How to Make a Handrail from a Tree Branch

If you are into the outdoors, why not bring some of the best of what nature has to offer into your home. The possibilities are almost endless when it come to finding great decorations and necessary materials for your home from nature. Anything that you create for your home from nature will be a unique touch as well as a great way to save money. A hand railing made from a tree limb is a great project for most any skill level and will bring a little of the outdoors into your home. Not only will it look great, it will save you some money in the process.

The next time you are out on a walk, look for a branch that can easily be turned into a hand rail for your steps or a curtain rod for your den. The project is easy to complete and best of all, it is free! When searching for the tree limb that you will use for your hand rail, you want to look for a tree limb that is relatively straight and can be cut to the proper length for your stair case. The tree limb should be about two inches in diameter.

Once you have found the perfect branch, it is time to lug it back home to your workshop. The limb will have to be prepared for use by scraping or removing the bark. The easiest way to do this is to secure the branch to a set of saw horses and use a draw knife to scrape the bark from the limb. A draw knife can be purchased from most any hardware store and will make the process much easier as well as safer. Be careful to pull the draw knife with even pressure across the limb in order to avoid gouging your limb.

Once the bark has been removed to your satisfaction, the limb will have to dry for one to two weeks in order for the moisture to be drawn out of the limb. After drying, go over the entire limb with a fine grade sandpaper. This step will remove any rough spots that could cause splinters if you are using your limb as a hand railing and give the branch the appearance of a high end store bought railing.

After the limb has been sanded, the limb will need to be sealed with a couple of coats of polyurethane clear coat. This will protect your handrail from stains as well as protect hands as they use the hand rail. The tree limb hand rail can be hung with traditional hardware and in the same manner as a traditional handrail. The only differences in your hand rail and one purchased from a lumber store is the cost and natural beauty. When the project is completed, you will have a one of a kind handrail that you can proudly say that you made.