I agree with everyone else. This is the most useful DIY I have seen. Anyone who is pricing cable railings knows that there is no limit to how much you can spend. This video is saving me a fortune. Thank you.
GREAT JOB!!! A good addition to this, would be to use shrink wrap on the ferrule ends. A good heavy duty type. Those cut ends can be really sharp for a child or pet.
I know this video is 5+ years old now but I'll mention that back when I did my own sailboat rigging I cut the cable by first wrapping with electrical tape and then cutting it with a fine (32 TPI) hacksaw blade while holding the cable with Vicegrip pliers. This always made a nice clean cut and it didn't take very long. Thanks for the video!
oh my god you are a lifesaver!!!!!!!! my contractor bailed on me and I so desperately need to find a way to get my stair railing way done by myself on a very small budget (but preferably in a modern sleek way-no balusters/typical railings please)! and I really wanted to do cable railing but WOW they are super pricey!!! (you weren't kidding). ..so seriously THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR POSTING THIS!!!! I'm taking measurements today and buying all of my supplies tomorrow. I am so excited to see it all come together!!! 😀 your railing looks awesome btw!!!! I actually like the more industrial look, as well.
Thanks! Yeah, I had some sticker shock when I saw how much the pre-made kits cost. This was a 'lil bit more than the usual wood spindle type railing, but much less than those kits. I'd also recommend spacing the cables at 3" to play it safe (instead of 4" like I did.) I had someone send me pictures of the railing they built after watching this video, and they put the wood rail along the bottom like I suggested at the end. It looked great, and now I kinda wish I went that direction on ours! :)
Was quoted $9000 for cable rail for my 20 X 29 deck and stairs....found your video and can't thank you enough!!! With posts and top rail along with all parts you clearly explained I spent under $1500!!! Would love to post a couple photos here but don't know how. I would have never had the guts to go ahead with my project if it wasn't for your very detailed video. Thank you!
Wow! Glad to help you save so much money! You could post some pics over on my Facebook page if you wanted. There should be a link to it in the description of this video.
Looking good. Only thing id do different with the cable in your situation is id put the tensioning side towards the house i think it would look cleaner.
Congratulations! It looks great. I like the turnbuckle thing, it looks industrial like you said. I am really impressed. Thanks for sharing all the road blocks especially. I am a new homeowner and a beginner so that kind of info is really important for me. Thanks so much. Good job.
Thanks! I had to piece together a lot of different blog posts & article snippets while researching how to do this, so I decided to try to make the video as detailed as I could to help anyone else out that's trying to do it too.
Finally see the final work here in part2 . It looks good for a low budget project. It will save you a bunch of money to do it yourself. We have installed lots of projects as cable railing supplier of 20 years , happy to discuss if you guys have any questions.
@@jamesl2188 I would recommand stainless steel for most outdoor railing. You could buy it on amazon www.amazon.com/stores/page/DA11B4C9-665B-41F0-9D1E-2B57E6DFF98A?channel=ytds_cr
Thanks! It was so cheesy and unsafe when we bought the place, so we wanted something durable, but not too heavy looking to replace it. Turned out nice!
Thanks! I've been surprised with how nice that doormat has held up. I never clear coated it, and although it's seen all kinds of weather, it still looks great and hasn't tried to warp or anything.
This is literally exactly what we are doing to our deck! Great video and thank you for the advice on making turns and corners. We were wondering how we could make the turns work out.
@ 9:20, when you were having a hard time cutting the steel cable, I'd also recommend end cutting nippers. Those things can cut nails, and they can definitely cut steel cables. Plus they can crimp the ferrules, too - a cheaper alternative.
hubby and I love your video and are getting ready to do this on our deck. Using the 4X4 posts, fascia mounted. I wanted to check with you now that some times has passed, to see how the cables are holding up, and if you are experiencing any bowing of the wooden posts from the pressure of the cables pulling on them.
Great job Kevin as usual! The inner walls of the concrete I think would look really good against the house in a very dark grey, it would create a shadow look and just look like a void. I believe decking stain works particularly well on concrete from what I have heard. Thanks for the tutorial.
Thanks. Yeah, that concrete is from the early 70s and looks terrible now. I actually had to wire brush some old caulk off the top, so that's why it looks brighter than the rest of it. Painting it in the deep shadow color could be a pretty cool idea.
Thanks. I had to piece together lots of little tidbits of info I found when researching how to do this, so I wanted to make a video that showed everything I did to make mine.
Looks great! Nice idea. I'm going to do something similar for my banister upstairs in my attic bungalow. But I won't need to use the tightening adjusters. I have freedom of moving railing to tighten cable.
