Storm Window Pics---The Begining

[Peter Quinn]

I'm starting a set of 3 arched top storm windows for a client this week. A while back a few Creekers asked me for pics of some I made last fall and sadly I had none. I thought I might try to post a brief chronicle of this set for the front of the house (last fall I did the back) in case there is any interest.

I started by buying the lumber, 6/4 African Mahogany, pattern grade with perfect vertical grain and no figure, end of last month. Windows, particularly the styles, require very stable wood. I like to let the wood acclimate for at least a few weeks in the shop. They may move a bit in time, but I need the stock to stay flat and straight at least long enough to get it shaped and glued up!

These storms are paint grade to finish at 1 1/8" thickness and the bottom pane of glass will be 'convertible', which means it can be removed from the inside and replaced with a screen. Both glass and screen will be held in aluminum storm channel frames covered with a thin wooden frame. These storms will reside on the third floor dormers of a georgian colonial and protect beautiful arched prime sashes with gothic bars. The client doesn't want to climb a 45' ladder to change from storms to screens, can't say I blame him, so we designed these for convenience.

I started by cutting the parts oversized 1/2" to 3/4" in width, 6" over in length and then flattened and planned to 1/8" over final thickness. Now I'll let the parts relax a bit. When going from 6/4 to 1 1/8" I like to give things a few days to settle down before proceeding. Next I'll reflatten and plane to 1/16" over final thickness the day I'm ready to shape and glue. I prefer this part happens in one day, or by the next morning so things can't move too much.

This will be my first use of the Laguna Platimum Slot Mortiser, so I guess a working review of that machine will be wrapped into this thread. So far I have found the base to woefully insufficient to support the post and table in terms of rigidity and have a problem with the top rails which create lateral movement being warped. Due to the warped rails I either have to loosen the set screws which snug the bearings and remove slop to the point that everything is a bit sloppy, or deal with a table that is very hard to move side to side. Thus far Laguna CS has been polite but unhelpful. Seems they don't have ANY parts for this machine, so what good is a warranty if no parts are available? I hope they will resolve the situation shortly. Oddly, even given the sloppy table, test pieces have created fairly accurate slot mortises. Hmm?

[Jack Camillo]

thanks for the remarks on the laguna 'platinum' slot mortiser. i have been fighting the temptation, and you have helped me overcome.

[Peter Quinn]

thanks for the remarks on the laguna 'platinum' slot mortiser. i have been fighting the temptation, and you have helped me overcome.

I did the first set with a plunge router and some simple jigs, and may resort to that if I can't resolve the mortiser issue quickly. Seems they have no parts inventory and I have reached a point after a week of conversations with CS where my calls are not being, shall I say, returned promptly if at all. I will soon become a very squeaky wheel.

I should say that my test cuts with the machine were acceptable, though they were in rather short pieces and I worry about things distorting as the parts get a bit longer. One things for sure, I am convinced by the slot mortiser in general and will have a working model from some maker in my shop shortly. At present I sure wish I had bought the Rojek I saw at an Industrial Woodworking Expo recently. It was $800 more for a similar machine, but the tables moved very smoothly and the motor had a reversing switch.

[Tom Godley]

Peter -- I am very interested in this topic.

A home I own is constructed with gothic double hung windows set into stone walls. The windows date to the 1870's - surprisingly the frames are in unbelievable shape but the sashes are a mess. Most are about five foot high. Unfortunately, I have two that are over eleven feet tall -- actually three panes.

I wanted to have new sashes made but have run into problems -- I am curious how these are constructed and installed.

[Vince Shriver]

Peter, this is a terrific post and I'll be following it with keen interest. Right off the get-go, I'd guess you know your way around a cabinet shop judging from the machinery in the pics. Thanks for taking the time to document this project.

[Peter Quinn]

Peter -- I am very interested in this topic.

A home I own is constructed with gothic double hung windows set into stone walls. The windows date to the 1870's - surprisingly the frames are in unbelievable shape but the sashes are a mess. Most are about five foot high. Unfortunately, I have two that are over eleven feet tall -- actually three panes.

I wanted to have new sashes made but have run into problems -- I am curious how these are constructed and installed.

