Newel Post Advice please....

[webrits]

Hi all,

I posted this in the joinery forum but didn't have any luck... So here goes....

I've looking to add a newel, spindles and handrail to a house I've just bought and am looking for a bit of advice.
Basically the newel etc have been removed in the past leaving the staircase open to the living room on one side (wall on the other side). It's a closed string type of staircase and it looks to me as if the original newel has been cut-off at an angle so it is now flush with the top of the string.

Would it be OK to add a newel by fastening it (coachbolts or similar) to the front face of what's left of the existing newel?
I realise that the new newel will now be further away from the 1st step but I'm thinking it will be the easiest solution.

Thanks,
Paul

 

[ree]

Its best if you post a pic:

But, if the angled cut is a clean cut then you could use dowels set into the newel stub and then drop the new post onto the dowels.
One of the well known stair parts companies used to sell dowel kits specifically for this kind of thing.
Practice with dry runs before any gluing or driving into place. The new newel must be plumb on two sides.

 

[IJWS15]

Alternately and needs a little more work - it may be possible to remove what is left of the Newel (being the bottom one the stairs are probably not sitting on it) and doweling a new one to the string.

 

[ree]

The above suggestion will not work and could be dangerous.

The string will be tongued into the existing newel stump which will be bolted on below the floor to a floor joist.
Removing the stump de-stabilises the fresh post - dowels into the string will be weak and could snap off if someone put weight on the newel. If the newel snaps then the rail and balusters fail.

 

[purplegerbil]

This is not necessarily correct.
It is most likely sitting on a screed so it will not be bolted. In this country they are mostly fixed to the string via the string having a tongue fitted into a mortice cut in the post and fixed with dowels as stated in one of the other posts.

 

[ree]

purplegerbil,

Houses where the newel and spindles have been removed are typically older houses.
Older houses have suspended floors.
Bottom newels are bolted to floor joists (or blocking).

I know how strings are tonged into newels, i said as much above - and how the tongues are dowelled in.
Why do you presume that i dont understand common UK fixing practices?

Why are you so confident that: "It is most likely sitting on a screed"?

Newels sitting on solid floors will more often than not be fixed to metal Ell brackets which are plugged and screwed into the concrete.

 

[IJWS15]

The above suggestion will not work and could be dangerous.

The string will be tongued into the existing newel stump which will be bolted on below the floor to a floor joist.
Removing the stump de-stabilises the fresh post - dowels into the string will be weak and could snap off if someone put weight on the newel. If the newel snaps then the rail and balusters fail.

The stump MAY be bolted onto a joist but gluing and dowelling into the string is the standard way of making stairs over here.

Nothing weak about a rebated joint with dowels and glue.