Building your own windows?

[Rob_O]

So I managed to pick up a free barn, it's on my friends property and it's blocking the view from the cabin. Not all the lumber is in great shape but it should be more than enough for what I want to do

Not much liking the prices, or looks of "store bought" windows so I want to build my own. I've found a source for cheap panels of double-pane glass, and awning windows seem to be simple enough to build with limited tools. Anyone have experience or information on this?

[MartyM]

I guess my tastes are a bit old fashioned, I really like the look of a true wood window.  In order to get any thing I remotely like in a modern window it gets stupid expensive, and the window still lacks the soul of a old craftsman style window.

I have been building my own windows and doors for the small cabin I plan on building .  I can tell you if you have some skills and the tools it can be done. Just keep in mind that if you want ease of use like a modern window you will end up buying the hardware. Casement window cranks hinges and latches will run about $75 to $100 a window.     Awning style is cheaper but not as functional.  Double hung are very hard to get a good weather seal.  The easiest is a hopper window where, the window opens into the room, the down side is the window opens into the room.

I decided I would try building every thing sort of a modern craftsman style.  Im making my own hinges, latches,locks and handles. Well its not all that hard, it is very time consuming. Not just the time to make the hardware but I spend a lot of time scratching my head while I re-invent the wheel. 
Your tastes may not be as demanding as mine and it could go much quicker for you.   Im not closely tracking the time I have  invested because I call it fun, But if I paid some one to make one of these windows I could probably have bought one of those high end windows.  How ever I dont really like my job and I do really like working out in the shop so it all seems perfectly reasonable to me.   

[davestreck]

My advice is to look for used double-hungs being removed from older houses. Most end up in landfills despite being still serviceable. Even deteriorated ones can be relatively simple to repair or rebuild. I personally dislike the look of modern vinyl or aluminum-clad windows with snap-in plastic grills, and even if they weren't so expensive I wouldn't use them. New traditionally-built wood windows are available, but they are way out of my budget.

For our cabin, I was able to score (for free) 12 real divided-light wood double-hungs my neighbor was throwing away during a remodel. The frames and sills were either too rotten or too damaged by the renovators to be usable, but the sashes themselves were still fundamentally sound:



I removed all the hardware and squared them up on the table saw:



Paint and putty are pretty easy to remove with heat and scrapers. Cracked panes were pulled out and replaced, and the wood given a good sanding with a random orbital sander.





To keep it simple, I rebuilt the windows as "single-hungs"; the upper (outer) sash is fixed in place. Only the lower sash moves up and down. I built the frames out of 1-by pine, fastened with silicon bronze screws and stainless finish nails. Two guide strips allow the lower sash to raise and lower; the upper sash rests on a filler strip and is held in place with 1/4 round moldings.









The sills were milled from 6/4 mahogany (I'm a boatbuilder, so I have a pretty sweet offcut pile to pick from; any decently rot-resistant wood could be used for the sills). I bevelled them at 15 degrees and notched them to fit around the casings.



I notched the meeting rails to fit around the outer guide strip, then dry-fitted the whole assembly.







Then I disassembled everything and pre-primed all the parts with CPES epoxy followed by oil-based primer, and re-glazed the sash with Dap 33.  Everything was permanently assembled with Titebond II and marine-grade sealant, then given one coat of finish paint. (The small window in this pic is a single sash unit, hinged at the top and intended for the sleeping loft):



I then built all the trim and the shutters from cedar and pine.







Finally, installed on our cabin in Nova Scotia:





Besides aesthetics, the main advantage of building or rebuilding your own windows is cost. All in all, I was out no more than $100 or so in materials for all 5 windows. There were quite a few hours of labor involved, but I totally feel it was worth it. Modern windows just look out of place on a rustic cabin, IMHO.

As far as disadvantages, these windows are definitely not as weather-tight as modern units, and the fact that the lower (opening) sash isn't held up by springs or counterweights means that it will come crashing down if you don't support it. We plan to use expanding window screens to hold them up when opened.

Hope this helps.

[MountainDon]

Nice work on all that Dave.   

[Rob_O]

Marty, I definitely want to see some pics of the hardware you have made by hand.

Dave, that's some mighty fine work. The small top-hinged unit you installed in the loft is more along the lines of what I have in mind. You have any suggestions on how to build a sash for a window like that without a bunch of expensive tools?

[davestreck]

Building the actual sash is something I've never attempted, since recycled wood sash is so readily available and cheap (or free). I once ordered a custom wood sash to fit over my barn door from a small millwork shop in New Brunswick (an excellent shop called Hoffmeyers's Mill: http://www.hoffmeyersmill.on.ca/web/windows.html; scroll down the page about half way and look for the long 19-lite transom window. Thats mine). I was amazed by how complex the joinery actually is. Building even a simple wood sash involves precisely cutting rabbets, tenons, and coped molding profiles that must fit together exactly. According to Roy Underhill (uber-traditionalist woodworker and master of old-timey carpentry), sash making is "deep in joiner's territory" and "a person who would think nothing of building his own home would still probably buy his windows readymade". He's talking about old-fashioned true divided-light sash, of course. With a router and some imagination, you should be able to come up with a way to put together something strong and weathertight, if not strictly traditional, with larger pieces of glass and simple frames.

And for the record, with the exception of the sills, for which I used a planer and a joiner (but which could have been gotten out of standard dimensional lumber), my windows required nothing more than a tablesaw and a chopsaw, plus a little hand plane and chisel work.

[Rob_O]

With a router and some imagination, you should be able to come up with a way to put together something strong and weathertight, if not strictly traditional, with larger pieces of glass and simple frames.

That's exactly what I'm trying to do.  The glass will be a double pane panel, like you would find in a plastic window. Some guy on craigslist has 2500 of them for sale in various sizes, I'm sure I can find plenty I can use in his pile. The lumber will be from the barn, 2x4 for the sash and 1x stock ripped to width for the frame.

Any suggestions on sturdy but simple joinery techniques would be helpful. I'm a fair enough carpenter but this advanced woodworking stuff is new to me.

[MartyM]

Rob

Ill try get some pictures posted this weekend.  I have one window near completion and 2 that are mostly in the dry fit stage.  My choice of construction may be a little unusual, but you may get some ideas and can see some of the joints.

Marty

[MartyM]

I managed to get a few pictures of the window that will go over my kitchen sink.  I made it out of Ash that I milled my self.  Its a casement style window that will have the screen on the inside.  The trim and screws around the glass act as a clamp to compression  seal the double panes of glass.  There is a frame sandwiched inside the 2 panes that hold the beveled lights in place.  I need to install the screen mesh before I can install the hardware that allows you to open and close the windows.   









This is a close up shop of the center of the interior screen frame. I needed something to mask where the window locks protrude through the mesh. Seemed like a fine place to use some of the cut offs from where I had to cut loose knots or other structural defects while I was cutting the parts.  Its a shame that the really cool grain patterns seem to go hand in hand with some of the worse defects.  I will be using this kind of stuff to make all my cabinet door knobs and drawer pulls along with any other little do dads like this that I end up needing.

Between this picture and the first I think you can get an idea of the simple lock I made.  They are 1 eighth thick aluminium stock made in to a hook that catches a pin in the door.





Here is a shot of one of the simple scissor hinges I made from 1/4 aluminium. 



And this is where my camera crapped out!   I knocked it into the door frame carrying the window back in to the shop and after that all my pictures look like this.    Sorry Rob when I figure out the problem I will post more.

[davestreck]

Very cool!

[Rob_O]

Beautiful work guys. Much nicer than anything I expect to build but you've given me some ideas