wobbly newel posts

[mrcharly]

3 of the newel posts are wobbly in our house and getting worse.

Not something I've tackled before.

Looking at them, at some point someone has sawn off the old (square) newel posts level with the steps, then fitted ****ty 'modern' ones. I think they possibly just a round stub tenon fitted into the old (solid) newel post.

Googling seems to suggest that sometimes these were fitted with a coach screw driven into the lower post section - I guess I can investigate locating that and tightening it.

Any other suggestions?

 

[Barn Owl]

Are they wobbly at the top or bottom?

The bottom will be a tenon glued into a hole in the original post.

The top will be attached to the rail by a bolt, the head of which will be covered by a wee square/ rectangle of covering wood.

If tightening the top doesn't work, remove the bolt and try turning the post to break any glue and reset with some good epoxy resin.

 

[mrcharly]

Wobbly at the bottom.

 

[Teepee]

IME, the tenon snaps off. I tend to fix them by drilling a hole in the centre of both pieces and glueing in substantial metal rod with gap filling polyurethane adhesive

 

[mrcharly]

Hmm. I'm hoping to avoid taking the stair rail out, as I suspect lots of bit will start falling out.

 

[crosslandkelly]

If your carpentry skills are up to it, you could fit Butterfly joints to the accessible sides.



Or you could fit worktop bolts.

 

[bushwacker bob]

Hmm. I'm hoping to avoid taking the stair rail out, as I suspect lots of bit will start falling out.

They are usually glued into the hand rail and the baserail before the fillet pieces are put in. pu fastgrab(reccommended by Burbidge) sticks like the proverial.

 

[mrcharly]

After some dicking around it seems that the tenon had snapped off and a metal repair put in. So nothing solid to fasten to.

Half-persuaded the wife to let me rip it out and put in a wibbly fruitwood branch, with the bark peeled off and given a good linseeding. Then I'll look for something similar to replace the whole rail and the spindles. An estate agent would say it reduces the house value but it is my house and I'll do what I like.

 

[Teepee]

One of my clients had a rustic handrail and newel posts with bark still attached put in, actually looks fantastic. In a modern town house but it really fits with the modern style. No way it reduced the value.