Making a Steel Cable and Turnbuckle Railing

During my time back home in Kansas, I was asked if I could fabricate an industrial style cable and turnbuckle railing. There's a first time for everything, and here's how I did it. w00t. Tools and Materials listed below.
Support Steel: / brettmcafee
Behind the scenes: / skullandspade13
Tools and Materials used:
The Best Welding Helmet: amzn.to/2ucHy0j
Miller Welder: amzn.to/2S6QT1I
Magnets: amzn.to/38X5Hqf
Clearcoat: amzn.to/2Uf2WN6
Chop Saw: amzn.to/2S6DF4Z
Angle Grinder: amzn.to/2UeBQFK
Double-Square: amzn.to/2OL9hcI

[@rossmcmenemy5206]

Loving the video style and your sense of humour, we need more Brett talking to the camera! 😀

[@skullandspade]

Well shucks. Thanks

[@gayle525]

If you wrap an old rag around your magnet it’s much easier to get your filings off of it later. Just remove the rag .

[@skullandspade]

Ah, good advice

[@ManCrafting]

Brett McAfee I learned that from Jim. 😉

[@MakeBrooklyn]

Indeed, I wish someone had suggested that to me before I first used a welding magnet to hold a peice flat on a grinder belt. Great tip!

[@jovonrosen8417]

Hahaha THIS is the secret sneaky stuff I came here to learn, thanks for the tip!

[@VonWalther2]

The Skull and Spade attitude, "Get to it." Words to live by.

[@skullandspade]

Damn right

[@diamondmetalworks13]

I see a tee In The future. Awesome video Brett.

[@BrothersMake]

Want to weld small bits of steel into big bits of steel now! Fine work dude

[@skullandspade]

Do it!!!!!

[@AndrewSetters]

Feel like you found a new vibe and new style in a new spot. I like it.

[@skullandspade]

We change it up as we go along on this adventure sir ; )

[@lesliemcafee2957]

So, that’s what you were doing everyday! Love the wasp-free construction and the salute to using alternatives to traditional math, when possible. Love, Mom

[@skullandspade]

We do what we can with what we got ; )

[@reforzar]

I like the floopin over of the ends to close it off. This project turned out great. Avoiding math is the best way to do it.

[@skullandspade]

As often as possible ; )

[@LXWiseman]

I hope Kansas brings you much happiness. Looking forward to you tricking out the new space!

[@skullandspade]

Working on it!

[@ruudhooff6486]

You got a giggle out of me with the Professional grade windscreen (size large)

[@skullandspade]

Yussss

[@calcagnomartinj]

Nice job and technique Brett!! I really enjoyed!!🙌🏼😃😃🛠

[@skullandspade]

Thank you brother!

[@FigmentsMade]

Beeeeeeeeeeeeeyyyuuuuuuuuuuoop! Railed it!

[@skullandspade]

Hahahahahahah

[@MakeSomething]

Your Mom is better at math than my Mom. Great vid!

[@skullandspade]

Hahahah! Thank you so much for watching sir. I’ll let my mom know what you said

[@TehGrantage]

Really love this video style. Snappy editing, and clear and concise comments. Music works well too 👍

[@skullandspade]

Thank you sir!

[@jimmydiresta]

Nice job. Love the tips 😉

[@skullandspade]

I learned from the best. No math=keep movin

[@40drawers99]

Never having done anything like that, it was really interesting to see the process and hear you explaining each step. Thanks for bringing us along! 👍🙂

[@skullandspade]

Thank YOU!

[@connormccarter9581]

Great to see you Back!

[@skullandspade]

We never left!

[@HerrBlei]

Moin. A new video from Mr. McAffee? - Ahh... Videotime, coffeetime, relaxtime, metime! 👍

[@skullandspade]

Woohoo!!!

[@bernbuilt]

The depth-of-field focus-shift at 13:12 there... hot damn! Nifty build all around, those young'uns ain't going anywhere.

[@skullandspade]

Thank you sir! They sure aren’t!

[@jamiereader]

Fabulous work, old chap. Always a noble cause in protecting the underlings.

