Machines for making sash windows...advice please

[mark parry]

Hi all...new to forum so hello. I want to start making sash windows and I am looking to set myself up a small workshop. I will be working from an average sized garage and basically I will be making nothing larger than sash boxes, sashes and sills so I dont really need to get into really heftfy machines. I will be working from 12x3 or similar unsorted and I will be cutting, planing, running off the moulding and morticing. Can anyone suggest a set of machines which wont break the bank and wont take up too much space. Also, I dont think I want to get into buying a spindle moulder so I was looking for a planer-thicknesser that has an adjustable blade inorder to cut the angle/fall on the front of external sills. Many thanks!

 

[FatFreddysCat]

I doubt you'll get a planer/thicknesser to do that, but it should be possible to make an angled bed to go on the thicknesser portion of the machine to achieve the same result. It's worth bearing in mind that big merchants like Travis Perkins, Jewsons and Magnet sell pre-machined sill, parting bead and other profile in lengths. What I do think you'll need is a chisel mortiser with a 2-axis moving bed to chop mortices. That's where accuracy is paramount. And after all, who wants to waste their life chopping out hundreds of near identical mortises? If you're not going for a spindle then you'll need some way to profile beads, cut drip grooves, etc as well as cut tenons, so a good heavy-duty 1/2in router is a must with some decent cutters. It probably doesn't need variable speed because it's unlikely you'll need to use large diameter cutters. I reckon you also need a basic heavy duty chop saw mounted on a home-made long support table to speed up cutting to length

One thing about materials. Trying up stock can be very time consuming, so it's probably worth considering buying in your FAS, etc pre-sized and then planing/sawing down as and when you need to.

Are you intending to install these windows as well? It's just that you'll need to be aware of all the Fensa regs and building control and the like (who don't allow single-glazed replacement windows these days)

 

[jasonB]

12x3 unsorted is not that common a size and you will be paying a premium for it. Best to stick with 9x2 and 6x3 for the cills.

You will need a table saw or bandsaw to cut the above down to size and then a decent planer thicknesser to prepare it.

Think again about a spindle you will not be able to compete with specialist sash companies trying to run out the mouldings with a router, its just too slow. Also you can use the spindle to cut & Scribe tennons. You cant cut the sloping cill on a planer as it should be stepped to stop water blowing back under the bottom sash.

A morticer is also a must have as well as a mitre saw or radial arm for all the cutting to length.

You will also be generating a lot of chips from teh planer and moulding (router or spindle) so a good chip extractor is a must.

Also somewhere to spray prime as again priming by hand wont be competitive.

Jason

 

[ProShop]

I agree with all the comments made so far. How are you planning on forming the mouldings and the matching scribes without a spindle moulder ?.

 

[JFC]

Preparing your own timber for a small scale workshop is a waste of time in my opinion . Buy it in PAR and get a spindle moulder , band saw and mortice machine . Chop saw with a depth stop is what i use to cut the tenon shoulders .
Extractor is a must with a spindle as the chippings will start to effect your cut . The money is earnt by making your own mouldings not prepping the timber if you are small scale like i am .
The results are rewarding .