This was quite the project; building handrails designed to fit atop glass panels. For the curious, the photo at the bottom of this page shows how one of the railing sections was made.

This wonderful home sits right on the water with a 60' boat dock out back. The railing is made from Wenge (pronounced WEN-gay) from Africa. It is so dark brown it's almost black. This railing is its natural color.

How the Railings Were Made:

There is actually a section of railing buried in a sea of clamps.

It takes a clamp or two to bend railings like you see above. First I make a pattern of the curve. Then I build a jig (the plywood and the 2X4 uprights). Then I cut the wood into thin strips, spread glue between each layer, bend, clamp in place, all in one operation. When the glue cures, I plane and sand the excess glue, round all the sharp corners, cut a slot for the glass and then the section of railing is ready for installation. On the site, I cut the ends to fit other railing pieces, bolt the railing sections together, and sand some more. Once the railing is in place, I apply a tung oil finish wet sanding to smoothe the railing even more ...
and that's all there is to it.