How To Make A Wooden Window Frame

How to make shed window frames

Making shed window frames can sometimes exist the only option. Information technology may be that you need to supervene upon some old garden shed window frames and can't observe the right size or information technology may exist that you are building a new shed and but fancy building your own window frames for a challenge.

Either style there are quite a number of details to sympathise and get right to make sure that you become the sort of functioning that you want. So, lets have a wait at these details outset then get into the pace by step procedure of shed window frame construction.

Shed window frames from concept to completion

What are some of the details required to make shed window frames water and weatherproof

The showtime thing to address is that these are shed windows, not house windows. They share many details common to all windows merely shed windows don't demand to made to the aforementioned price/performance standards as firm windows.

House windows are quite a technological marvel, having a host of standards and design practices to ensure that indoor living spaces are dry, draught costless and durable. A shed window doesn't need to perform to the same level as a house window, only they certainly do need to exercise an constructive job of letting calorie-free into your shed whilst keeping the water out.

Making your own shed windows gives you the opportunity to salvage money whilst also gaining an appreciation of the details that go into window construction, equally well as the huge sense of satisfaction of making something that will piece of work well for many years.

The details that we need to consider are:

1. What type of timber to employ for the shed window frame
2. What size timbers to utilize for the window frame
three. What type of articulation to utilize to connect the shed window frame members
4. The options for glazing your shed window

1. What blazon of timber to use for the shed window frames

This depends on how long you would similar your shed to last. The chief enemy of any shed window is the combination of water and sunlight. Sunlight repeated heats and cools the timber which over the huge number of cycles in a twelvemonth causes the timber to split. H2o will notice its way into whatsoever splits in the wood or gaps in joints and over the years will initiate decay.

And so, for whatever timber you choose if you lot can provide protection to the timber with regular maintenance and application of a proficient quality paint or stain then that will prolong its life.

Many shed windows are constructed from redwood timber and 'dip treated' against decay. Combined with regular maintenance and detailing this approach can requite many years of service. In this project I use force per unit area treated (tantalised) construction timber. This isn't particularly fancy but gives a serviceable and durable window. If this was from a large window manufacturer and so all the components would be pressure treated/tantalised after fabrication so that all the cut sections of timber were fully protected.

This isn't the case hither, and so if you are particularly concerned and your window is particularly exposed and then treating all of the cut surfaces with something such every bit SikaGard Wood Preserver and painting prior to assembly will give boosted protection.

2. What size timbers to apply for the shed window frame

For the shed window frames in this example I used 45x45mm (two"x2") timber for the top and sides and a department of 95x45mm (iv"x2") for the window cill. These members gave a proficient dimensional residuum to provide the strength and stability for a single glazed window and also reasonable dimensions for fitting the glass and securing to the rough opening in the shed wall. Each of the sides and top member take a 10x15mm groove machined in them to suit the glass and glazing bead.

Typical section through timber for shed window frame

The window cill is a dissimilar section than the rest of the frame. By machining the lesser section of the window out of 4x2", the cill and the window frame are made out of a single piece.

Shed window frame Section through shed window cill showing details

There are a couple of points to notation here, the slope of the cill and the drip groove.

one. The window cill is cut with a 14 degree gradient to help it effectively shed the rain.

ii. The drip groove on the underside of the shed window cill is in that location to force the water running down the window and onto the cill to driblet off onto the basis, rather than standing to period underneath the cill and back into the shed.

At present I accept introduced you to the various parts of the shed window frame let's take a look at how to make them, fit them together and install the shed window into the wall of your shed.

3. What type of joint to use to connect the window frame members

The options for connecting your shed window frame members range from the elementary butt articulation to complex routered connections which require quite circuitous tooling. A quick overview of three types of shed window frame connectedness are:

The simple butt joint.

This type of joint is very minimalist and would be frowned upon by many. However, I have seen information technology used successfully on sheds that I have repaired so don't dismiss it out of manus immediately. The joint requires a small-scale notch to be cut in the stop of the ii horizontal timbers and the frame members are continued with screws as shown. Screwing into timber end grain isn't the strongest fashion of connecting then if you lot wanted some additional force then using pocket screws would be a good addition.

Shed window frame Detail of butt articulation. Left hand side is with simple screw to secure frame members. Right paw side is better connectedness using pocket hole screw.

The 'bridle' joint.

This joint is similar to a mortice and tenon articulation but with one end of the mortice open. The joint is held in place with glue and tin be further strengthened with a wooden dowel or star dowel.

