I am currently in process of doing something similar to what your asking. TimberTech Radiance Rail with IPE as a top rail. I'm trying to determine what would be the best way to connect the IPE to the rest of the railing, the only contact the top rail makes is the posts. I'm thinking of just screwing down the top rail into the 4x4 PT posts and plugging. What were you thinking of doing? P.S. I'm using a 5 3/8 IPE railcap and found that when you set the railcap over the radiance rail post slips, it doesn't completely cover them - you have approx 1/16-1/8 of the post slip edge showing (on either side). The overall width of rail cap is actually wider then the post slip, but the profile of the rail cap cuts in making the bottom side a little just a little too narrow to completely cover the rail. I can take a picture and show you if you don't already have the prdocut to test with.

Galvanized is zinc which is toxic. To make clean swages takes practice, and lots of time. I have mastered the swaging of ferrules and thimble eyes on cable ends because I have done it 1,000's of times. The measurements must be precise, which is extremely difficult for long pieces of non-rigid material. The ferrule has to be crimped in a certain order to tighten up to the thimble and then to elongate and cover up the sharp, frayed end of the wire rope. You must use 7x19 wire rope for bendability. You will find it nearly impossible to swage ferrules with thimbles in the field. The eyebolt must be connected first, then feed the cable through the posts, pull it as tight as possible, secure it in the tight position and swage the stop ferrule to the end. then figure out how to make it a clean edge. I pay the $1,500 for the prefabbed stainless cables with the clean tensioners, wire rope grabs and end caps. I have already mastered cable making so it is an easy decision. It takes me a few hours to run the cables on a standard deck. The post drilling and installation is the bulk of the labor. My buddy likes the look of my deck railing but had never even unspooled a roll of wire rope. He tried your idea. 4 years later he still has the rolls of cable in the garage and keeps asking me to borrow the tool to make the clean ends he sees on other cable assemblies I put together (on gates and such.) He doesn't understand the clean end is the result of 1,000's of times practicing. He thinks I have an automatic press that does it for you! So forget the zinc wire rope and making your own cable assemblies. You can already save $4,500 by buying the prefabbed ones and DIY.

Hi James, sorry missed your comment. Still good after almost 2 years. I didn't really "turn the corner". My cable runs are all separate (each run starts with a stop and ends with an eye bolt). My corners are 2 posts welded to a large bottom plate. I'll post a pic when i get a chance. If I did it again: supported top rail (wood is now wavy, but only noticeable when eyeing down the rail), lighter duty eye bolts, and I need a support tube at the top of my corner posts (as is, I only tensionned my cables to a few pounds, to get them tighter I need to add a tube between the posts).

In my old kitchen (pre-reno) I had glass doors which my son shattered with a ball. I took to doors off that wall and had it open. Loved it. When it came time to do a reno a few months ago, I installed two open shelves along the same wall. Thick wood that I had cut and reused from an old butcher block counter top. I wouldn't change a thing. They are actually the only upper cabinets that we have in the kitchen and I keep wine glasses and a few other things on the top shelf and the bottom one has coffee canisters, salt and pepper mills, a few regular used spices and olive oil. keeping it organized and clean is a breeze.