Even though I plan on painting the balusters, I want to minimize the water on the underside of the part. I am adding a v-groove on the bottom of the balusters that will ride in a corresponding sloped top of the bottom rail. I tried to cut the v-groove with the tablesaw, but couldn’t get it to make an even groove. This week I ordered a 120-degree bit for the router and built a jig to cut the bottom of each baluster.
I initially tried to setup something in the router table, but the balusters are 31″ long, and would be awkward to stand up on end on the table. I decided to bring the router to the work instead, and built a jig from scrap lumber. I have a few more balusters to cut out this weekend, but then I’ll be ready to start installing the parts on the railing.
The next big challenge will be to figure out how to pre-drill the top and bottom rails as well as the balusters so that they don’t split when screwed together.