This is so awesome. You explain things so well. I am going to be attempting this soon...thanks to your video! I watched a video that had the quick-connect fittings and thought they were so cool....until I priced them. Thank you!!!
Great Job- Thanks for sharing. Built a small landing area and installing this identical way around it and up the stair side rails. Thanks for all the tips! Will be staining and installing cable this week! 🙂
Mad props. All of us DIY’rs that suffer through what a pro could do in 1/3 the time, we salute you! I’m thinking of doing something similar. Do you need the top rail?
Thanks! We've been wanting to put the railings up for a while, but I just wasn't quite sure how I was going to do it. It turned out to be a pretty straight forward & fairly simple project.
I love it. It looks fantastic. my only suggestion/concern would be to move the "turn buckles" to the house side. they would less prone to bring accidentally adjusted or having a child's hand cut by that exposed cut wire end. As everything you do, it looks awesome.
Sure, they could easily be put towards the house side if that's a concern. We liked to see them when we looked out the window, so that's why we put them out towards the end. Someone else mentioned flip flopping them every other one, which would be a neat look too.
That's why I made it. I didn't really see any others like this out there and this was something I've wanted to build for a while. I really just wanted to show the basic concept of how it's put together, so keep in mind that different areas may have different building codes. I'd recommend google searching for the city codes in your area to see what restrictions they have in place and maybe get an opinion from a local builder before you start. Someone mentioned earlier in another comment that many railings are supposed to have posts spaced at no more than 42" max and to maybe do a 3" space between cables rather than the normal 4" (because the cable is somewhat flexible compared to wooden spindles.) That's why I'd recommend getting an opinion from a local builder just to see what they'd recommend before starting it yourself.
Great video. Explains things well enough to give people enough confidence to have a go at a DIY. No bloviating nonsense either in your descriptions. Premade kits and professionals are a huge rip off when it comes to cable rail systems. The only thing I'm personally not a huge fan of is the turnbuckle length. It's very long. What I was thinking instead would be to place a "Swivel Eye Double Ended Round Ring Rotating Hoist Eye to Eye Bolt" (Google it) instead of the turnbuckle. Do this on each end of the cable. You might have to grind a bit of the scew eye lag bolts to insert the rotating bolts but that won't matter once it's tight. The double ended swivels are much shorter than turnbuckles, so not nearly as much hardware would be sticking out from the posts and it would swivel so you won't twist/torque your cables. You would tighten the cables by barely inserting the lag bolts into the posts at first on each end post. Then hook your cable up completely to both sides and finish by screwing in your post lag bolts into the wood all the way. Might be a bit more technique sensitive but I think it would look better and still be cheap. Pro's charge anywhere from 60.00 to 120.00 per linear foot depending on materials used. So your project would have cost at least 1500.00 if a pro did it. You did it for a few hundred dollars all in, and it was quite simple really when you break it down in these steps. Awesome video and a really nice result. Can't beat the bang for the buck! A great way to build equity in a home.
Shop for Hand Swage rigging fittings. They are very affordable vs the Swageless hardware that most Cable railing kits come with. The cables are usually installed every 3” for code purposes. The code states that a 4” sphere cannot pass though the cable. You can get the “architectural” look for probably the same price as all that “industrial” (clunky) hardware that you used. I understand that you were going for that look, but a lot of us want the more cleaner look so FYI. Your video is very informative.
Regards your anchor bolts, you can cut them off closer to the curb with an angle grinder and cutoff wheel. Add an extra nut on first, then back it off to clear the threads, then cap the bolt ends with cap nuts.
I agree with ArtisanTony.... most places including where I installed my cable railing you need a max of about 3" between the cables since they will do a "4inch ball test" with your cables under full tension... this is to see if a child's head would be able to pass through.Also... I would not drill straight through the middle posts since you sill have the possibility of drift... you drill half way through each side with a template and meet in the middle... You should see how hard it is on stairway run... OR if you have drill press drill all the holes you need before installing the posts.Nice job!
MrDiyDork, do you need to use the turn buckle? Could you just ferrule the cable to the screw eye at a predetermined length and then screw in the screw eye to tighten? Thanks!
Great job. A screw driver would hold the loop instead of using pliers. Also have you considered wrapping the ends of the wires. Maybe in tape. Or before assembling them, some shrink wrap. Just a suggestion.
I love this idea.. and I think I will follow for the inside of my house. my one concern is, where you cut the cable.. is that pointy/sharp? I have 2 dogs and 2 young children, is that going to be an issue?
