railing to install help

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hey all so i have a handicap railing to install on a handicap ramp.  it is about 50 feet with 28 or so being level and then a 4* angle drop.  anyhow i can handle the build the install is new to me though and i dont want to be embarrased or suprised as this could make for some good long term customers.        the railing will be made out of 1 1/4 inch scd 40 pipe and codes require it to be core drilled in.  I have a 2 1/2 inch core bit.  so  i think that should be the right size for the pipe and then hydraulic cement.    they would like the railing to be set in no more than 3 inches on center from the edge.  this worrys me i have lots of experience with concrete and generally our rule of thumb is no less than three inches from edge of concrete to edge of whatever is in there.  Unfortunatley i believe the ramp will be to narrow if we go closer than what they want.     any suggestions help info or thread leads on installing railing will be greatly appriciated.  thanks guys i know you will be a big help.www.burdettenetworks.com
Reply:When you say a core bit are you talking about a bit like this used in a rotary hammer?Or a true core bit like this used in a drill press type unit with water?I would not have any issue drilling with the 2nd bit that close to the edge since you are in reality just cutting a round hole with a diamond saw. The 1st bit that fits in a rotary hammer might give you problems with the impact depending on the makeup of the crete.I've got one or two large bits of the 1st type that I use to drill for sump pump pipe. Usually for large holes for setting rails and such in finished concrete I just rent the core drill and either bill the bit to the job or rent one if required ( single 6" hole required for one install). I've had no issues drilling holes in decorative stamped concrete even close to an edge with the 2nd types of bits.
Reply:dsw thanks for the reply!    I have been ultra busy and just got time to get back to you.  The bit i have looks like the combination of the two.  it goes in a rotory hammer but has about as many teeth as the second picture has.  i need to drill 8 of these hole do you think i should just drop the dime and rent one of these other drills?     I DONT WANT TO LOOK LIKE A RETARD!!!  I NEED THINGS TO GO SMOOTH.www.burdettenetworks.com
Reply:I'd have to use yours to get an idea how well it runs in comparison to the other 2. It's also tough not seeing the concrete itself. I've had crete that defied cuts with our big 30" wet saw. The stuff was old and filled with small river jack as the main aggregate. I've also had stuff that was just a bit harder than plaster that you could punch hole in with a claw hammer.Part of the difficulty you will have is working on a slanted surface. Almost all of the units will probably want to walk abit. All the holes I have done have been on flat surfaces.I dug out my rental catalog. The place I have used rents the drill press type for $36 / 2 hrs, $12 each additional hour or $94 for the day. I forget what the core drill bits themselves run. They rate them based on how much diamond wear is.William Mc. talked a bit about the drill press unit he uses in JC's railing thread.It all depends on what you think you can get away with. I'd be tempted to give your unit a try personally and fall back on the drill press unit if required. If it absolutely positively CAN"T get F'd up, like when I deal with stamp work, I'd go with the drill press and make a plywood base to set it plumb if the frame wont tilt. I forget if the unit I've rented in the past tilts or not. There's a lot of variables like exactly what the drill pres is like, vac or bolt down, etc. Can you get away with getting started on your drill then running out to pick up the other unit if it doesn't seem to go as planned.All else fails there are of course companies that specialize in nothing but cutting and coring concrete. i doubt you need to go that far personally.Last edited by DSW; 07-25-2009 at 01:15 AM.
Reply:Originally Posted by kburdhey all so i have a handicap railing to install on a handicap ramp.  it is about 50 feet with 28 or so being level and then a 4* angle drop.  anyhow i can handle the build the install is new to me though and i dont want to be embarrased or suprised as this could make for some good long term customers.        the railing will be made out of 1 1/4 inch scd 40 pipe and codes require it to be core drilled in.  I have a 2 1/2 inch core bit.  so  i think that should be the right size for the pipe and then hydraulic cement.    they would like the railing to be set in no more than 3 inches on center from the edge.  this worrys me i have lots of experience with concrete and generally our rule of thumb is no less than three inches from edge of concrete to edge of whatever is in there.  Unfortunatley i believe the ramp will be to narrow if we go closer than what they want.     any suggestions help info or thread leads on installing railing will be greatly appriciated.  thanks guys i know you will be a big help.
Reply:Here is another exception I make. When the structure of the rail, supports itself. Like in an "L" shaped rail, over a short distance. And the stoop is made a bit small. I will for safety and getting out of the house in a fire, core a little closer to the edge.        Sincerely,             William McCormick
Reply:Thanks William, I was hoping you would post on this. I don't get the opportunity to do this as often as I would like.
Reply:One other thing is the front wheel on the wheel chair. They may be able to go under the pipe rail if you only have two and a quarter inches beyond the pipe rails. And go off the edge.  Here we have to put a lower pipe two inches off the ground for the wheel chairs. Sometimes someone will loose control of their chair. And the wheel chair will catch, a vertical baluster and flip the guy out of the chair. Ha-ha. So they want the pipe two inches off the ground all the way along. I guess they want the guy to get up to full speed when he hits the end of the ramp. Ha-ha. When we get a nice well thought out stoop to work on, we leave six inches. But today that happens less and less. There are supposed to be level plateaus for a fellow to stop and rest along a ramp. But with so little space. They do away with stuff like that unless they are town owned buildings. Here you can see a plateau that someone can stop and rest on.        Sincerely,             William McCormickLast edited by William McCormick Jr; 07-26-2009 at 12:02 PM.Reason: I left out the word "he" in he hits the ramp
Reply:thanks for the info guys i am going to install on saturday.  I am sweating it a little bit but i told them that  the holes were too close to the edge in my opinion and that there was high risk of that creating a seriously ugle mess.  they said oh well go ahead and see what happens so here we go.  laterwww.burdettenetworks.com
Reply:you could always sub the drilling to  a pro
Reply:Originally Posted by dieselbeefyou could always sub the drilling to  a pro