Stair Railing Balusters

These balusters were made for a Vermont horse trainer who was building a new house. She wanted me to make the balusters for an interior hand railing that would encompass a loft and staircase just inside the front entrance. After several phone conversations with her and trying to get a sense of what she was thinking, I started making samples which I then shipped to her. After several more phone conversations, I found out that the hand railing was a locally grown tiger maple. I wanted the work I was to do to complement the natural look of the wood. The design that I submitted that was ultimately decided upon was created using 1/2 inch square stock steel. I heated the steel and made random twists back and forth, tapering each end. It seemed appropriate that this design was selected. No two pieces would be alike as no two horses are alike. Each piece was brass brushed while hot for an antiqued brass look and then finished with beeswax. My customer found this style met the needs and overall character of the house. Once the general design was determined, a total of 58 balusters were made. The loft balusters were to be 35 inches long, so I started with 34 inch long pieces. This allowed for ½ inch taper on each end. The stairs presented three different sizes, 37 1/2 inches, 35 inches and 32 1/2 inches, to accommodate the railing angle for the staircase. There were also cut to one inch less than the finished size to allow for the correct length after tapering. Each individual and different baluster accentuates the beauty and natural open style of the home. Keywords: baluster, stairs, railing, metal, steel