as carefully milled as an interior baluster
so you may need to keep an eye out for measurement creep and make tiny adjustments
along the rail panel to avoid a large space at the end of the run.
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