Gooseneck - Wood Stair Handrailing Construction

The gooseneck is the part of the stair handrailing, that makes the transition from the railing that runs parallel to the stair stringers, to another vertical handrail component or part. Goosenecks are often used for changing directions on a stairway handrail at a landing or floor.

Some of the gooseneck I've seen, while working on homes have been over 14 inches long. It's not uncommon to find a set of winder stairs with a long gooseneck, needed to make the transition between the small steps steps, in order to meet local building codes.

Most building codes require a stair handrail to be between 34 and 38 inches off of the front of the stair tread. This transition is difficult to make, on a winder stairway, where the stair rise increases dramatically in a short distance.

Goosenecks come in a variety of shapes and sizes and can usually be ordered to match the handrailing that you're planning on using. Whatever you do, don't purchase a gooseneck that doesn't match your handrail.

This happened to me one time and it wasn't pleasant, to make a long story short, the stair supply warehouse was an hour and a half away from my job site. The gooseneck was the only part I purchased that didn't match the handrail.

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