O&MM Fabricator - March/April 2017 - 25
SHOPTALK COMMON CHALLENGES with Cable Railing Installations - and How to Overcome Them Making Cable Railing Installation More Efficient for Your Business A s the concept of daylighting continues to spread through the design world, the demand for building elements that maximize the impact of natural light has grown as well. When considering a design for a railing that maximizes sightlines, most look to glass railing options as the solution. However, don't overlook cable railing as a solution when the goal is to create open and clean views as with balcony or deck applications. While many fabricators have familiarity working with cable railing, even the most experienced professional can benefit from strategies to address common challenges for a more efficient and profitable installation. Here are four common challenges that don't have to slow you down, and things to keep in mind for your next - or first - cable railing installation. Matching Products with Actual Dimensions: Ensuring optimal measurements for all aspects of railing height and intermediate post distance may seem like a given for any railing installation. But if the dimensions are based on projections and not on actual dimensions, that can result in the need for product reorder, timely adjustments and slow downs on the job. For this reason, dimensions based on the actual field conditions - after the deck is built or the concrete poured - are extremely important prior to ordering your cable and fittings. The bottom line, make sure to base product orders on accurate field dimensions when ordering your product to ensure the product is the right fit. Balancing Load Requirements and Aesthetics: As with any railing project, load bearing ability of a well-designed cable railing begins with the choice of post design. However, when choosing a post for a cable railing, in addition to meeting the structural load requirements as defined by the building codes, you will also need to choose a post size that can withstand the stresses related to the tensioning of the cables. Steel or stainless steel pipe and 4 x 4 wood posts are the most common post elements used in cable railing. However, other designs have been used with success as long as end posts are chosen to withstand the stress of the cable tensioning. March/April 2017 * O&MM Fabricator | 25
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