There is a reprint of a book called Modern Pratical Joinery by George Elliot available from Amazon written turn of the last century by Mr. Elliot, a British master joiner. It contains a myriad of excellent detailed drawings and design/construction methods for the highest level millwork from that period. Worth a look.

[Ralph Barhorst]

I just did a search for the above mentioned and found that it is available. The search should be "Modern Practical Joinery by George Ellis".

[Mike Wilkins]

Looks like a great start on the windows. Mahogany was once used a lot for exterior grade windows, but not today.
Funny you should mention the difficulty with the movement of the mortiser table. This mortising table must be made by the same manufacturer that makes the Rojek and others. I have a jointer/planer/mortiser sold by Andreou Machinery of New Jersey that has the same mortising table, and I also have the same movement problems. I have tried steel wool and Teflon lube with limited help. I have just learned to work around the stiff movement to get the job done.
Thanks for the tutorial on making screens. I made some inexpensive ones 5 years ago, but not with weather-resistant wood. Time for some new ones.

[Michael Weber]

I want to add my thanks for posting this topic. Just bought a 100 year old and it currently has aluminum storms on the double hung windows (none on the old wood casements). I would like to replace with some nice quality wooden storms with a removable insert for screen/glass. I will be following your progress. Thanks for posting.
Mike

[Josiah Bartlett]

Just curious, why not glaze them in the traditional method instead of using aluminum? Aluminum conducts heat and causes condensation problems when in direct contact with wood.

[Neal Clayton]

i would guess for overall thickness since it sounds like the person wants them to be functional rather than a fixed pane.

[Peter Quinn]

Just curious, why not glaze them in the traditional method instead of using aluminum? Aluminum conducts heat and causes condensation problems when in direct contact with wood.

I mentioned in the OP the storms will be in third floor dormers 45' from the ground in a home on a very sloped lot. The client does not want to climb a ladder that big and doesn't want to hire some one each season either. The bottom pane must be removable to the inside. They will replace a very unsightly combination of plexiglas arch and rectangular triple track aluminum storm. I considered making wooden frames for the glass, but there were concerns that this would make glass replacement very challenging should a pane break, which is always a real possibility.

The top pane will be glazed traditional, the bottom removable. The client wants limited sight lines from the inside. On the first set I isolated the aluminum from the wood with an EDPM rubber D bulb gasket on the out side, and rubber core polyester brush gasket to the inside, so wood won't touch metal. It is in my understanding the 5" air space between the storm and prime sash which creates the R value. I agree that aluminum makes a terrible material for a prime sash but feel it is appropriate for this application.

[Alan Turner]

Keep us posted on the slot mortiser. We have an old Griggio and love it, but the price point is over the top, and used ones are pretty rare. I understand that Laguna is just a rebrander/reseller. Does that appear to be the case?

This will be a good thread. Exterior millwork is challenging.

[Peter Quinn]

Alan, Laguna has two slot mortisers on offer presently, the european Laguna line, which I'm pretty sure is a Griggio, which has a stationary table, the head moves and tilts, its around $4000. I think its Griggio's entry level model, seems they make heavier duty models also. I bought the Laguna Platinum slot mortiser, made in China, seems to be a Rojek by design. The connection between the post that holds the head and the base is so weak the whole table moves around like a tall flag pole in a stiff breeze. Unacceptable as built.

I spent this afternoon fabricating a yoke to connect the top of the post to the 12" thick concrete wall in my shop using 3/8" angle iron. I'm thinking 20 tons of concrete and 100# of steel should stabilize that machine just fine. I should be able to make the final connections tomorrow and see how it works.

[Peter Quinn]

Brief delay of game on the windows. My son has developed a fever due to a double ear infection from a weekend at the lake which puts me out of the shop until he is well, could be several days, then its the Fourth. Not the way I planned it. For now everything is wrapped tightly in cellophane.

Final milling happened yesterday and while there was a bit of moderate movement on the 50" styles this batch of African mahogany has proven to be very stable. Most parts flattened last week from heavy 6/4 to 1 3/16" were still flat enough to work. The half round arch top will be constructed using two segments joined with a pegged bridal joint (or that's the name by which I know it). All parts are milled to 1.125" , the segments have been mitered to 45 degrees and been dadoed to accept a spline..that's where it stopped due to my son's health. Next pic's should be of the segments glued and clamped.

Stay tuned and stay well. MPQ