Posted by Matt Wilson [108.162.221.137] on Thursday, February 22, 2018 at 13:08:47 :
In Reply to: maybe i should just bend it up posted by clueless [162.158.122.99] on Wednesday, February 21, 2018 at 12:50:51 :
If you decide to add clearance, bending the rail up would be my preference over notching. I always like to avoid removing metal from structural members, although 1/4" out of 2-1/2" probably isn't of much significance. If you do decide to cut away material, be sure to leave a generous fillet radius at the inside corner of the notch, at least a 1/4" radius, I would say. Ideally, your notch would be just one long, smooth curve all the way to the point where it meets up with the fore-aft part of the cut. Hopefully what I'm trying to describe makes sense. You don't want a sharp corner there, as it can be a place where a crack can start. Although it's unlikely to crack under the usage I anticipate it will see, it's still good practice to have smooth, gentle curves and radii instead of sharp corners, for structural strength purposes.
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