Wood Handrail with Balusters — board plan

What to buy, and which parts come off which board.

Buy 13 boards at 8 ft.

3 1/2" × 3 1/2" — Pressure-treated 4x4

1 board · 8.2 board feet (includes 15% for knots and defects) · 89% of the boards you buy used

Board 1 · 10 3/4" left over
42"42"
1. Posts — 42"
2. Posts — 42"

1 1/2" × 3 1/2" — Pressure-treated 2x4

2 boards · 6.0 board feet (includes 15% for knots and defects) · 76% of the boards you buy used

Board 1 · 22 7/8" left over
72"
1. Top rail — 72"
Board 2 · 22 7/8" left over
72"
1. Bottom rail — 72"

1 1/2" × 1 1/2" — Pressure-treated 2x2

8 boards · 9.2 board feet (includes 15% for knots and defects) · 68% of the boards you buy used

Board 1 · 30 3/4" left over
32"32"
1. Balusters — 32"
2. Balusters — 32"
Board 2 · 30 3/4" left over
32"32"
1. Balusters — 32"
2. Balusters — 32"
Board 3 · 30 3/4" left over
32"32"
1. Balusters — 32"
2. Balusters — 32"
Board 4 · 30 3/4" left over
32"32"

3/4" × 3 1/2" — 1x4

2 boards · 3.0 board feet (includes 15% for knots and defects) · 76% of the boards you buy used

Board 1 · 22 7/8" left over
72"
1. Inside trim — 72"
Board 2 · 22 7/8" left over
72"
1. Inside trim — 72"

Cuts are listed longest-first, which is how they should be made: the awkward pieces get placed while there is still board to place them on. The layout assumes one end of each board is squared off (1") and that every cut costs 1/8" of kerf — the reason six 16″ parts do not fit on a 96″ board.

Wood Handrail with Balusters — board plan

3 1/2" × 3 1/2" — Pressure-treated 4x4

Board 1 · 10 3/4" left over

1 1/2" × 3 1/2" — Pressure-treated 2x4

Board 1 · 22 7/8" left over

Board 2 · 22 7/8" left over

1 1/2" × 1 1/2" — Pressure-treated 2x2

Board 1 · 30 3/4" left over

Board 2 · 30 3/4" left over

Board 3 · 30 3/4" left over

Board 4 · 30 3/4" left over

3/4" × 3 1/2" — 1x4

Board 1 · 22 7/8" left over

Board 2 · 22 7/8" left over

Board 5 · 30 3/4" left over

Board 6 · 30 3/4" left over

Board 7 · 30 3/4" left over

Board 8 · 30 3/4" left over