Hi Jen,

Welcome! I purchase all of my railing supplies at Rigging Products, Inc on Columbia Boulevard (Northeast Portland). They have all sorts of cable-rail supplies, though it helps to know what you are looking for. That said, I found them to be friendly and helpful, even though I didn't know exactly what I was looking for when I first went in.

One thing to note: Rigging Products carries the full like of Feeney Architectural deck railing hardware. This stuff if gorgeous, but also very expensive - you can pay as much as $15 for ONE temination (compared to around $5 for a standard swaged stud). If money is no object, the Feeney stuff is great. If your pocketbook has a bottom, then look at the standard "threaded stud" - it's cheap, and they can prep them for you in house.

Good luck with your new home!

Thanks, Jay. I really like the Feeney system (Full disclosure: Jay sent me a sample cable and it looks like a very easy DIY solution). Definitely worth a look if you want a no-hassle way of building a cable railing assembly.

Hey Teri,

Thanks!I think the cable rails are a great option, and you can definitely do them at an affordable price - especially if combined with wood-framing. Good luck and let me know if I can help in any other way. You might also look at the Feeney system - it's even easier than finding a rigging supply company.

Hi Kerri! The 1/8" Stainless Cable works well - it's flexible and sturdy. Commercial applications often call for the 3/16", but it's probably overkill for homeowners. Also, the ubiquity of the 1/8" size makes it affordable.

Hi Brian,

In my experience, the longer the run, and the greater the number of turns, the closer you need the posts to be. In my project, I found that any distance greater than 3' apart resulted in some degree of cable sag. You can offset this with smaller supports between the posts, but this adds some visual clutter.

Since I'm not an engineer*, I highly recommend doing some additional research on post placement and attachment systems. You might also refer to the Feeney website - they have a fantastic set of resources (albeit somewhat disorganized) that answer your question perfectly. Here's a link to the relevant page: http://www.cablerail.com/standard/framereqs_wood.shtml Let me know how it goes, and send over some photos when you're done. I'll post them on the site.

* Legal disclaimer: I'm REALLY NOT an engineer. The information on this site is intended for sharing of my experience. Before building anything that is designed to support life and limb, consult with folks who know what they're doing.

Hi Wade,

They're fairly common - do a search for "cabinet shelf pin jig." The one I use is made by Veritas. It's fantastic.

Hi Chris,

I tend to agree with your outfitter; those guys have way more experience than me, and I trust their years or work over my weekend efforts.

I will also say that while I did my deck with one cable, it's definitely a stretch (pardon the pun). The cables definitely flex, and would likely fail the 4" ball test used by most inspectors (shhhh, don't tell the city). My run also had several bends, and was less than 42'. So, do yourself a favor: spend a little more money, work with your guy, and get it right. You'll thank yourself for it later.

Good luck!

Thanks, Mike. If your clients need an economical alternative, this is a great way to go. My only recommendation is to make sure you don't try to have the cables make too many turns.