How to twist a profile pipe for a baluster

With a limited budget, balusters for balcony partitions and stair railings are usually made from profile pipes without the use of decorative forged elements. The result is a practical, but not the most beautiful design. To embellish it, you can modify the baluster from a profile pipe by twisting it. This will allow you to beautifully decorate your balcony or staircase without additional costs.

Required tools:

grinder 125 mm or 114 mm;
metal cutting disc;
petal circle;
tape measure and square;
marker;
welding machine;
vice;
hammer and chisel;
pipe wrench.

Twisting of a profile pipe

A piece corresponding to the length of the future baluster is cut from the profile pipe.

When twisted, it will not become shorter, perhaps by a few millimeters, so the length reserve can be neglected. The center is marked on the segment. From it, marks are made in two directions at a distance of 45 mm, which is optimal for the 40x40 mm pipe from the example. This distance is not universal; the thicker the pipe, the greater the distance required. Using the marks you need to draw transverse lines around the pipe circumference.

Next, the marker draws one diagonal for each side of the pipe. They should all have the same direction.

Using a grinder, preferably with an already sharpened cutting wheel, you need to cut the ribs of the pipe between the drawn transverse lines. It is most convenient to first make a through cut in the rib wall in the center, and only then expand it, in this case the cut will not go beyond the drawn border.

Next, a superficial incision is made along transverse and diagonal lines. You need to make a groove half the thickness of the pipe wall. If its cross-section is more than 2 mm, then it can be cut deeper.

Using a chisel and hammer, tap out the diagonal notches, slightly deforming the pipe walls inward. It is necessary to bend the metal evenly, so it is better to sharpen the chisel before doing this.

To bend, one end of the pipe is fixed in a vice, and the other is clamped with a pipe wrench or adjustable wrench. After this, you need to turn it 90 degrees. If it doesn’t work, you should deepen the cuts and try again.

You will need to straighten the finished twist with a hammer, pressing the loose seams on the cut ribs. Then they are welded and polished with a flap wheel.

In this way, you can twist a baluster from a profile pipe in several places, thereby increasing its decorative value. Of course, this method takes time, but with its help you can get a beautiful decor do it yourself without expensive equipment. This twist will look good not only on balconies and partitions, but also on gates, wickets, and fences.