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Rail building questions

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Shilling
Posts: 774 - Karma: 14
I am going to build a rail in Alaska and I had a few questions:
1- Will PVC shatter at low temperatures even if it is thick?
2- If i were to build a single hand rail would i be better off with a steel pipe welded to posts or single PVC screwed to a long 2x4 with supports?
3- is shotgun preffered to single? ive slid both but i rarely ever see a single handrail on here
4- how well does steel slide?

If anyone can answer me these questions it would be greatly appreciated. any extra advice would be great too! thanks for the help
Jan 30 2008 10:22PM
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Jwenz
Posts: 8893 - Karma: 7,633
1.pvc wont shatter (i am not sure about alaskan temps)
2. If you have access to a welder you MUST make a rail out of metal, there is no alternative. Although PVC may be cheaper, metal is much cooler and more mountainish...
3. Single barrel vs. shotgun...really doesnt matter...its all preference. I think a single barrel helps practice balance and almost requires more skill, but the shotgun is always a safe bet.
4. If you make a pvc rail I would recommend going shotgun or three pieces unless you get a 3" piece.

Any more questions?
Jan 30 2008 10:26PM
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Shilling
Posts: 774 - Karma: 14
yeah i will build a metal one but i think im going to build a PVC shotgun to use on my smaller drop to try switch ups and stuff. how do you attatch the PVC to the wood? do you countersink the screws by going through both top and bottom of the PVC or what? maybe go up through the bottom of the 2x4 into the tube?
Jan 30 2008 11:14PM
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ST33ZY_MC_steez
Posts: 110 - Karma: 15
i made a shotgun pvc and i drilled a pilot hole on the side but kind of at the top (not interfering where the ski will slide and i just put screws through and i works well
Jan 30 2008 11:28PM
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ILoveOhio
Posts: 1793 - Karma: 253
Don't weld galvanized steel......ahah.

I have a question.  (not a thread jack)

I have a 12' wooden rail with HDPE on top.  I want a 20' rail so I think I'm going to just add 8' to the 12' rail.  I own a welder, but steel is really expensive.  Should I make a rail completely out of steel or just screw steel pipes on the top of the wooden rail.  Thanks.



Also, does PVC work for coping on a box or does it catch?  Once again steel is expensive and I'm going to have to have 88' of coping to use for my boxes.
Jan 31 2008 3:28PM
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Shilling
Posts: 774 - Karma: 14
PVC slides sooo well. i ended up getting my rail set up and i slid out for the first few hits. you will not catch an edge, unless you're leaning forward tremendously. It should work as coping. you might want to slide a smaller piece of PVC in at both ends so that if you short it you dont break the PVC, because it is fragile compared to Steel, which came up when my snowboard friend was an idiot, shorted it and broke the tip of my rail. but it should work really well as coping, for sure
Jan 31 2008 10:51PM
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