Thank you for this video. I guess I would have put the turnbuckles on the other end...and used a cut off wheel on a grinder to cut the excess cable ends. (they tend to snag clothing and skin, lol)
This would work if it is not going to be inspected but your posts would need to be closer together if is was going to inspected. Typically for cable rails you do not want to go over about 42" between posts due to deflection in the cables. It is also good to keep the cables about 3" apart due to deflection of the cable. If the inspector can spread the cable beyond 4" it will be turned down. So starting at 4" is not good :) Just check your local codes before starting a handrail project. Even if it is not going to be inspected, at some point if you want to sell your home, some home inspector from the bank will catch it. Best to do it by code either way. Nice video.
Thanks. I looked up our codes before building this, and the only specifications they listed were the height and spacing of rails, but no mention of the post spacing. It passed with the terribly wobbly, thin metal & vinyl lattice railing that was there when we bought it, so this is a major upgrade. I guess it will depend on the inspector when it comes time to sell. I can always add in some time of middle support posts if needed later.
+MrDiyDork in reality they will probably not care since it is not a porch or other entry into the stair. But i have inspectors pull the cables apart to where the 4" sphere slips through but again, since it is more of a site feature and not the main entry, they probably would not mention it. It looks good :)
First, great video; it does look very good. For the benefit of other viewers thinking about doing this, tho - I not entirely sure about the application of the Residential Building Code relative to cable guards - but in general I would agree with Artisan Tony (AT), that the guard in the video is not, strictly speaking, to code (I am a building professional). Tho main posts and rails appear pretty strong in this case; in simplistic terms the guard needs to withstand 200lb concentrated loads in any direction at any point (lateral, downward). The Code does not otherwise stipulate the spacing of posts. In professional practice, the builder needs to hire a structural engineer to certify that the guard is strong enough having performed structural calculations. Obviously not something the weekend handyman is going to do; and so one tends to want to overbuild it to compensate - so AT's suggestion to limit posts to 42" apart is also a good one. Cables should not be allowed to deflect very much, and therefore need to be maintained at high tension - and AT's advice to spread them out less than 4" apart is a good one, so that the cables can't be made to exceed 4" apart. Limiting their length between posts, as AT suggests, will help too. Because the cables should be maintained at high tension, it would better that the cable screweyes be through-bolted at the endposts - not screwed - because, as the guard is subjected to weather, the threads have a good risk of failure/pull-out over time. Mostly a maintenance issue. I would agree that stainless fasteners and anchors should be employed. The base plates did not appear to be very heavy gauge, and I suspect are going rust out prematurely too, especially since their holes had to be enlarged to fit the anchors (exposing the metal). Rust staining of the concrete main occur at such time. Given the effort expended to undertake the project, I would say that it would be worth the added expense of buying more heavy post baseplates made of galvanized steel (such as Simpson Strong Ties, which are 12 gauge or thicker; stainless steel would be ideal, but this is supposed to be a low budget project). This would probably add an extra hundred or two dollars on the project budget but many, many more years of added life in between maintenance. :)
You could put them there if you wanted. I liked the idea of looking out the window or door and seeing the turnbuckles as a featured detail. It might also be pretty interesting to switch them back & forth on each line for a different look.
Nice job on the video. I was thinking the same thing. Wondered if having the rough cut ends of the cable near the top of the stairs, that someone might catch their hand on it, but I guess you have the same issue at both ends.
I should have more info in the description of this video. I also have a link to a blog post I made that breaks down all my costs and shows where I got everything that should help you out.
I bought them thinking they were designed to be used together. The outer piece that you see seems to be more of a decorative piece that adds some stability.
Hey Kevin! Great stuff first of all! I’m thinking of using this idea to make a whole fence around my house. I’m in between that or a split rail fence with wiring (keep dog in) any thoughts on either/both?
Nice video. If you ever have to do another one in the future, check out e-rigging.com. I've used them twice for decks I've done and they're always the best price for T316 marine-grade cable. Boatloads of components for sale too.
MrDiyDork, do you need to use the turn buckle? Could you just ferrule the cable to the screw eye at a predetermined length and then screw in the screw eye to tighten? Thanks!
Hmm, I'm not sure. I'm not sure I've ever seen it done that way. I think it would be a bit tougher to keep tension on it as the railing moves & expands or contracts over time.
Great job, DIY DORK! I really like your ingenuity and your attention to detail. Would you consider finishing the concrete with a wash or epoxy coating to dress it up, as the concrete is outclassed by your handrail system? Also, are you going to install handrails going down to the basement entrance?
