Wooden hand rail and support

Abstract

A hand rail assembly having a wood hand rail is supported on a plurality of brackets that can be premounted onto a wall. The brackets include a rail bolt threadable relative to the mounted portion of the bracket. The rail bolt has a T-shaped head that fits into a groove opening on the rail that opens to recessed groove portions. The heads of the rail bolts are arranged so that they are parallel to the groove opening, and then when the rail has been placed with the heads inside the groove opening, the rail bolts are rotated so the head fits into a recessed portions of the groove to hold the rail on the rail bolt. A nut is then used for clamping the head in position on the rail for mounting the rail securely. The rail bolt has flat spots so that a tool can be used to manipulate the rail bolt.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A hand rail assembly comprising a support bracket, and a hand rail mounted on the support bracket, the support bracket including a bracket bolt, said bracket bolt having a head piece and when secured positioning the head piece relative to a wall on which the rail is to be installed, a rail bolt threadably mounted in the head piece, said rail bolt having a head with an eccentric portion head being positionable in a slot in the hand rail in one position and being rotatable to a second position to move the eccentric portion of the head into a recessed portion of the slot to hold the head within the slot, and a retainer for clamping the eccentric portions of the head in the slot with the rail bolt in the second position.  
     
     
         2 . The hand rail assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said head piece of said bracket bolt is supported in a hub, said hub spacing the head piece outwardly from a surface of a wall on which the bracket bolt is installed.  
     
     
         3 . The hand rail assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said rail bolt has flat spots on a portion thereof accessible when the rail bolt is installed in the head piece for coupling a tool providing a driving force on the rail bolt.  
     
     
         4 . The hand rail assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said retainer comprises a nut threadably mounted on the rail bolt and threadable toward a hand rail in which the head is positioned.  
     
     
         5 . The hand rail assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said slot in said hand rail is a rabbet slot having an access opening and a recessed groove accessible from the access opening, the eccentric head of the rail bolt fitting into the access opening and thereafter the rail bolt being rotatable to its second position with a portion of the head in the recessed portion of the rabbet slot of the hand rail.  
     
     
         6 . A bracket assembly for mounting a hand rail having a rabbet groove with an access slot on one surface of the hand rail, said bracket comprising a bracket bolt, said bracket bolt supporting a head piece relative to a wall on which the bracket bolt is mounted, the head piece having an internal threaded bore, a rail bolt having a head with an eccentric head portion mounted on an outer end of the bracket bolt and threadable into the head piece.  
     
     
         7 . The bracket assembly of  claim 6  wherein said rail bolt carries a nut and a flange member facing the head.  
     
     
         8 . The bracket of  claim 6  wherein said eccentric head is a T-shaped head relative to a central axis of the rail bolt.  
     
     
         9 . The bracket of  claim 6  wherein said rail bolt has flat spots that are substantially parallel on opposite sides of the rail bolt of size to receive a tool for providing a rotating torque on the rail bolt.  
     
     
         10 . The bracket of  claim 6  including a hub for supporting the head piece of the bracket bolt spaced from a wall on which the bracket bolt is installed.  
     
     
         11 . A hand rail bracket kit comprising a bracket bolt securable to a wall, a hub having a bore through which the bracket bolt extends, said bracket bolt having a head piece supportable in the hub, said head piece having a threadable interior bore concentric with the bracket bolt, a rail bolt threadable into the head piece, said rail bolt having a T-shaped head with head end portions extending in opposite directions from a central axis of the rail bolt, and the rail bolt having flat spots thereon for receiving a tool for providing a torque on the rail bolt for tightening it into the head piece and for holding the rail bolt from rotation when desired.  
     
     
         12 . The kit of  claim 11  including a nut and a flange washer mountable on the rail bolt the nut being threadable toward the washer and the T-shaped head.  
     
     
         13 . The bracket of  claim 12  including a retainer nut for the bracket bolt for securing the bracket bolt to a wall.  
     
     
         14 . A method of installing a railing to a wall comprising a bracket assembly and a hand rail, said hand rail being made of wood, and having a longitudinally extending rabbet groove therein, said rabbet groove having recessed portions that are on at least one side of an opening groove open to a surface of the rail, and a bracket that mounts to a wall, including mounting a plurality of brackets on the wall along a desired line for supporting the rail; placing a rail bolt with an eccentric head of the rail bolt generally parallel to the opening groove of the hand rail on each of a plurality of brackets mounting the rail on rail bolts on the plurality of brackets, rotating each rail bolt such that an eccentric portion of the eccentric head is in a recessed portion of the rabbet groove of the hand rail, and clamping the eccentric portion of the head to surfaces of the recessed portion of the rabbet groove.