Railings

How to weld railings.

Step 1: Cut Steel for Legs, Pickets, and Horizontal Rails

Step 2: Mark and Bend Horizontal Rails.

Step 3: Weld Feet to the Bottom of the Legs, Making Sure They Are Level Side to Side. Also, Make Sure the Leg With the Angle at the Top Is Facing the Right Direction.

Step 4: Bolt the Legs to the Step Jig, Making Sure They Are Level Side to Side and Your Spacing Between Them Is Correct.

Step 5: Place Top Horizontal Rail on Legs.

Step 6: Make Sure the Front Curl Is Close to Touching the Front Leg.

Step 7: And the Horizontal Rail Extends Past the Back Leg by About a Finger Width.

Step 8: Adjust As Necessary.

Step 9: Tack the Top Horizontal Rail to the Legs on One Side, Making Sure the Weld Will Hold As You Add Pickets Later.

Step 10: Clamp Picket Spacers to the Back 2 Legs.

Step 11: Place Rear Horizontal Rail on Support Block and Center Under the Picket Spacers, Making Sure It's Level Side to Side.

Step 12: Tack Rear Horizontal Rail to the Legs Making Sure to Keep It Level.

Step 13: Clamp Picket Spacers to the Front 2 Legs.

Step 14: Place Front Rail So It's Level With Rear Rail and Mark Your Cut at the Front of the Rail.

Step 15: Tack Front Rail in Place.

Step 16: Find and Mark Center Point Between the Two Legs on the Lower and Upper Rails.

Step 17: Use Marking Jig to Mark the Rest of the Picket Locations.

Step 18: Find the Shortest Picket and Place on Your Center Marks. Check to Make Sure It's Centered Between the Two Posts and Square.

Step 19: Lightly Pull Down on the Top Rail and Tack the Center Picket Into Place.

Step 20: Place Next Picket, Check Your Spacing and Tack Into Place.

Step 21: Place the 3rd Picket, Check Your Spacing and Tack It Into Place.

Step 22: Use This Opportunity to Reach Around the Weld the Back Sides of Your Three Pickets.

Step 23: Continue Welding the Last Two Pickets Into Place. Remember to Get the Backside Welded Before Adding the Sloped Pickets.

Step 24: Find the Center Point for Your First Sloped Picket. Make Sure to Put a Mark in Front of the Picket Location on the Bottom Rail in Case It Slips Before You Get It Tacked.

Step 25: If You Need to Adjust the Height or the Angle of the Picket You Can Do So Now.

Step 26: Tack the Bottom of the Picket, Making Sure It Stays Square and Level. Don't Worry About Centering the Top of the Picket Yet, You Can Move It Into Place Before You Tack It.

Step 27: Continue Placing and Tacking the Rest of the Pickets. Make Sure They're Square, Level and Spaced Correctly.

Step 28: Finish Welding the Rest of the Railing.

Step 29: Clean Up Any Spatter and Check to Make Sure All Your Welds Look Good.

Step 30: Loosen the Bolts on the Center Leg Before You Do the Front and Back Leg.