Detail of shed window frame articulation

Car cutting joint

A more sophisticated looking joint tin be accomplished by using rails and stile router cutters this achieves a similar strength to the bridle joint. Just of course teh ultimate window making machinery would exist to utilize a spindle moulder, simply then you are getting into the realms of firm windows, which isn't what this commodity is about!

The butt articulation and the bridle articulation can both exist cut with a hand saw or saw bench. The car cut articulation is cut either on a router tabular array or spindle moulder. So for this project I have shown the bridle joint which is stronger than the butt articulation.

four. The options for glazing your shed window

Traditionally, drinking glass was held in in the window frame with metal glazing sprigs prior to applying putty around the perimeter of the window.

Many shed windows which are externally glazed don't use whatsoever sealant. The glass is only placed in position and a glazing quadrant held in place with 15mm long pins. If yous want a better seal, or more than likely to stop the glass rattling in the pane, so run a dewdrop of silicone sealant around the perimeter of the glazing rebate earlier placing the drinking glass. The seal between the glass and the frame volition make the joint water proof.

Shed window frame Department through window showing how glass is held in place

Completed shed window frame

The very simplest method of property the glass in identify is to just create a slot on the within face of each member of the frame. This allows you lot to insert the glass as you assemble the frame. This is good in some means for security equally the drinking glass cannot be removed without dismantling the frame. However, if the glass gets broken there is no way of replacing the pane without removing then dismantling the shed window frame.

Virtually frames don't have this slot, but use the rebate system. And the glass can be easily replaced if information technology becomes broken.

How to brand a shed window frame step by step

The following sequence is a shed window frame that I fabricated using the drawing beneath.

The window is a fixed, non-opening, window. It is made from pressure treated timber, three sides are 2x2" and the lesser is machined from 4x2".

Shed window frame Components to exist made for this project

The members are joined using a bridle joint at the corners and glued together. The frame is then screwed into position to connect it to the shed frame.

The window is glazed with 4mm toughened glass plumbing equipment into a 10x15mm rebate effectually the frame. The drinking glass is sealed around the perimeter using a dewdrop of silicone sealant and then fixed in place with 10x12 timber glazing quadrant stock-still with stainless steel brad nails.

So now that you know about the projection let's become started:

The first step is to cut the members to length.

To calculate the length, allow 2.5mm tolerance all round the frame.

For this frame with a standard 610x610mm pane of horticultural glass the frame members were 30+2.5+610+2.v+30 = 665mm long.

As the window frame is to be square then each member is the aforementioned length.

Shed window frame Members cutting to length and with joints formed on the ends

A rebate is cut in each member of size 10x15mm to suit the glass and the glazing quadrant. This can be cutting using a router in a router table or using a table saw.

The window cill department is cut using the blade of tabular array saw set to a xiv degree angle. The drip groove is cut to 10mm deep and with three passes of the saw to class a groove vii.5mm broad.

Now that you take the bones shed window frame stock, the next footstep is to cut the joints.

Cut the joints

No special equipment is required to cut the joints. It is perfectly possible to cut these simple joints with a manus saw and to use a hammer and chisel to remove the waste product where necessary. For this projection I used a table saw and some jigs to speed up the cutting procedure.

As with any woodworking project of this type take smashing care to marking out the joints and understand which department of wood is to be removed earlier taking it out. Human action in hast apologize at leisure!

Once yous take all the joints cut, bank check that they fit

Dry fitting the frame

Attempt plumbing fixtures the four members together to cheque that they fit. Measure across the diagonals of the frame to make sure that the frame is square (both diagonal measurements the aforementioned). Also check that the drinking glass fits in the glazing rebate.

Gluing the parts together

When yous have ensured that all the parts fit together well it is time to make the joints permanent. Before you start to mucilage make sure you have some clamps to agree the pieces in place before the glue sets. I used some fairly standard bar clamps, simply you lot could use some straps to apply some pressure if yous don't accept these to mitt.

I used some h2o proof polyurethane gum for the joints. As well equally being waterproof this expands into the joints and fills any small-scale gaps.

Shed window frame Window frame 'dry-assembled' with pane in place to check the fit

Glazing the window

The glass is all-time fitted after the frame is installed into the shed. This is because if you are a bit crude with the installation it is quite easily possible to deform the frame and crack the glass.

A bead of silicone sealant is applied effectually the edge of the rebate and the drinking glass is then laid on to this. Another bead is and then applied to the perimeter of the glass and the 10x10mm glazing quadrant fixed in identify with stainless steel pins.

I cut my own glazing quadrant from a hardwood such equally oak or sugariness chestnut, which is resistant to decay.

Shed window frame Completed window with glazing quadrant in place