Windows and doors - making a start.

[CelticRambler]

January's secondary objective, as far as cottage renovation was concerned, was to make (complete) all the windows and doors - one main front door, one three-quarter height "French door" for the kitchen (technically, all my doors are French ), five windows for the four rooms and two skylights and a "light tunnel". All to be made from salvaged timber and salvaged double-glazed units.




Things got off to a reasonable start back in September with the selection of the timber and cutting the first pieces for the prototype window, especially when I treated myself to a quartet of 1m F-clamps



The trouble started when I switched from cutting to drilling and fine tuning. The timber was from a stash I salvaged from a building site over a decade ago - some kind of American softwood with a really pronounced grain, and an annoyingly stark contrast in hardness between the summer and winter growth. Great for seeing that my individual blocks were suitably alternated for this panel ...



... but a nightmare to drill through, when the hard bands would force the bit to one side or the other; and similarly when I'd be trying to chisel a last millimetre of a rebate.

But in the end, the prototype got made and painted ...



... and four coats later, was ready for fitting.



Cue three months of doing other stuff, including sourcing an extra four double glazed panes because the prototype showed that the four originally intended for the second window would be 2cm too wide (the two openings - old shed doorways - are of slightly diffent widths, having being built about 100 years apart. But window no.2 was done by the end of January.



And so on to the kitchen door, which (thanks to the "learning process" of the two windows) went quite quickly. Roughly laid out ...



... dry fitted (the panel at the bottom is that in photo number 4 above) ...



...and assembled (not yet glazed) by the end of February.


Last week, I cleaned up the two panes that'll be going in there; I have the hinges and lock ready to mount, but the actual installation of the door will have to wait until I have a finished floor height to work with, which won't happen for several months.

The photos don't show it, but these two windows and the door form three points of a visual triangle in the courtyard, so were made to match each other. Despite much cursing and swearing during the construction process, I'm very happy with how they turned out, and how "identical" they look, even though they're all different dimensions.

The two skylights (for the bathroom) are made, primed and undercoated, now waiting for their final topcoat; as are the two components of the light tunnel (for the kitchen). I'll fit the skylights soon-ish, but the light tunnel requires making a hole in a wall 7m off the ground, something I'm not going to attempt in 60kmh winds and torrential rain.

Three more simple, non-opening windows are almost complete - frames are made (from salvaged oak ceiling boards), assembled and oiled, glass panes are cleaned and ready to go, and the indoor-facing components of an integral vent (because the windows won't open) are ready too.




However, as these will fit into exposed stone recesses, all three of which need a bit of angle grinding, cleaning up of the existing woodwork (lintels and anti-wolf bars) and repointing of the stonework, it'll probably be the end of March (at least) before they go in.

That just leaves the front door, also to be made from salvaged oak. It'll be pretty much the same style as the kitchen door, but slightly wider and a bit taller. I cleaned up all my remaining oak boards last week, picked the best of them for the major elements of the build, and will set about flattening them in the next couple of weeks. Have to build my flattening rig first ...

[kadman]

You seem to have been busy enough over the recent months fair play.

Your salvaged material that you chose appears to be european white pine. Fast growth in the summer and slower growth in the winter, hence the varying degrees of hardness whilst drilling and screwing. Where as artic white pine from Scandinavian countries have a more equal distribution of tighter growth rings in both seasons giving a far superior timber density. Normally for construction in first fix on house building of timber frame units as a graded timber for joists, partitions and roofs and floors ect. And treated for the environments within which they are used for both insect and protection against moisture .
Your material is definitely a CLS timber for timberframe construction use as evident from the 5mm machined radius on all edges of the pieces. You probably know it wouldn't normally be the choice for window construction, but hey any timber used if treated will offer some form of durability.

Indeed I have made windows from what I had to hand , and see now that in my workshop they could do with replacing , but I'm not too bothered about it.

Well done.

[CelticRambler]

I collected trailerloads of that softwood every week from the building site. It had come in as packing pieces for industrial racking posts and rails, imported from the US, and was destined for the skip (like so much other stuff that fell to the floor during the build).

After an initial sorting into comparable lengths for stacking/storage purposes, I've been gradually picking my way through it and further sorting it into "half decent" and "nope!" categories, and unscientifically stress-testing a lot of the "nope!" pieces in various ways. Regardless of what I've done with it, most of the blocks have stood up to all the abuse Mother Nature can throw at them.

Given that I selected the best of the "half decent" stock for this job, and that they've been well primed and undercoated, and that the windows themselves will be protected from the elements by shutters for a good part of their life, I'm expecting at least ten years faithful service from them, and hoping for twenty or more. Will try to post an update then, if Gubu's still around and I'm still in possession of all my faculties!

[kadman]

I have done the same my self on occasion for some out buildings and managed to get about 20 years from them. Like you i only primed and painted on occasion, and never used wood preserver against insect and moisture attack, which looking back I should have .

Your pics of the end grain shows them being grown in a climate that has extremes of both heat and cold and moisture, hence the vast difference of thickness in the growth rings. And if Gubu is around in 20+ years......i doubt I will be , so you can direct your queries then to a younger chap or chapette.

[Bucky]

Bucky's hot take is that his uncle was a door maker. He was a bit on the flamboyant side. But he knew how to make an entrance.

[kadman]

Bucky's hot take is that his uncle was a door maker. He was a bit on the flamboyant side. But he knew how to make an entrance.

No such trade as a door maker