Thread: Top rail for a deck handrail (somewhere to put a stubby)

Jason,
You are a man of deep insight and that insight says any good deck handrail should be able to support a beer or other drink. I had the same idea when I built mine. Anything 75mm or wider on top will be good. As to looking good if the cap rail sits on top ends of upright posts then it needs to be at least as wide as the posts so 100mm would do. A stiffener under the caprail to prevent sag. I found this for some ideas.
https://www.decks.com/deckbuilding/Deck_Railing_Ideas

Regards
John

I've done exactly what you're talking about in Cypress pine. Except the 150 x 50 was dressed to about 140 x 40 or so. The handrail hung over the posts 10mm on the deck side and the rest on the open side, it looked good. Think I used small brackets recessed into the posts to hold it down as opposed to just fixing through the top of the handrail down into the post which would have looked a bit sloppy.

Sam

If you fix a 100x50 and bolt these down into the posts you stand a good chance that they will not twist. This leaves the bolts exposed to the weather,read on and see the way to have a top that has no exposed bolts or nails.
To finish of the rail and have a nice wide board to rest your tinnie on put a 150 or 200 x35 and screw from underneath in several places.

Go to a chandlers and look for the wire cage which holds a stubby, that you can hang on a rope of a boat's rigging.

If you're going to paint it, use treated pine. If you're after a timber look, it might be good to give some indication of colour etc so we can better help.

Either way, don't bolt\screw through the handrail to the post. Not only will you encourage water/rot around the screw, but it will also be into the end grain of the post. As others have said, use steel brackets underneath.

One way to strengthen it would be to use a board on edge on the side of the post, with a flat board capping the lot. A board in edge it much more likely to resist sagging.

Finally, the wider the timber, the more likely it is to cup or twist (as a general rule). I reckon 100x50 would be heaps. If you've got a board on edge, go to 130, but it could be thinner.

Trav