Trim Excess Cable and Tighten Nuts

What happens in this clip

After crimping the cable ends, any excess cable extending beyond the fittings needs to be trimmed. The presenter uses a cable cutter to snip the excess cable, leaving about a quarter-inch from the end of the fitting for a clean appearance. He then proceeds to secure the fittings by placing a washer and hex nut onto the threaded portion of the bolt on the back side of the deck post. He hand-tightens the nuts, noting that he leaves about a quarter to half an inch of threads for future tension adjustments. He recommends using vice grips to hold the bolt in place from the front side while tightening the nut on the back, preventing the bolt from spinning.

Goal: Finish securing the cables by trimming excess and tightening the nuts

What's used

Tools

• Cable Cutter
• Flat Washers (3/8-inch) Grip-Rite
• Hex Nuts (3/8-inch-16) Grip-Rite
• Vice Grips
• Wrench

About the full video

This project details how to construct an affordable and aesthetically pleasing cable railing system for a deck, significantly reducing costs compared to pre-made kits. It involves modifying standard stainless steel carriage bolts to create custom fittings for securing the cable railing, using common workshop tools and a specially adapted bolt cutter for crimping.

Step 10 of 11: Trim Excess Cable

Once all cables are tensioned to the desired tightness, use cable cutters to trim any excess cable that extends beyond the tensioning hardware. Cut as close as possible to the fitting for a neat appearance. Be careful not to scratch or damage the posts or other hardware while trimming.

Open this step in the guide

Other videos for this step

• Cut Cable Overhang
• Trim Excess Cable