Hey there, my hubby and I are doing our deck now and putting on the cable. We got the cable from the ebay guy like you recommended. Can I ask you though, how did you bend the cable to make the loop? Hubby is having a very hard time.
Hmm, I wonder if you got more firm 7x7 cable instead of the more flexible 1x19 strand like I used? The cable I used was very flexible and easy to bend.
I keep reading the opposite about the 7x7 and 1x19 cables...that the 1x19 is rigid and not as bendable...then the 7x7 is the one to use when bending? So confused!
Any ideas on how to do a corner with the wire? I have 10'x16' deck that I would like to do it but I'm hung up on how to do the corner on a continuous run.
For a continuous run, I've seen people mount two posts at a deck corner with the two post corners touching or nearly touching, and then the wire runs straight through each post and makes a 45* turn in between. Kind of hard to explain, but do a Google search and you'll probably see a few pictures like that. You could also just end the run at corners and start with new hardware if you want to spend the money.
I only need 250' of the cable railing but cannot find a smaller than 1000' spool. Is there much difference between the 1x19 and 7x7 ? Thanks for the insight!
The 1x19 is made of smaller cables, so it's more flexible. The 7x7 would be pretty stiff and hard to work with. I haven't checked the ebay page lately, but the guy I bought from had it available in several different size rolls. You might be able to send him a message and ask if he could cut a custom size roll for you too.
It was Ebay seller "wilsonbuildingproducts". I have a link to their ebay store in the description of the video. I think they might be on Amazon as well.
I agree with everyone else. This is the most useful DIY I have seen. Anyone who is pricing cable railings knows that there is no limit to how much you can spend. This video is saving me a fortune. Thank you.
GREAT JOB!!! A good addition to this, would be to use shrink wrap on the ferrule ends. A good heavy duty type. Those cut ends can be really sharp for a child or pet.
I know this video is 5+ years old now but I'll mention that back when I did my own sailboat rigging I cut the cable by first wrapping with electrical tape and then cutting it with a fine (32 TPI) hacksaw blade while holding the cable with Vicegrip pliers. This always made a nice clean cut and it didn't take very long. Thanks for the video!
oh my god you are a lifesaver!!!!!!!! my contractor bailed on me and I so desperately need to find a way to get my stair railing way done by myself on a very small budget (but preferably in a modern sleek way-no balusters/typical railings please)! and I really wanted to do cable railing but WOW they are super pricey!!! (you weren't kidding). ..so seriously THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR POSTING THIS!!!! I'm taking measurements today and buying all of my supplies tomorrow. I am so excited to see it all come together!!! 😀 your railing looks awesome btw!!!! I actually like the more industrial look, as well.
Thanks! Yeah, I had some sticker shock when I saw how much the pre-made kits cost. This was a 'lil bit more than the usual wood spindle type railing, but much less than those kits. I'd also recommend spacing the cables at 3" to play it safe (instead of 4" like I did.) I had someone send me pictures of the railing they built after watching this video, and they put the wood rail along the bottom like I suggested at the end. It looked great, and now I kinda wish I went that direction on ours! :)
Was quoted $9000 for cable rail for my 20 X 29 deck and stairs....found your video and can't thank you enough!!! With posts and top rail along with all parts you clearly explained I spent under $1500!!! Would love to post a couple photos here but don't know how. I would have never had the guts to go ahead with my project if it wasn't for your very detailed video. Thank you!
Wow! Glad to help you save so much money! You could post some pics over on my Facebook page if you wanted. There should be a link to it in the description of this video.
Best DIY demo ever! I enjoyed you sharing the trial and errors of your project. That will save us time and money. Thank you!
Looking good. Only thing id do different with the cable in your situation is id put the tensioning side towards the house i think it would look cleaner.
Thank you for posting this video! I was able to do my back porch railing and would have never done it if you hadn’t posted this video
Congratulations! It looks great. I like the turnbuckle thing, it looks industrial like you said. I am really impressed. Thanks for sharing all the road blocks especially. I am a new homeowner and a beginner so that kind of info is really important for me. Thanks so much. Good job.
Thanks! I had to piece together a lot of different blog posts & article snippets while researching how to do this, so I decided to try to make the video as detailed as I could to help anyone else out that's trying to do it too.
You are good at these videos. Def following this.
Finally see the final work here in part2 . It looks good for a low budget project. It will save you a bunch of money to do it yourself.
We have installed lots of projects as cable railing supplier of 20 years , happy to discuss if you guys have any questions.
hi , would you recommand galvanized or stainless steel terminal for outdoor railing ? And where can I buy all these special terminal?
