A couple of simple jigs quickly line up the parts and pieces for a stylish railing system
by Bobby Parks
Aluminum balusters are affordable, visually appealing, and low maintenance. The ones I use most commonly are made by Deckorators; these hollow tubes slip over connectors that are screwed to the 2x4s that form the top and bottom rails (Figure 1).
My carpentry crews saw the advantages of these balusters, but laying out the bottom and top 2x4 rails, and then accurately screwing down each baluster connector was slow and awkward. Consequently, we came up with a jig to speed up the process.
Figure 1. Hollow aluminum balusters fit over connectors screwed to the upper and lower rails. A home-grown jig speeds the accurate placement of the connectors.
Horizontal-Rail Jig
Start with some 1-inch screws, a 6-foot length of 1x4 cellular PVC (such as Azek), two 6-foot strips of 5/8-inch-by-3/4-inch PVC, and PVC glue (Figure 2). I use PVC instead of wood; wood swells and shrinks as it gets wet or dries out, while PVC is more stable.
Figure 2. The jig is made from PVC sheet such as AZEK, preferred over wood for its stability. Holes drilled on 4 1/2-inch centers hold the baluster connectors as they're screwed home.
I draw a line down the center of the 1x4 and mark it every 4 1/2 inches, which reflects my standard baluster layout. The 1x4 needs to be drilled at these marks to accept the baluster connectors.
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