In the video below I am highlighting one of my more popular stair balusters. This particular baluster measures 1 3/4". It is approximately 36 inches high. It is crafted from soft maple. It is called a barley twist baluster.

I make these in two parts. The first step is to turn it on lathe and then to mill in using my milling unit.

Turning: Because my lathe is a copy lathe, I first have to make a template with the baluster profile. I make a template out of 1/8 inch aluminum. The template is mounted on the back of the lathe. The lathe stylus traces the template and as the template is being traced the cutter head is following the profile of the template. These balusters are made in about two minutes and set aside.

Milling: the second step is to mill the barley twist on to the new freshly turned baluster. First I remove the cutter head from lathe and then I install the milling unit. You can see in the video that there is a steady mounted to the lathe that minimizes vibration. This process takes about a minute. And then the fun part- sanding.

I selected the image below the video as an example of alternating balusters that we crafted for a customer in Washington State. The balusters alternate between plain, barley twist, and a spiral twist. The image at the top alternates between barley twisted and tapered. Let me know what you think.