The quarterdeck railings, also called the “roughtree rail” is fitted and bolted to the swivel gun mounts and runs the length of the quarterdeck. The fore end curls down in a decorative swerve and mounts to the main rail and ends in mid air at the aft just short of the transom.
The rail itself is pretty basic and cut from a 3mm strip of walnut. The trick is getting the decorative end to look smooth and still match the rest of the railing.
The stanchions that hold the rail near the waist are made from a 1mm brass rod turned and shaved down to create a thin post with a thicker base. The cradle for the top is a 1mm brass strip cut & soldered on.
The ‘curvy’ end of the railing is drawn out and cut from a 10mm x 10mm walnut chunk on scroll saw. Lots of shaping and sanding to get the curvature first, then the chunk is cut down the middle with the table saw. I did it this way so I had a better chance of getting the two railing ends to look identical.
The end of the railing and decorative ends are both notched to create a strong joint that is also (hopefully) minimally noticeable. A little more shaping took place after it’s all lined up so that the railing and the end match up in both thickness and width, then the whole thing is mounted and given a coat of tung oil.
The Lehman Shipyard 