Bit of a generalised building type question but I thought it better to ask here without risking the type of litigation type responses sometimes recieved in other places. Basically I'm trying to fit a small banister safety type barrier in the loft storage area.

This bannister type barrier is work in progress but it will be strong (rest assured, over engineered and all that jazz ). But I'm thinking it would just restrict me taking the wifes suitcases - don't ask, why she needs so many I don't know WTH - up into the floor strengthened loft area.

So once this barrier piece is aligned and made (think of the hole in the floor at the top of the loft hatch stairs). Rather than screw it straight into the joists, thus causing me grief each time I remove and reattach, I wondered whether I could use some sort of machine screws so as not to be disturbing the lovely grained wood.

Thankfully as I contemplated the subjected, this pooped up in front of my eyes. Surely they are not that strong as a fixing? Second question is that is it more appropriate to chemically fix in place with epoxy or similar appropriate other!

Perplexed and when the wife gets back I'll be in trouble for not having made progress (and worked on my normal wooden box work).

For some reason pics from Imgur not loading!

redefined_cycles wrote: ↑Tue Jun 17, 2025 5:47 pmwhy she needs so many I don't know WTH

Have you not shared with her the joys of TLS?

Bearlegged wrote: ↑Tue Jun 17, 2025 7:13 pm

redefined_cycles wrote: ↑Tue Jun 17, 2025 5:47 pmwhy she needs so many I don't know WTH

Have you not shared with her the joys of TLS?

Yeah. Dunno where to start. I take lessons from my mum (obviously our tools and bike stuff, we don't need ) and every so often I try to have a 'cull'. Sometimes some of hers or the kids stuff ends up culled. Totally unintentional

Start of our marriage, she'd not let me put up shelves. But, equally I needed to ensure the house was tidy. Talk about dilemmas . Anyway, floor joists been strengthened according to building/structural engineer standards. So she can out as much 'sh**e up there as the heart desires.

Did think about something on hinges but then I'll be forever needing to open, top up, close. So this 'fixed' barrier is much more cycling-time (and wooden box making) friendly.

I think you would be fine.

I've come across t-nuts used in guitar speaker cabinets before - 4 of them for each speaker in the cab. That's holding a weight of ~5kg (per speaker) that vibrates like hell and is in a box that gets moved around a lot.