The punching of the 5/8" round was a learning experience for me, it took a few tries to get an acceptably clean result and even after that I was still making micro improvements all the way until I had punched the last hole. 

The process used torch heats, a slot puch, and a variety of round drifts. First I used a torch heat to punch the slot, this was the most important step since the hole needed to go straight through the center to be right. Since there is no registration surface to sit on ( the round bar can roll) I had to be careful and decisive when and how I puched the hole. After that was done I could start drifting the hole. I used 1/4", 3/8", 1/2", and 5/8" round drifts. After I had sent all of the drifts through the hole I would check for straightness and send the largest drift through one more time after it was cool to make sure the hole was to the proper size. 

The plates were cut at 2" long from 1-1/2" x 1/4" cold rolled steel bar. Three holes were drilled in each plate: one center hole: 5/8" round, to recieve the arms, and two in opposing corners: 1/4" round. The layout was first done using an adjustable square and a scribe, then it is center punched. The plates are set carefully in the vice and all the holes are drilled to 1/4". This plate is the master, it is then used with a transfer punch to mark all of the other plates in the right spot. After the plates had all been marked they are drilled, this time however the center hole is drilled to the finish 5/8" size. The two small holes are countersunk to fit a countersunk head screw. The edges of the plates are filed carefully to give the edge a clean chamfer. 

The arms that had the holes punched in them were not all exactly the same in length, this was by design. This allowed us to make a jig for the bandsaw and cut them to a precise length. This jig had a plate with a pin coming up from it, this is the registration point as the arms can slide on through the hole. The plate is then clamped to the bandsaw itself rather than in between the jaws of the vise. The reason for this is so that 2 blocks can go below the punched hole and clamp on to the arm, these blocks go around the swell and make sure the arm sits parallel to the jaws and hence perpendicular to the blade. The photos of the setup will help you understand this better.

Welding is a relatively simple matter thanks to the fixture made to hold the pieces in place. It is 2 large blocks 90 degrees to each other and set with a 1/4" gap in between them, this allows the plate to sit in there. the arm is set on blocks and pushed through the hole. everything is clamped down and the piece gets tacked in 4 spots. after it is tacked it is welded the rest of the way around. 

The pins are welded with two subtle tacks. the Jig used is a simple plate with a hole to recieve the pin which the arms can slide on. It is set so that the pin is set to the perrfect depth every time.

The holes on the unwelded arms were drilled and tapped in order to take hex drive, flush screws. This allows the arms to pivot.

All of the pieces were finished with the palm sander with a high grit pad. this helps to make the surface one smooth texture and luster. Next the pieces are rubbed with a scotch brite pad, this makes the texture even smoother. The scotch brite pads were rubbed in such a way that they left a subtle up and down grain along the length of the pieces. Lastly the pieces were waxed with spray on bees wax. This works best in arid environments since the bees wax is not a super stong finish.

The jobsite measurement was a good learning experience for me, it was my first time  doing it and it showed me a few helpful practices and ways of measuring. The main rule you can follow for a sucessful jobsite measuring is: measure everything and write it all down clearly. Steming from that rule are other practices, check things to see if they are level, measure angles to see that they are square, measure to a 16th at least, measure everything the same way, note  anddifferent materials: drywall, studs, etc.  This is what I was taught to do from the Busheys and it has not failed me thus far. 

The railing posts are made from 2" x 3/4" cold rolled bar stock. While I never recorded the exact measurements the general idea can be drawn from what the building codes are. First is that the posts would have been between 34 and 38" tall, I dimly recall the total railing height being 36" that would mean the bars were cut at 35" leaving room for the caprail thickness at 3/4" as well as the plate thickness at 1/4". The spacing of the pickets is also such that a 4" sphere can not pass through, during the layout we had forgotten to account for the fact that the pickets are staggered to either side of the post, we then had to draw in more pickets closer together to account for this. 

Once the drawing had been made and the bars cut, a master picket was made, the holes were layed out and drilled to 1/4" to allow for a transfer punch to be used. After all the holes were marked out I was set up on the mag drill with a 5/8" hollow core bit, this made the drilling much quicker since it didnt require a pilot hole. After the holes were drilled they were countersunk to fit a hex drive countersunk screw, the counter sinks were staggered between sides. Lastly was the drilling of the hole at the top of the post. These holes were also drilled with the mag drill, for this a fence was set up which the posts could be clamped to, then the mag drill was attached to the side of the work bench and simply drilled sideways into the piece. The finished holes were tapped and the posts were complete.

The railing pickets are made of 5/8" round cold rolled and cut to various lengths. the latter 2-1/2" / 3" are bent at a 90 degree angle, this is what goes into the posts. To make the bends consistently Aaron Bushey made a power hammer tool for me to use. It works by having a spring pressured fence at the back of the tool and out of the way of the motion of the dies. This allows the bar to expand out as the half round is forged in.  In the center of the tool is a half round that forges the divot for the  bend, it is made by welding a full 5/8" round bar to the tool, to either side a 5/16" thick flat bar is welded, the result is a quick and easy half round. Lastly some 5/8" square bar is welded to either side of the tool, this prevents the round bar from being squished by the hammer going to far. After the forging is done the bars are cut to the finish length using a jig for the bandsaw. The jig is a piece of flat bar with a hole to fit the small bent section, then the jig is moved closer or further to the blade depending what the length of the picket needs to be. The cut ends were then dressed. 

While not pictured the picket spacers are texture 1-1/4" round bar, they are cut into 3" sections. Not pictured, the pieces are center punced 13/16" from one end, then they are drilled to 5/8" round. This leaves 1/2" from the edge of the hole to the closest end. Then the pieces are placed on a marking jig, it is a block with a 5/8" post to hold the blocks, using a 5/8" spacer the pieces are marked in the center, next a square is held to the center line on the block and the piece is marked. This gives the center of the hole. This gets center punched and drilled to 13/64, then is is tapped for 1/4" 20 screws. Lastly the bottoms are also drilled and tapped for 1/4" 20 screws. The centers are marked with the square and center punched, drilled to 13/64 like the sides and tapped. The pieces are very lightly dressed on the sander and are ready for the finishing work.

Finishing involves four steps: sanding, scotch briting, acetone wipe, and bees waxing. The sanding is easy but tedious work. The scotch briting is also tedious and it is important that it is done in one direction so that a consistent grain is made. The acetone completely cleans the surface and prepares it for the beeswax. The beeswax is sprayed on and then buffed in. 

The install for the railings that I worked on went smooth overall, in one spot there was a bad sag in the floor and the railing had to be taken back to be edited to fit the incosistency. Some of the good practices I obvserved during the install were: treat the jobsite as best as possible: thouroughly cleaning after install, not bumping into walls and other surfaces, and clearly communicating with the client or construction manager. I did not get to see all of the project installed but it was good to be able to participate in all of the steps on this project.