cable railing holes and structural integrity

[kalimero69]

Hi all,

I am thinking to add a cable railing to our deck. However, I have a question regarding the structural integrity of the finished project.

In addition to passing the cables through 6x4 cedar corner posts (and 2x4 cedar posts as intermediates for maintaining cable spacing) I am are also planning to pass them through the 3 6x6 cedar column posts, spaced approximately 12 ft apart, that are supporting our deck roof.

Will the 10 vertical 1/4" holes in each of these columns are approximately 3" apart affect the weight-bearing columns holding up the deck covering?

Thanks in advance for your comment.

 

[CANPRO]

you might induce some splitting along the length of the post with that many holes closely spaced. You might want to get a local structural engineer involved in this project.

 

[manstrom]

I wouldn't worry about the holes. It's a pretty minor reduction on post capacity for a 6x6.

The tricky thing about those deck cables is that they are easy to climb and pets / babies can get tangled up in them. I love the look of them though.

When I am working on a problem, I never think about beauty but when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong.

-R. Buckminster Fuller