@@jamesl2188 I would recommand stainless steel for most outdoor railing. You could buy it on amazon www.amazon.com/stores/page/DA11B4C9-665B-41F0-9D1E-2B57E6DFF98A?channel=ytds_cr
Very cool end result! You are such a hard worker!
The post op video with all the stuff you learned was INVALUABLE!! Thank you for taking the time to do a kick butt video
Looks beautiful. Very modern
Thanks! It was so cheesy and unsafe when we bought the place, so we wanted something durable, but not too heavy looking to replace it. Turned out nice!
I've been looking for a recent solution for this for the past 2 months! Thanks so much for sharing.
You're welcome. I try to make videos that I wish I could have found when I research projects, so I'm glad this one helped you out.
Great vid - the pallet wood zip tie mat is looking good.
Thanks! I've been surprised with how nice that doormat has held up. I never clear coated it, and although it's seen all kinds of weather, it still looks great and hasn't tried to warp or anything.
This is literally exactly what we are doing to our deck! Great video and thank you for the advice on making turns and corners. We were wondering how we could make the turns work out.
a small piece of wire heat shrink over the end of the cable will help with snags and scratches :)
@ 9:20, when you were having a hard time cutting the steel cable, I'd also recommend end cutting nippers. Those things can cut nails, and they can definitely cut steel cables. Plus they can crimp the ferrules, too - a cheaper alternative.
+v10moped That sounds like a great way to save a bit of money on tools for this project as well. Thanks.
hubby and I love your video and are getting ready to do this on our deck. Using the 4X4 posts, fascia mounted. I wanted to check with you now that some times has passed, to see how the cables are holding up, and if you are experiencing any bowing of the wooden posts from the pressure of the cables pulling on them.
Everything is holding up just fine. I haven't noticed any bowing or anything like that.
Awesome video thanks for sharing all the material info it's much appreciated
Great job Kevin as usual! The inner walls of the concrete I think would look really good against the house in a very dark grey, it would create a shadow look and just look like a void. I believe decking stain works particularly well on concrete from what I have heard. Thanks for the tutorial.
Thanks. Yeah, that concrete is from the early 70s and looks terrible now. I actually had to wire brush some old caulk off the top, so that's why it looks brighter than the rest of it. Painting it in the deep shadow color could be a pretty cool idea.
Great presentation plan to look at system for bay front property.
Did this yesterday. Worked out awesome! Thank you for your video!
Awesome! Glad it worked out for you! You're welcome.
Your one of the good guys. Thanks for taking the time to share your awesome job.
Thanks. I had to piece together lots of little tidbits of info I found when researching how to do this, so I wanted to make a video that showed everything I did to make mine.
Looks great! Nice idea. I'm going to do something similar for my banister upstairs in my attic bungalow. But I won't need to use the tightening adjusters. I have freedom of moving railing to tighten cable.
nice work, I can see where as a deck railing it would make it much easier to enjoy a view from chairs too.
+Doug Brown Yeah, these would definitely open up the view.
Great tutorial. Looking forward to trying this at home. Always appreciate the additional tips and suggestions in your videos.
Thanks! It turned out to be a fairly simple project.
This is so awesome. You explain things so well. I am going to be attempting this soon...thanks to your video! I watched a video that had the quick-connect fittings and thought they were so cool....until I priced them. Thank you!!!
Great video! Thanks for posting advice after. It's refreshing to see a good video with constructive comments from viewers.
Thanks! You're welcome. Obviously I'm no pro, but I try to keep my projects simple and share as much info I can to help everyone out.
awesome videos. i get the sense that you are really trying to share your knowledge and experiences.
Great video, thanks! 👍👍
Great Job- Thanks for sharing. Built a small landing area and installing this identical way around it and up the stair side rails. Thanks for all the tips! Will be staining and installing cable this week! 🙂
Sounds like a great project! You're welcome.
Mad props. All of us DIY’rs that suffer through what a pro could do in 1/3 the time, we salute you! I’m thinking of doing something similar. Do you need the top rail?
Part 2 = 5 stars!!! Thanks a bajillion
Thanks!
Dude you’re awesome. Loved this video. Thanks for sharing.
Great job!
Nice job Kevin!!
Thank you so much! You just saved me a small fortune! Great presentation and information.
Looks awesome! Thanks for doing this
Looks really nice.
Thanks! We've been wanting to put the railings up for a while, but I just wasn't quite sure how I was going to do it. It turned out to be a pretty straight forward & fairly simple project.
wow looks great. another great build out.
Thanks!