[@skullandspade]

Aye. ‘Tis

[@GrahamDallas]

Great build, nice and sturdy. I liked this style of video, very informative.

[@skullandspade]

Thank you Graham. A little different...but aren’t we all ; )

[@FKreider]

You can actually make the cable ends so that the sharp frayed part is down inside the crimp ferrules so that they do not catch peoples clothes... or little kids fingers! Awesome job!

[@skullandspade]

Noted! Good advice there

[@FKreider]

@@skullandspade My father showed me that trick one time, glad I can pass it on to others!

[@twilliamson3]

I was thinking a piece of Black Heat Shrink would work well, as well.

[@micheleb.6154]

Nice video. Nice to see you back doing what you do best.

[@skullandspade]

Thank you Michele!

[@jgclark45]

I like the word turnbuckle. Great looking railing, I'm glad there are no mistakes.

[@skullandspade]

Tis a good word

[@realjester]

Good way to start my morning now it’s time for work. 👍👍👍

[@skullandspade]

Yussss

[@Mr.Stacey-L-SCC]

Oh I so enjoy your videos! Thanks for sharing!

[@skullandspade]

Thank you!!!

[@MakerInTraining]

I love how the avoidance of math in this project. 😂 Great build as always!

[@skullandspade]

Hahahah

[@californiapants]

i love this feeling and fun and talking and all that. it’s great!

[@skullandspade]

Well that’s great

[@FrancoNoce]

Totally rad! You really make it look so approachable for anyone.

[@skullandspade]

Mission accomplished then

[@TheMessyStudio]

Awesome build, Brett. Kids ain't falling through that. Billy

[@skullandspade]

They sure arent

[@ackervaldviktor]

Next videos planning : New workshop bench New forge table New anvil restoration Gaz forge oven building Electric forge oven building New welding table A mobile and cool using welding cart Old tools restoration A dozen of wood and metal furnitures Good luck Brett !

[@skullandspade]

Good ideas list

[@damienbrand9422]

Great work Brett!!

[@skullandspade]

Thanks Damien!

[@raynoladominguez4730]

Very smart layout techniques, good stuff. That railing looks great.

[@skullandspade]

Thank you very much Raynola!

[@brianhartfield8385]

Love the improvisational attitude of the whole project. Way to go sir.

[@skullandspade]

Whatever works. Right?

[@nicholaskocik2302]

Well done, as always!

[@skullandspade]

Thank you Nicholas

[@RasmusLoen]

You truly are a force of making skills, capt'n. Excellent work!

[@skullandspade]

Oh you

[@tamurlane6]

Nice looking rail! I've always liked the look of the wire on these types of guardrails. Very clean looking.

[@skullandspade]

I agree. Really dig this

[@Gilenus]

Haven't even watched it yet. But I know I'm gonna love it. Been waiting to see what your new situation would be. You're inspiring. Thanks a ton.

[@skullandspade]

Hooray! Still on the move to the new situation, hope to settle soon

[@AdamRich1785]

Great stuff Brett!!!!

[@skullandspade]

Thanks brother

[@TheYoungSuccess]

I LOVE THIS CHANNEL

[@asanteemmanuel7907]

Great job done

[@skullandspade]

Thank ye

[@hippoandbearmakes3416]

Great video!! I love all the extra work you put into the video!! So worth it from a viewers stand point :)

[@skullandspade]

Thank you! Hope you enjoyed

[@S1P1G3]

Solid content as always. Looking forward to future adventures. Thank you

[@skullandspade]

Thank you Sean!

[@ManCrafting]

Awesome job Brett. The rail looks amazing. You did a great job of breaking it down to make it easy to replicate.

[@skullandspade]

Thank you sir. Learned that 20 years ago

[@scarto28]

super idea, for the anchorage !

[@skullandspade]

Aye!

[@nikond90ful1]

Thanks for the video Brett. As a person that did that sort of thing for a living, Looks like a solid job. Well done.

[@skullandspade]

Well thank you!

[@urbanosity]

Editing was great!

