Stack of curved laminated oak handrail sections strapped together after bending

Project Gallery / Bent Oak Handrails

Bent Oak Handrails

Curved oak handrails for turning stairs, built by our crew: glued and clamped on a form, shaped and sanded, then mounted on the stair wall.

From the Form to the Stair

A curved stair needs a rail that follows it. For this project we built the handrails from thin oak strips. The strips were glued and clamped around a plywood form cut to the radius of the stair, and left to cure. Then we shaped each curved section and sanded it smooth.

The finished sections were fitted on the stair and mounted on black round wall brackets, with a return at the end of the rail. The rails follow the stair through its turns and curves. The photos show the oak raw and sanded, before it was stained.

Read more about how we build these rails, and what to plan before you order one, on our curved and bent handrails page.

Project at a glance

Type: Curved, wall-mounted handrails
Material: Oak
Method: Thin strips glued and clamped on a form, then shaped and sanded
Services used: Custom carpentry, curved handrails

The Glue-Up

Each curve starts on a form. The oak strips are glued, clamped and left to cure before the rail comes off.

Curved oak handrail strips glued and clamped around a plywood form with orange bar clamps — Thin oak strips are glued and clamped around a form until the glue cures.

Dozens of clamps pressing glued oak strips into a curve on a plywood form — Clamps every few inches keep the curve tight while the glue sets.

Row of black bar clamps along a curved oak handrail being glued on a plywood form — A long curve needs even pressure along its whole length.

Bent oak handrail glue-up with black and orange bar clamps on a plywood form — The form is cut to the exact radius of the stair.

Quarter-turn curved oak handrail strips glued together on a plywood form — A tight quarter-turn built from layers of oak.

Shaped and Sanded

Once the glue has cured, the rough curve becomes a handrail. We shape the profile and sand it smooth.

Smooth sanded curved oak handrail lying on a workbench after shaping — After the glue cures, the rail is shaped and sanded smooth.

Close-up of several curved oak handrail sections stacked on a workbench with orange straps — Each curve is built to match the stair, then checked against the others.

Installed on the Stair

The sections are fitted, mounted on black round brackets and finished with a return at the end. The oak is raw and sanded in these photos.

Bent oak handrail following a turn on a stair with black wall brackets — One continuous rail through the turn of the stair.

Oak handrail on black brackets curving along a stair wall — The rail follows the wall as it curves down the stair.

Curved oak handrail at the turn of a stair landing next to a white guard wall — The curve is shaped to match the stair, so it feels natural in the hand.

Wall-mounted oak handrail with a return end and black brackets on a stair — The finished rail is mounted on black brackets, with a clean return at the end.

Have a Curved Stair?

Tell us about your stair. We come to your home, take the measurements and give you a fixed written quote for a custom oak handrail. Call us at (773) 968-3606 or send the form at the top of this page. We are available Monday through Friday 7 AM to 7 PM, Saturday 9 AM to 5 PM, and Sunday 9 AM to 3 PM.

Serving Chicago and the suburbs · Licensed & Insured

Free on-site estimate

We come to your home. No charge, no obligation.