Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 21

Thread: Any advice for making plantation shutters?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Southwest Florida
    Posts
    1,482

    Any advice for making plantation shutters?

    I need to make some plantation shutters. I do not have a shaper so will have to use a router setup. About the only thing that I can find is Woodlines set: http://www.amazon.com/Woodline-WL-20.../dp/B000JES9XC Looks like the only bit that is not common is the bit to shape the louvers. They also have the pin and tension kit. I suppose that the bits are of a quality to make at least a set of shutters for one window---or not. At least they have the instructions for building the shutters which I downloaded from their site.

    Any ideas or suggestions?

    What about the quality of the Woodline bits? Other options?

  2. #2
    There was an episode of the NYW about them, I don't remember what he did for the louvers, but here is a link to the episode:

    http://www.newyankee.com/getproduct3.cgi?0602


    the stapling jig seemed pretty handy

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    dawsonvill GA
    Posts
    298
    Allen I have used woodline bits and they are pretty good in my opinion. I was going to suggest the NYW episode also. There was a guy doing DVD's that did one on plantation shutters. I am sorry but I dont recall his name.

    Roger

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by Jamie Smith View Post
    There was an episode of the NYW about them, I don't remember what he did for the louvers, but here is a link to the episode:

    http://www.newyankee.com/getproduct3.cgi?0602


    the stapling jig seemed pretty handy
    He used molder to cut louvers. If you could get some time on one it would definately be the way to go. Maybe someone would exchange time on molder if you buy the cutters and let the owner keep the cutters?

    I think the NYW video and plans would be great. There are a couple jigs involved that would be excellent. Got to be accurate and able to be repeated.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Hayes, Virginia
    Posts
    14,760
    Allen,

    Woodsmith has an excellent set of plans for building window shutters. Years ago a friend of mine built their router jig and made shutters for his home, he was very pleased with the jig and how easilly everything worked.

    .

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Southwest Florida
    Posts
    1,482
    Thanks guys!!! Good information. Allen

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Tucson
    Posts
    5,001
    Blog Entries
    1
    Norm did some on NYW a little while ago. You might check DIY.com. He did it with a router too I believe.
    What you listen to is your business....what you hear is ours.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    Temecula, CA
    Posts
    137
    I've been working on plantation shutters for three windows in my house. The windows are large, so each will have four panels. This greatly increases the volume of work.

    I set out with the router and after a few attempts, I ended up with the ShopFox moulder and a custom set of knives. I spent two days milling up the stock for the louvers and about 4 hours running enough stock to make 330 louver blanks (a few extra to accommodate wood defects and other disasters.

    I have been following Norm's plan from the project he did in 2006. I've watched Norm's video about 10 times. Most all the steps are there, but some require looking very closely. I found the stiles and rails and their joinery to be an exercise in production.

    The real challenge has come with the painting. I'm making my shutters out of poplar and they are being painted white. This was my first spray project and it has been quite a learning experience. I used a high quality acrylic enamel (Benjamin Moore) along with a good acrylic primer from the same mfr. I applied one coat of primer and so far one coat of paint. All this before getting to assembly. I plan to do one more coat of paint and then assemble. Following that, there will be (hopefully) one more light coat of paint on everything.

    No single step is really difficult. This project, however, requires a high degree of accuracy and lots of patience (mostly on the sanding and painting).

    More when I finish
    Fred

    "Precision woodscraps"

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    New Orleans LA
    Posts
    1,334

    Fww

    FWW had an article on exterior blinds some years ago. If interested I can try to find a reference. I made 8 of them about 10 feet high. Making the louvres with a diamond cross section was done on the planer. A fixture is made to sit on top of the table with a sloping surface (6 degrees off horizontal?) You mill off half the surface on each of two sides of the stock. By half I mean half the width - from the edge to the centerline. Then you make a second fixture that is twice the angle of the first. Using it you mill the uncut halves of your stock. Now you have a piece of stock with a diamond cross section. This is much cheaper than using a molding machine.

    While my shutters were big - the louvers were about 3" wide - I don't see why the method wouldn't work for smaller stock.