I love it. It looks fantastic. my only suggestion/concern would be to move the "turn buckles" to the house side. they would less prone to bring accidentally adjusted or having a child's hand cut by that exposed cut wire end. As everything you do, it looks awesome.
Sure, they could easily be put towards the house side if that's a concern. We liked to see them when we looked out the window, so that's why we put them out towards the end. Someone else mentioned flip flopping them every other one, which would be a neat look too.
I'm so glad I watched this video. I am going to do my railing the same way you did it. Thank you for the instructions. Pure genius.
That's why I made it. I didn't really see any others like this out there and this was something I've wanted to build for a while. I really just wanted to show the basic concept of how it's put together, so keep in mind that different areas may have different building codes. I'd recommend google searching for the city codes in your area to see what restrictions they have in place and maybe get an opinion from a local builder before you start. Someone mentioned earlier in another comment that many railings are supposed to have posts spaced at no more than 42" max and to maybe do a 3" space between cables rather than the normal 4" (because the cable is somewhat flexible compared to wooden spindles.) That's why I'd recommend getting an opinion from a local builder just to see what they'd recommend before starting it yourself.
+MrDiyDork Thank you
It looks great!
Thank you for a fantastic video! Great railing too!
Thanks!
Great video. Explains things well enough to give people enough confidence to have a go at a DIY. No bloviating nonsense either in your descriptions.
Premade kits and professionals are a huge rip off when it comes to cable rail systems.
The only thing I'm personally not a huge fan of is the turnbuckle length. It's very long.
What I was thinking instead would be to place a "Swivel Eye Double Ended Round Ring Rotating Hoist Eye to Eye Bolt" (Google it) instead of the turnbuckle. Do this on each end of the cable. You might have to grind a bit of the scew eye lag bolts to insert the rotating bolts but that won't matter once it's tight. The double ended swivels are much shorter than turnbuckles, so not nearly as much hardware would be sticking out from the posts and it would swivel so you won't twist/torque your cables. You would tighten the cables by barely inserting the lag bolts into the posts at first on each end post. Then hook your cable up completely to both sides and finish by screwing in your post lag bolts into the wood all the way.
Might be a bit more technique sensitive but I think it would look better and still be cheap.
Pro's charge anywhere from 60.00 to 120.00 per linear foot depending on materials used. So your project would have cost at least 1500.00 if a pro did it. You did it for a few hundred dollars all in, and it was quite simple really when you break it down in these steps.
Awesome video and a really nice result. Can't beat the bang for the buck! A great way to build equity in a home.
Love it great job
Love your modern style! Great videos! Thanks!
Thanks!
Shop for Hand Swage rigging fittings. They are very affordable vs the Swageless hardware that most Cable railing kits come with. The cables are usually installed every 3” for code purposes. The code states that a 4” sphere cannot pass though the cable. You can get the “architectural” look for probably the same price as all that “industrial” (clunky) hardware that you used. I understand that you were going for that look, but a lot of us want the more cleaner look so FYI. Your video is very informative.
Regards your anchor bolts, you can cut them off closer to the curb with an angle grinder and cutoff wheel. Add an extra nut on first, then back it off to clear the threads, then cap the bolt ends with cap nuts.
Nice job. I would top the ends with wire shrink wrap because kids like to run their hands along the cable and catch their hands on the cut tips.
That's a good idea.
Looks amazing... OMG
great video, thanks
Thanks, great tutorial!
I agree with ArtisanTony.... most places including where I installed my cable railing you need a max of about 3" between the cables since they will do a "4inch ball test" with your cables under full tension... this is to see if a child's head would be able to pass through.Also... I would not drill straight through the middle posts since you sill have the possibility of drift... you drill half way through each side with a template and meet in the middle... You should see how hard it is on stairway run... OR if you have drill press drill all the holes you need before installing the posts.Nice job!
Thank you -- EXCELLENT presentation and good video editing, lighting, timing, etc. -- VERY professional.
Thanks!
MrDiyDork, do you need to use the turn buckle? Could you just ferrule the cable to the screw eye at a predetermined length and then screw in the screw eye to tighten? Thanks!
Looks amazing!!!
Thanks!
Could you tell me where can I buy all these stuff ?
Use a cutting wheel to remove the wire extending through the crimp. Great video!
That's a great idea too.
Right but put some steel plate under the wire you are cutting so you don't nick the other wire.
Great job.
A screw driver would hold the loop instead of using pliers.
Also have you considered wrapping the ends of the wires.
Maybe in tape. Or before assembling them, some shrink wrap.
Just a suggestion.
Thank you for the great video! It is very helpful!
