Belly Balustered Balcony Rail
At Red Star, we enjoy many things – good design, great craftsmanship, and alliteration. Thus we bring you the project currently occupying our time — a belly balustered balcony railing.
We are currently fabricating three sections of railing for an interior balcony overlooking the Great Room of a private residence. The individual balusters of the railing belly out at the bottom and will be connected to the crossbeams of the railing using traditional joinery. Above the vertical balusters, there will be a band of ornamental ironwork consisting of vines and flowers.
Here you see a section of the railing as it begins to take shape
The grooves in each baluster are made by cold-cutting (meaning no heat is applied), using a wide chisel and hammer. A straight, consistent line is best achieved by a two-person team, as illustrated by Joe and our apprentice Monica.
The two outside sections of railing will have balusters with a consistent amount of belly. The middle section will start out the same but will gradually belly out more towards the middle of the section. For the balusters that will be the same, a jig is created that allows us to quickly and efficiently make reproductions.
Here Colin works on the first of the balusters and in the process builds the jig that will be used to recreate the others
Here Brandonn forms a piece of hot steel into the baluster jig
A baluster clamped into the jig while it cools!
A collection of finished balusters
A close-up of the bottom of the balusters showing the tenons (the square tab at the end of the baluster) that will go through the mortise holes of the crossbeams. These tenons will then be heated and hammered over as rivets to connect the horizontal and vertical segments of the railing.
Look for more information on this project as it progresses.