[@skullandspade]

Good deal

[@tenderlovellcare]

Nicely done Cap'n! 👊🏻🖤👏🏻

[@skullandspade]

Thank you my brother

[@chuxmix65]

Looks great!

[@skullandspade]

Thank you!!!

[@MadeByMarylou]

that turned out great!

[@skullandspade]

Thank you Marlylou!

[@skellington6782]

Good work Captain

[@skullandspade]

Thank you Connor

[@metaspencer]

Great video man. Instructive and hilarious. Nice one

[@skullandspade]

Mission accomplished then

[@DannyFourSquare]

Great video Brett, railing looks awesome.

[@skullandspade]

Thank you sir

[@alberswoodworks8347]

Awesome build Brett!

[@skullandspade]

Thank you brother!

[@BrandonsBees]

Love you, Brett.

[@skullandspade]

No YOU

[@jamie_23]

Outstanding!

[@skullandspade]

Well thank you!

[@thegunguymartin]

Great build brother... and great to see ya making great videos again !!!!

[@skullandspade]

Oh come now. We never left ; )

[@dereksstuff8395]

Nice job. I've seen similar that use 1 turnbuckle in the center. Yours has that great modern industrial look. Keep it up!

[@skullandspade]

Thank you Derek! I actually really fell for this system. Might have to use it in the future

[@ChristCenteredIronworks]

Great work with minimal tools ! Glad to see you getting back at it :-)

[@skullandspade]

Thank you brother

[@alexnosheds]

Still watching intro ad. Already hit Like.

[@skullandspade]

Well shucks

[@williampuccio32]

Holy schmokes. So many great little tips in this video PLUS very cool to see you do some problem solving on the fly without over complicating things. Very enjoyable. Be well.

[@skullandspade]

Thank you William!

[@anthonywoodland1741]

Nice work, story telling on point. Making a simple project interesting 👍

[@skullandspade]

Good deal!

[@rob_boss]

Nice work!

[@skullandspade]

Thank you brother

[@JamesBowers]

Nice looking railing and a great vid. Thanks for sharing!

[@skullandspade]

Thank you!

[@Florinachis]

Looks like you did your job! The calculations are good!! 🤗👍🏻 👋🏻 from Romania 🇷🇴!

[@skullandspade]

Thank you!!! Greetings from the US

[@ftobrian]

Awesome Video!! Great to see you making things again! And the commentary and jokes are great as well!

[@skullandspade]

Well good

[@Folktopia]

Cool! Not many patios get to have nice welding and stainless these days. Thanks for sharing your work.

[@skullandspade]

Thank YOU for watching!

[@MrGeoffreySmith]

Great work, Brett. I really like it 😀

[@skullandspade]

Thank you sir!

[@varengrey7221]

This is the kind of content I like to see on youtube.

[@skullandspade]

Woohoo!

[@103m95g]

Captain helping out the land lubbers 👍🏼

[@skullandspade]

Aye

[@BilykBuilds]

Kansas!!!! glad to see you back home Brett! Cheers from Overland park!

[@skullandspade]

Cheers Christopher!

[@sidon100uk]

Really enjoying your style, keep up the hard work and looking forward to your next quest.

[@skullandspade]

Thank you Simon

[@JTWoodworks]

Nicely done buddy!

[@skullandspade]

Thank you sir!

[@yoelkaplan]

clean and beautiful , great job!

[@skullandspade]

Thank you!

[@FeatherForge]

Good work Brett. 👍

[@skullandspade]

Thank you!

[@NarTac13]

Looks nice!

[@skullandspade]

Thank you!

[@chybz]

Great job, Brett ! Still enjoying that editing style of yours. THANK YOU !

[@skullandspade]

Thank you as always Remy

[@OnkelJann]

That looks awesome! Well done Brett! 😎🤙🏻

[@skullandspade]

Thank you!

[@joshgallant3136]

Dude! This was such a bad ass video and the way you do everything you do it always is so easy to follow and looks like you have been doing it for decades!! Loved it and know that everything is changed in your situation but know that you have a major group of loyal fans that have your back no matter what!!