Looks great! I was thinking of doing something similar, and you did all of the hard work of sourcing parts for me :)
+Scott McKelvey Thanks! That's why I make these videos. I try to do all the head scratching. ;)
To cut the cable: use an angle grinder with a stainless steel disk. Cuts through the cable like a knife through butter.
I love this idea.. and I think I will follow for the inside of my house. my one concern is, where you cut the cable.. is that pointy/sharp? I have 2 dogs and 2 young children, is that going to be an issue?
Nick Pooler Home Depot sells crimp-on cable ends.
This is amazing I'm gonna follow your method for my deck project
WOW,, looks real nice😎
Thanks!
This looks amazing
Thank you for this video. I guess I would have put the turnbuckles on the other end...and used a cut off wheel on a grinder to cut the excess cable ends. (they tend to snag clothing and skin, lol)
Look up Felco c7 or Pedro's cable cutter. They work perfect all the way to 3/16 cable
Thanks for the tip!
This would work if it is not going to be inspected but your posts would need to be closer together if is was going to inspected. Typically for cable rails you do not want to go over about 42" between posts due to deflection in the cables. It is also good to keep the cables about 3" apart due to deflection of the cable. If the inspector can spread the cable beyond 4" it will be turned down. So starting at 4" is not good :) Just check your local codes before starting a handrail project. Even if it is not going to be inspected, at some point if you want to sell your home, some home inspector from the bank will catch it. Best to do it by code either way. Nice video.
Thanks. I looked up our codes before building this, and the only specifications they listed were the height and spacing of rails, but no mention of the post spacing. It passed with the terribly wobbly, thin metal & vinyl lattice railing that was there when we bought it, so this is a major upgrade. I guess it will depend on the inspector when it comes time to sell. I can always add in some time of middle support posts if needed later.
+MrDiyDork check the international residential building code.
+MrDiyDork in reality they will probably not care since it is not a porch or other entry into the stair. But i have inspectors pull the cables apart to where the 4" sphere slips through but again, since it is more of a site feature and not the main entry, they probably would not mention it. It looks good :)
Thank you. I would not have thought of that.
First, great video; it does look very good. For the benefit of other viewers thinking about doing this, tho - I not entirely sure about the application of the Residential Building Code relative to cable guards - but in general I would agree with Artisan Tony (AT), that the guard in the video is not, strictly speaking, to code (I am a building professional). Tho main posts and rails appear pretty strong in this case; in simplistic terms the guard needs to withstand 200lb concentrated loads in any direction at any point (lateral, downward). The Code does not otherwise stipulate the spacing of posts. In professional practice, the builder needs to hire a structural engineer to certify that the guard is strong enough having performed structural calculations. Obviously not something the weekend handyman is going to do; and so one tends to want to overbuild it to compensate - so AT's suggestion to limit posts to 42" apart is also a good one. Cables should not be allowed to deflect very much, and therefore need to be maintained at high tension - and AT's advice to spread them out less than 4" apart is a good one, so that the cables can't be made to exceed 4" apart. Limiting their length between posts, as AT suggests, will help too. Because the cables should be maintained at high tension, it would better that the cable screweyes be through-bolted at the endposts - not screwed - because, as the guard is subjected to weather, the threads have a good risk of failure/pull-out over time. Mostly a maintenance issue. I would agree that stainless fasteners and anchors should be employed. The base plates did not appear to be very heavy gauge, and I suspect are going rust out prematurely too, especially since their holes had to be enlarged to fit the anchors (exposing the metal). Rust staining of the concrete main occur at such time. Given the effort expended to undertake the project, I would say that it would be worth the added expense of buying more heavy post baseplates made of galvanized steel (such as Simpson Strong Ties, which are 12 gauge or thicker; stainless steel would be ideal, but this is supposed to be a low budget project). This would probably add an extra hundred or two dollars on the project budget but many, many more years of added life in between maintenance. :)
Bolts at the bottom... Cut them down and put acorn nuts on them. Paint them black as you did before. Gives it a more finished look.
+El Rayo X That's a great idea. I was was considering cutting them down, but I
didn't think about the acorn nuts. That sounds like a great solution.
great advice, hopefully some will remember to cut them down with the jam nut still on, backing off that nut will clean up the threads.
The cable still holding up well 2 years later? No rust, stretching, or other issues?
*_Awesome video! I like it_*
Thanks very helpful 👍
looks good.
4" spacing will not pass inspection. Manufacturers recommend 3" to allow deflection and still meet code which is 4' max.
How did you secure the cable to the post on the end near the house? Also how is it holding up 1 year later?
Hey Kevin,
Great video. The cable supplier no longer on Ebay. Any leads on where he can be found?
