White oak is one good thought, definitely, but what finish? Lots of sun and
weather. The price is right, and it is tough enough for many years of hand grab.

Ebony? Classy for sure, and it would be a good match for the iron, but that
would be about $US500, which is a bit much for my pocket.

Galv pipe? Sacrilege! Ipe, maybe. I spent too much of my work life with galv
pipe rails, stanchions, steps, and and so on. Not at my home.

I don't like sapele for a handrail. It is too allergenic for direct hand contact
for my taste, no matter how rich the and warm it looks in many other
applications.

Cypress, is in the running. Finish for it? The piece will be the top inch or so
with direct exposure to all elements.

If you are wondering WHY I am going this way, I have the iron on hand, can
fabricate it easily to meet the strength requirements without needing to do much
other than build and mount, and the material I have gives me the opportunity for
hand-formed wood cap over the iron for a nice contrast with a little class. Full
wood will be a LOT more time, money, and difficulty to mount and meet strength.
Much more obtrusive, as well.

Thanks for the ideas so far. I need to start the fab of the iron tomorrow, so I
can get it mounted before mid-week (initial site inspection may be that soon, or
may not be. They don't tell me, since it isn't inside), but I should have a
couple weeks before the wood cap goes on to make it compliant as a `grab', so I
have the time to do a good finish.


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On Saturday, July 30, 2022 at 06:09:07 PM EDT, Don Schwartz  wrote: 





White oak?

Don