Decks, Patios, Porches and Docks - Deck railing angle

We are putting up a decke, but because of some ground features, on one corner the corner will be greater than 90 degrees. How do we figure out at what angle to cut the top railings?

Essentially the corner is like this:

....______
.../
...|


So as you can see we have three boards to cut. There is now way to make this a 90 degree corner without some major changes.

Any help would be appreciated.

How about making the cuts at 45 degrees at both corners?


More than a Carpenter
http://www.carpenter.cjb.net

I'm sorry, I guess I don't understand. If I make each corner 45 degrees I end up with a 90 degree angle and that will not work

A...___________
B../
C..|
...|

If I cut boards A and B for 45 degrees doesn't that make the angle of AB 90?
The same goes for B and C. They would also be 90 degrees.

I think I would end up with this:

A.......___________
B.......|
C......==
D......|

I'm finding it very hard to understand the cryptic drawings, but I'll take a stab at it.

You ask how to figure out what angle to cut the top railings. Isn't the answer simply to measure the angle of the corner? This can be done with a 50 cent plastic protractor. Normally then you'd divide this angle in two and cut each side by this angle.

E.g., if the angle is 100 degrees, cut each railing board at 50 degrees.

If you have a saw that makes precise angle cuts easy (e.g., a power miter saw or a radial arm saw), you can sneak up on the angle and test fit it until it's right.

If you want, there are various other tools you'll find in the home improvement center which allow you to measure angles.

I can't help but think I've completely misunderstood your question.

Sorry about the crude "drawings" I wasn't sure how else to make my point. John, obviously what you said makes perfect sense. I just hadn't thought of it. Our neighbor has a power miter saw he is letting us use so it should work. Thanks.