    If you wish to e-mail me, I'll see if I can find the article. I photo copied it to make a shop copy and may still have it. I think I made the shutters in 1987.
    18th century nut --- Carl

  10. #10

    Plantation shutters

    I just finished assembly of four sets for windows and one set for a door Sunday afternoon. Norm recommends the use of a size B bit for the pin holes in the stiles. I found this to be so tight the shutters would not operate. I wound up drilling out all 600 holes with a ¼” bit. This is the size bit that the Woodline plans call for. In Norm’s plans there is an indexing jig for drilling the stiles. Don’t waste your time on it. Gang up all your stiles, layout the positions for the mortises and pin holes. Mark the centerline of your bit on your drill press fence and have at it. This is much easier, faster and more accurate than the jig. Last but not least, consider buying them and installing them yourself. I saved over $1000 by making these, but have way over $1000 worth of time in them.
    Last edited by Bob Fisher; 09-05-2007 at 9:32 PM.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Southwest Florida
    Posts
    1,482
    A lot of good information here and many good tips that will help. I did buy the Woodline router bits set for plantation shutters but it is going to be a while before I can get to it. I would love to have a molder to do the slats but will try to get along without it. I have repainted plantation shutters before so I do not think that will be a problem.

    My first step will be to get a price and compare that to how much I can make them for. We have several windows that have them now and everytime that I ask my wife how much they cost she says that it is better that I do not know. When she says that I figure that I can save a ton on doing whatever it is that we are talking about.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    San Antonio, TX
    Posts
    530

    Plantation shutters - alternate way to form slats

    I built a jig to form the slats for plantations shutters using a planer. I have pictures somewhere at home.

    The jig is pretty simple. Take three boards routing dados (if it is along the grain is it a dado or a groove I always forget) on two of the boards so you can assemble a long sled that from the end looks like an H . When you make the dados in the two boards make them different distances from the bottom edge. This will make the "H" sit a little sideways (like an italic H) This will determine the angle of planing.

    Simply load a slat blank into the gap in the H, plane down, reverse the board and plane the other edge of the same face. This is the first side of the slat.

    I took one of the boards with the first side of the slat ripped it and glued the pieces into the gap in the H that is on the opposite side. This provides a place to set the blank with the first side machined so the second side can be machined. This may be a bit cleared when I can get the pictures off my home machine.

    Edges can be rounded over with a regular round over bit.

    One of the issues will be jigging up to center the pivot pin hole consistently. One of the guys(a machinist by trade) from the woodworking club where I used live suggested a guide similar to that used to form the slat, mounted on end on a router table to plunge the slat directly on a spiral bit.

    Luckily we moved before I had to complete the project. Plantation shutters may be nice to look at, but we found them a pain to live with.

    Regards

    John

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Southwest Florida
    Posts
    1,482
    That sounds really interesting John. Some pictures would really be great to understand exactly how the jig works that you are talking about. Thanks! Allen

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    San Antonio, TX
    Posts
    530

    Plantation shutter jig PICTURES

    Here are pictures of the jig. I have also attached a pdf of the dimensions I used the jig. A sample of a slat is shown, (this is a slat that looks a little on the thick side. You can adjust your stock starting thickness to get the dimensions you want.). The last photo shows a short piece demonstrating the machining of one side of the slat.

    John
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Attached Files Attached Files

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Southwest Florida
    Posts
    1,482
    Very good John! That just might be the best answer yet. Thanks for going to all of the trouble.

    Allen

Similar Threads

  1. HVLP Spray Finish for My Plantation Shutters
    By Fred Floyd in forum Project Finishing
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 07-05-2007, 12:52 AM
  2. Anyone thinking of using Norm's plans for Plantation Shutters?
    By Brent Stone in forum General Woodworking and Power Tools
    Replies: 8
    Last Post: 06-19-2007, 6:04 PM
  3. Plantation shutters and rare earth magnets
    By Dell Littlefield in forum General Woodworking and Power Tools
    Replies: 16
    Last Post: 05-22-2007, 6:57 PM
  4. New to the Forum, Need Some Advice
    By Dave Hale in forum General Woodworking and Power Tools
    Replies: 7
    Last Post: 09-30-2006, 6:23 AM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •