Building windows

[John Smith]

Back in September 2008 I asked for advice regarding the best method/timber for building windows. Since then due to work commitments and other jobs in the workshop the window project was put on hold.

Now the windows are back at the top of the jobs to do list so Im going to try my first WIP thread.

I have 18 windows to build, some box sash and some casement types and will be doing them in batches, starting with eight box sash's.

I will be using Iroko for the cills and sapele for the boxes and sashes. They will be double glazed with a slim DG units probably from Histoglass.

Here are a couple of pictures of the first batch of timber delivered to the machine room in the workshop

Tomorrow i will start to dimension the timber, more pictures to follow

John

 

[joiner_sim]

You're using Iroko for the cills? I would have thought that sapele would be better.

 

[TEO]

Hey John,
looking forward to your WIP, I've thought about making windows, got offered a big job a little while ago but then decided that discretion was the better part of V and passed the work on. So, very interested to see how it goes.
Thanks,
T

 

[Jake]

You're using Iroko for the cills? I would have thought that sapele would be better.

Iroko is way more durable, so presumably that's why.

 

[John Smith]

Hello Joiner-Sim

I think Iroko is more durable than Sapele. As the Cill is more susceptible to rot (although the windows will be maintained properly as they are my own) I thought this was the best way to go. Is this a mistake?

Hello Teo,

Watch this space, I will post pictures regularly, mistakes included.

 

[oddsocks]

John, perfect timing as I am thinking of making my own as well,s o will watch with interest on this. Rather than hijack your WIP I'll start a new one to ask my questions (of which there are many!)

Please share the designs and thoughts behind them.

Dave

 

[OPJ]

I agree with Jake; iroko is more durable than sapele and, therefore, a better option for the cills. I would be interested to know why you are also using sapele though, instead of just the one species...? Is it because of price? Availability? Grain?

I can't see anything wrong with that approach. If anything, sapele is a bit easier to work and the dust is, of course, less hazardous.

 

[John Smith]

Hello Olly

I am using Sapele for some of the reasons you mention, it machines better than Iroko and I want to keep Iroko dust to a mimimum, having alread a couple of years ago suffered its effects. I was ill for a week through neglecting to take proper precautions!

John

 

[John Smith]

Today I cut the long lenghts of timber down to required lengths and started machining. There are piles of timber all over the workshop now. I have included some pictures of my workshop as I have lurked on here for a while but never posted pictures before this thread.

The machine room (bottom floor)

The bench room (top floor)

You can see some of the Sapele on the floor.

The Planer/thicknesser is on a mobile base and I set the machines up like this to work

That way I can do the initial ripping of wide boards on the Band Saw before planing/thicknessing and then the final ripping to width on the Table Saw with the PT pushed clear

The next pictures shows one of four Cills I machined when I first decided to build my own windows. The timber is Iroko.

Lots more machining tomorrow

John

 

[Chris Knight]

What a crappy little shop - I'm amazed you have the cojones to show it to us! :shock:

I'm prepared to do a sweet deal on a swap however...

 

[chippy1970]

Nice workshop but whoever made and hung your stable door didn't know what they were doing :wink:

The cross braces are the wrong way round :lol:

Sorry I just had to find fault somewhere in that immaculate workshop

 

[John Smith]

Nice workshop but whoever made and hung your stable door didn't know what they were doing :wink:

The cross braces are the wrong way round :lol:

Sorry I just had to find fault somewhere in that immaculate workshop

Yep, the door is another job on a long list of things to do :?

 

[billybuntus]

Nice workshop but whoever made and hung your stable door didn't know what they were doing :wink:

The cross braces are the wrong way round :lol:

Sorry I just had to find fault somewhere in that immaculate workshop

How are they the wrong way round?

It doesn't 'look' right to me for some reason but I don't know why.

 

[Anonymous]

How are they the wrong way round?

It doesn't 'look' right to me for some reason but I don't know why.

I think they should be going from bottom left to top right.

Always good to pick fault in fantastic workshops.

Dave

 

[chippy1970]

Nice workshop but whoever made and hung your stable door didn't know what they were doing :wink:

The cross braces are the wrong way round :lol:

Sorry I just had to find fault somewhere in that immaculate workshop

How are they the wrong way round?

It doesn't 'look' right to me for some reason but I don't know why.

They should always go up and away from the hinges ie hinges are on the left then they should go from bottom left to top right.

 

[mtt.tr]

The sill looks brilliant.

and your machine shops is just as nice

 

[Steve Maskery]

I didn't like to say, but....

The braces are, indeed, the wrong way round. The idea of a brace is that it stops the door from sagging. It props it up. That means it has to go up from the supported (hinge) side to the unsupported (lock) side. Yours, I'm afraid to say, does the opposite, so the braces are doing nothing at all.

Fantastic shop in every other respect, though!
S

 

[John Smith]

Thanks for the comments and please feel free to highlight anything.
The door is not one of mine and will be changed in time.

 

[Loz_S]

I can't see a moulder in your spotless workshop. Would you mind explaining how you managed to do such a good job machining your cill? It certaily doesn't look like it has been done by hand! Did you make some sort of angled jig for your router to run on or is it multiple parts?

 

[John Smith]

Hello Loz-S

The cills are single piece. I used a combination of router and table saw (with a jig) to rough them out and then hand planed to a finish. I have more to make for the rest of the windows and will post pictures of the process over the next couple of weeks.

John