Glass Railing Design & Fabrication
When I decided to use glass as a guardrail in my condo, many questions arose regarding how to support and stiffen it. If you have access to 6″ or so below the floor, you can attach the glass there and theoretically that should be enough, even with only 1/2″ thick glass. But in my case, accessing below floor level was problematic. Regardless, I wanted something at the top of the glass to secure the pieces. Even if the glass is strong enough, having peace of mind about its strength was a critical factor in my design. Getting thicker glass wasn’t possible since 3/4″ glass is about 2x the cost of 1/2″! On top of this, the code was recently changed in Massachusetts, now dictating the height be 42″ instead of 36″. So I needed a cap to sit on top of the glass. I use “railing” & “cap” interchangeably here although I believe technically this design isn’t a railing.
The other criteria for the guardrail cap:
- Industrial aesthetic – The image in my head was raw steel with the welds & grind swirls shown. Maybe even some discoloration.
- Not aluminum. Not only is extruded aluminum expensive, especially for this purpose, but it is really bland. Don’t get me wrong, I love the utility of aluminum and use it on my CNC all over the place. But on top of big pieces of glass? Yuck.
- Small. The contemporary design of the unit requires clean lines, not bulky.
- Strong. Besides satisfying code requirements and providing peace of mind, this rail must be functional and protect both the glass and the people near the glass.
- No posts. Too much material and it would interrupt the view. Everyone working on the project defaulted to posts because it made them feel better. Understandable but I was belligerent we could do it without them.
- Minimize cuts to the glass. Many railings for glass come with brackets that go through a circle hole cut in the glass. This creates several problems, most of important are that every cut costs money and the brackets are insanely expensive ($100 each!).
- Whatever we attach to the glass, it can’t be wide enough to put a drink on it. This may seem minor but it’ll probably save a few glasses and maybe prevent a concussion or two.
Pre-made solutions weren’t meeting my criteria. As I discovered, anything tied to stairs or railings carries a premium. It’s the equivalent of the markup on items in a wedding. One bouquet of flowers = $25. But ten of the same bouquets for a wedding = $25 x 10 x 10 = $2,500.
If not pre-made, then custom. The first quotes for a custom rail came from some big metal shops, and were in the low 5-figures. So I decided I needed another approach. The Furnetcha shop is located in Humphreys Street Studios, along with ~30 other artists, craftsman, woodworkers, AND… a blacksmith! James Gonzalez has been at HSS for 10+ years and I approached him with my requirements. We clicked immediately and 15 minutes after our first conversation, he produced a sample that is exactly what I had in my head. I was thrilled.
The ~18″ long sample piece was welded, wire brushed, and sprayed with a quick coat lacquer. It’s smooth but has texture. The piece consists of 3 pieces of stock steel. The top is 1 1/2″ x 1/2″. The side pieces are 1/4″ x 3/4″. Steel is substantial and there is no doubt it provides structural benefit. This 18″ long sample weighs about 5 1/2 lbs! Perfect. Besides having nailed the design and getting along great with James, the price was a lot more affordable than anything else I’d seen. Trifecta.
There are two separate sections of rail, one around the foyer opening and one down the stairs. This is not meant to be a handrail that you grab. Those will be hung on the wall and I am milling those out of beech. They will be stained ebony to match the stair treads and risers. I’m talking to James now about fabricating custom brackets.
James & I designed it but he did all of the fabrication and installation. He did an amazing job! Below is a picture of the rail during installation. Finish pictures to come soon.
