I have a couple of windows that needed to be either repaired or replacing. When a window gets into this state I would normally just make a new casement window, it’s almost as quick to do.
Initial inspection and a bit of prodding confirmed that they have rotted from where the bottom rail meets up to the style, typical! Wooden windows seem to always go at this point.
Although it might not look too bad, and it could be tempting to just botch it up with filler I knew that once I started to open up the area the wet rot would have extended inside and along the tenon. It was also clear that the rot was in both the rail and the style.....darn! Usually it’s just one that’s affected if I’d caught it early enough!,
First things first, remove all the rotted wood until I reach good solid wood again. I used a router to cut down quickly and cleanly. A carbide cutter in the router also has no issues with the inevitable pins through the tenon. Typically they are star pins, rather than what look like staples used in these windows.
Both ends of the bottom rail had rotted, and the best solution would have been to replace the whole rail. However, I don’t have a scribe cutter that would exactly match the profile of the internal moulding. I didht want to start modifying profiles like Jacob does, so plan B was needed. I could just let in new pieces at either end of the rail, or splice a new length from end to end the later is the option I decided to go with
The entire bottom face of the rail was taken off down to the tenon. Fortunately the tenon was still good and sound. Next I needed to finish off the Styles. These would be cut back to give a good glue area and have a compound or double mitre cut. The first directs any water that might penetrate the edge to the outside of the window, the second is a cut back to pull any water out of the joint. Here is what I mean
New pieces were cut out of parts I had left over from other sashes I’d replaced. It was all glued up using PU. The glue is good in high moisture and I wasn’t certain how dry the remaining timber would be. Ordinarily I use Cascamite for external joinery, but it’s badly affected by high moisture content in wood.
After it had dried, a quick plane to get all surfaces flat and true. It’s almost as good as new. I still have the edge profile to plane back in and chop out for the hinge pocket, but otherwise ready for paint.
Initial inspection and a bit of prodding confirmed that they have rotted from where the bottom rail meets up to the style, typical! Wooden windows seem to always go at this point.
Although it might not look too bad, and it could be tempting to just botch it up with filler I knew that once I started to open up the area the wet rot would have extended inside and along the tenon. It was also clear that the rot was in both the rail and the style.....darn! Usually it’s just one that’s affected if I’d caught it early enough!,
First things first, remove all the rotted wood until I reach good solid wood again. I used a router to cut down quickly and cleanly. A carbide cutter in the router also has no issues with the inevitable pins through the tenon. Typically they are star pins, rather than what look like staples used in these windows.
Both ends of the bottom rail had rotted, and the best solution would have been to replace the whole rail. However, I don’t have a scribe cutter that would exactly match the profile of the internal moulding. I didht want to start modifying profiles like Jacob does, so plan B was needed. I could just let in new pieces at either end of the rail, or splice a new length from end to end the later is the option I decided to go with
The entire bottom face of the rail was taken off down to the tenon. Fortunately the tenon was still good and sound. Next I needed to finish off the Styles. These would be cut back to give a good glue area and have a compound or double mitre cut. The first directs any water that might penetrate the edge to the outside of the window, the second is a cut back to pull any water out of the joint. Here is what I mean
New pieces were cut out of parts I had left over from other sashes I’d replaced. It was all glued up using PU. The glue is good in high moisture and I wasn’t certain how dry the remaining timber would be. Ordinarily I use Cascamite for external joinery, but it’s badly affected by high moisture content in wood.
After it had dried, a quick plane to get all surfaces flat and true. It’s almost as good as new. I still have the edge profile to plane back in and chop out for the hinge pocket, but otherwise ready for paint.
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