Phil Ball, Sales Director of metal railings and gate manufacturer, Alpha Rail provides a useful insight as to when to facet and when to rake metal railings when installing them on a landscaping project.
One of the many considerations that Alpha Rail surveyors have to take in to account when they are on site measuring a metal railings installation project is when to facet and when to radius metal railings.
Let’s first explain what is meant by each term:
FACETING
The best way to describe faceting is to look at a fifty pence coin and imagine railings that have been installed at an angle to each other.
RADIUSING
Now imagine a ten pence coin, where the curves are circular, with no angles.
The factors which normally determine the choice of when to facet and when to radius metal railings is usually related to cost and the nature of the radius that needs to be curved.
A good rule of thumb, is that if a curvature is less than 15m, radiusing is the best aesthetically pleasing option.
However consideration also has to be given to the cost of replacement panels should they get damaged as the initial installation will have been made bespoke to the project. Should they need replacing, they will need to be individually manufactured. Therefore, if you prefer this option, it is wise to obtain an estimate for a likely future cost of individual railing panels should the need replacement in the future.
If a curvature is over 15m, normally the best option is to facet as there is sufficient length of railings to make the metal railings still look nicely curved.
However, as you can see from the pictures we have selected to illustrate faceted and radiused railings, when choosing when to facet and when to radius metal railings, we have the skills to manufacture and fabricate any design.
When to facet and when to radius metal railings is mainly down to a matter of budget and the aesthetic effect that is required for the finished project. Alpha Rail’s bespoke manufacturing expertise allows us to fabricate metalwork to an exact specification and size, so you really can have whatever you want!
If you would like further help or advice, please call our technical sales team on 01623 750214 or visit our website. www.alpharail.co.uk
