Best way to connect railing cap and upper rail?

TheHandySqirrel

Hi all,

we need to replace our rotten front deck railing and have decided to use beautiful hardwood (Blackbutt).

I've been educating myself on how to install a new railing, and most videos I've watched just screw or nail through the railing cap into the upper rail (both meet like an L on its side). But I'm reluctant to do that to our hardwood in order to maintain its beauty, and also to avoid any grooves where rainwater could collect.

I was thinking of using hardwood dowels together with liquid nails -- would that be a comparable solution to screws?

Thank you!

JacobZ

Hi @TheHandySqirrel,

I'd love to see the materials you are working with, firstly so I can admire them and secondly so I can get a better picture of how they will go together. I am fairly confident that I understand, but it would be best to see just to be certain.

Your plan to use hardwood dowels sounds good, and unless there is some intricacy I am missing, it should work perfectly fine as long as the dowels are tight in their holes and everything lines up well. The only thing I would consider changing is to use a thicker dimension of dowel if at all possible. The larger the dowel, the more glue can be applied, making the connection stronger and with the increased size, the dowels will be harder to snap. 

I would, however, suggest using this Gorilla Ultimate Wood Glue or a comparable exterior grade wood glue as opposed to Liquid Nails. Liquid Nails is designed to be a little bit flexible, which is not really what you are after in this situation. 

I love decorative hardwoods, especially blackbutt, so I can't wait to see your project get underway.

Jacob