[@skullandspade]

Wow...thank you for the kind words Josh.

[@the_cheese]

What a cool- (and sturdy-) looking railing! Nice work, Cap'n

[@skullandspade]

Thank you!

[@michaelpiercy89]

I dig it! Great as always Brett! I like the look of this railing and may use it in the future.

[@skullandspade]

Heck yeah! I think the applications go far beyond railings

[@Dfrantz87]

Came out really nice brother! Stoked to see you are keeping the content coming!

[@skullandspade]

Thank you David!

[@FredMcIntyre]

Awesome work Brett, great video and railing! 😃👍🏻👊🏻

[@skullandspade]

Cheers brother

[@thelonemoomin]

Nice little job that one. Looks awesome 👍.

[@skullandspade]

Well good!

[@boneal4942]

Awesome as usual 👍

[@skullandspade]

Thank you!

[@davoodehajiraj]

Keep up bro nice job I’ve been doing this for 30 years now

[@skullandspade]

Cheers davood

[@joshuakadusale906]

Nice job thanks for the video

[@skullandspade]

Thank YOU

[@GiacoWhatever]

Nice job but that song without Bob’s voice is not the same! 😂

[@skullandspade]

Hahahah! You’re right. Wow, didn’t even put that together!

[@JohnMadeit]

I was waiting for bob to start speaking 😂

[@jimgam730]

Cool video. You did a nice job on that.

[@skullandspade]

Thanks Jim!

[@vastyesaltydog]

Very nice job sir. Love your new big shop.

[@skullandspade]

Hah, I wish that was mine

[@vastyesaltydog]

Brett McAfee I understand. I also work in a large shop that belongs to someone else

[@AJB2K3]

Nice work there!

[@skullandspade]

Thank yiu

[@HueyLionsheart]

Nice job on the handrail! And I loved the humour injection into what is quite a serious project. Zero errors....yeah yeah, I been there 🤣👍

[@skullandspade]

Heheh... 0ish

[@garagemonkeysan]

Nice video! : ) Project turned out great. Nicely designed. Mahalo for sharing! : )

[@skullandspade]

Thank you as always brother

[@jtrain79]

Great stuff

[@skullandspade]

Thank you!

[@TwistedTwineWoodworking]

Looks great!! Great safety for those little humans!!

[@skullandspade]

Thank you! Hope to see you soon

[@TwistedTwineWoodworking]

Brett McAfee me too!!

[@SSSmithing]

Great work man

[@skullandspade]

Thank you! Nice name ; )

[@SSSmithing]

@@skullandspade thanks if you care to swing by the channel you may like it or not

[@CraftsWithEllen]

Love the narration style, I learned me some new things 😄

[@skullandspade]

Says the talented lady kicking ass at welding!

[@masterofnone]

A someone who made a custom metal railing myself I am jealous you had to attach to concrete . Mine was interior and and had so many angles and turns. I love the way it came out Brett, Thanks for sharing your ways.

[@skullandspade]

Thank YOU brother

[@Makebuildmodify]

Nice! I like how you mounted the brackets to the concrete and then did the final welds. That method can really make up for a lot of environmental inconsistency.

[@skullandspade]

100% and credit to Mr Diresta for feeding that approach. Building “in space” because things can change if you pre fab all the parts off site

[@Makebuildmodify]

@@skullandspade Yup, I've had the opportunity to build a few accessibility ramps with rail. We pour the concrete ourselves, but we still put 3" sleeves in the slab to receive the rail posts. This allows for a little wiggle room (up, down, and side to side) during fabrication/installation.

[@skullandspade]

Makes tons of sense

[@sgsax]

Nicely done. Cool trick leaving the flap on the end to cover the tube openings. Welcome back to the friendly Midwest, maybe I'll see you around. I'm slightly West of Nowheresville. Thanks for sharing!

[@skullandspade]

I blew through with the wind unfortunately. But I waved

[@JWPrattKS]

[waves from Olathe] Welcome home Brett

[@skullandspade]

It was a nice and much needed trip