How To Install Cable into Wood Posts with Drivetite

DriveTite has all our cable railing kits for wood posts & our components. This means that if you have sufficient blocking with existing structures, all you need is our components and cable. If you’re installing cable on a level run, check out how to install cable railing kits into angled wood posts if you have any questions.

We provide most of the materials needed for this installation. You will need to bring:

• An Impact Driver
• A Power Drill
• Painter’s Tape
• A Sharpie
• A Tape Measure
• A Speed Square

Step 1: Mark Your Cable Runs

Identify all the sides of the posts you will be running the cable. Using painters tape, tape a strip vertically in the center of your post top to bottom. This allows you to mark your drill points on a surface other than the post material, and will also help keep dust to a minimum.

Next, using a tape measure or our DriveTite tool, measure your cable runs 3 ⅛” apart on center. The holes in the tool are spaced out 3 ⅛” apart, so use those as a reference point. Mark all the drill holes on your posts. Once complete, use a 3/16” drill bit and drill 2” into each mark. It may help to measure 2” on your drill bit to maintain consistency of depth when drilling. Remove the tape.

Step 2: Attach Your Receiver

Take your Receiver Screw, Lock Washer, and Receiver and fasten them into each pre-drilled hole. Your Lock Washer will sit against the post, the Receiver will sit against the Lock Washer, and the Receiver Screw will fit into the Receiver holding it firmly against the post.

Step 3: Measure and Cut Your Cable

Measure the distance between your two end wood posts on the run. The end posts will be the posts that you are running your tensioning DriveTite to.

Tip: Measure the distance top, middle, and bottom of the posts to make you sure the posts are level. If they are not level, your measurements may be different for each run

Once you have your measurement, subtract 2 ⅞”. This will be your cable length. Take your cable and using a Sharpie, mark that measurement on the cable. Use the cable cutters to trim the cable.

Tip: On very long runs, it may be beneficial to mount one end of your cable first, run the cable all the way through to the other end, and mark 2 ⅞” off that span. This can help keep the cable straight and not bend/curve when taking the measurement.

Step 4: Attach the Cable

Now that you have the cable measurement, it’s time for the components. First, make sure your cover is on your cable (facing the right way) before crimping. Once you crimp, you won’t be able to get the cover on.

Put the cable into the Threaded Crimp fitting, making sure it is fully seated inside the body. Using our crimper, crimp twice. Avoid crimping too near the “ears” so they do not flare out. If you can see the “10” marking on the crimp fitting, the crimp is strong enough to fasten.

Next, attach the Threaded Crimp Fitting into the Turnbuckle, and use the Wrench to tighten the Turnbuckle into the Receiver. Once that is tighten, thread the Cover on the the remaining threads of the Turnbuckle.

Now the cable is tight and all you need is to repeat these steps on each end of your runs.

That’s all you need to do to install DriveTite Cable Railing on Level Tension Runs! You can keep ;up to date with all of our installation instructions by subscribing to our channel at youtube.com/viewrail or by visiting our website at viewrail.com.