Do you like having the turnbuckle at the entrance or if you could do it again would you have the turnbuckles closer to the house?
You could put them there if you wanted. I liked the idea of looking out the window or door and seeing the turnbuckles as a featured detail. It might also be pretty interesting to switch them back & forth on each line for a different look.
Nice job on the video. I was thinking the same thing. Wondered if having the rough cut ends of the cable near the top of the stairs, that someone might catch their hand on it, but I guess you have the same issue at both ends.
Very nice job, thanks for sharing this. If you ever come up with the cable supplier's information would you mind posting it?
I should have more info in the description of this video. I also have a link to a blog post I made that breaks down all my costs and shows where I got everything that should help you out.
MrDiy. Thanks but where is the link to the blog you mention?
I'm curious on why you used both type brackets for mounting the posts. I've seen them and I believe they are designed to be used alone.
I bought them thinking they were designed to be used together. The outer piece that you see seems to be more of a decorative piece that adds some stability.
MrDiyDork - I am considering purchasing the flat type ones you used on the bottom...do they provide enough sturdiness?
Hey Kevin! Great stuff first of all! I’m thinking of using this idea to make a whole fence around my house. I’m in between that or a split rail fence with wiring (keep dog in) any thoughts on either/both?
Great job, what stain did you use?
Nice video. If you ever have to do another one in the future, check out e-rigging.com. I've used them twice for decks I've done and they're always the best price for T316 marine-grade cable. Boatloads of components for sale too.
MrDiyDork, do you need to use the turn buckle? Could you just ferrule the cable to the screw eye at a predetermined length and then screw in the screw eye to tighten? Thanks!
Hmm, I'm not sure. I'm not sure I've ever seen it done that way. I think it would be a bit tougher to keep tension on it as the railing moves & expands or contracts over time.
whats that thing you're doing called at 2:45 ?
Used a countersink bit to clean up holes
Great job, DIY DORK! I really like your ingenuity and your attention to detail. Would you consider finishing the concrete with a wash or epoxy coating to dress it up, as the concrete is outclassed by your handrail system? Also, are you going to install handrails going down to the basement entrance?
so glad you posted this
In the video, did you apply, to the posts, the clear stain before your homemade decking stain?
HI again, can you post a link to the blog about the cable railing, thanks!
I have a link to it in the description of this video.
Hey there, my hubby and I are doing our deck now and putting on the cable. We got the cable from the ebay guy like you recommended. Can I ask you though, how did you bend the cable to make the loop? Hubby is having a very hard time.
Hmm, I wonder if you got more firm 7x7 cable instead of the more flexible 1x19 strand like I used? The cable I used was very flexible and easy to bend.
I keep reading the opposite about the 7x7 and 1x19 cables...that the 1x19 is rigid and not as bendable...then the 7x7 is the one to use when bending? So confused!
Did you use Pressure threaded Post?
any plans to add a gate to the front of it?
+Zach M No, we just wanted to railings so we don't fall off the patio when walking out the door.
Any ideas on how to do a corner with the wire? I have 10'x16' deck that I would like to do it but I'm hung up on how to do the corner on a continuous run.
For a continuous run, I've seen people mount two posts at a deck corner with the two post corners touching or nearly touching, and then the wire runs straight through each post and makes a 45* turn in between. Kind of hard to explain, but do a Google search and you'll probably see a few pictures like that. You could also just end the run at corners and start with new hardware if you want to spend the money.
Is there a way to get rid of the ends of the wire? I want to use similar material for livestock (but coated) and that seems like a hazard
I saw a suggestion of using a second crimp to cover ends
great work. use angle grinder to cut rope
I only need 250' of the cable railing but cannot find a smaller than 1000' spool. Is there much difference between the 1x19 and 7x7 ?
Thanks for the insight!
The 1x19 is made of smaller cables, so it's more flexible. The 7x7 would be pretty stiff and hard to work with. I haven't checked the ebay page lately, but the guy I bought from had it available in several different size rolls. You might be able to send him a message and ask if he could cut a custom size roll for you too.
Are these turnbuckles aluminum?
They are aluminum (middle) and stainless (outer bolts)
Thank you! It looks like you did this a while ago. Any rust or performance issues since installing?
Great video, do you have the name of the guy you got the cable from?
It was Ebay seller "wilsonbuildingproducts". I have a link to their ebay store in the description of the video. I think they might be on Amazon as well.
how much did you spend overall?
+Levi Soriano I'm putting a blog post together with all the details and I'll include that in there as well. I'll have it up as soon as I can.