DIY Storm Windows Part 1

[angolito]

danno. this is a marvelous thread. i love your work.

i had prices on storms for over $100 each. i can buy a LOT of nice tools for that savings********

okay. i am a little dense. what are those metal thingees in the fourth picture? are they for marking exactly where to make the holes for the dowels?

[moonshadow317]

How about priming the wood, dowels and all, with a clear epoxy such as CPES before gluing it together?


http://www.rotdoctor.com/products/product.html

It's a little pricey but it would be worth it in the long run. I used CPES on the rotted posts of my barn and I was very impressed with the result. The wood just soaked it up and what was soft and mushy became hard as a rock. The Rot Doctor was very helpful. He asked for pictures and replied almost immediately to all my questions when I e-mailed him.

There are other treatments such as the ones that are used on boats (marine) I just don't know any names. Maybe someone else does???

Karen

[Danno]

okay. i am a little dense. what are those metal thingees in the fourth picture? are they for marking exactly where to make the holes for the dowels?

yes. something so simple, but it makes a world of difference. I've done dowel joints many times before just bu holding up both edges and aiming for the middle of the side and lining up where I drilled. I got pretty good at it, but seemed like i often was off just enough to make a bad joint.

[Danno]

i had prices on storms for over $100 each. i can buy a LOT of nice tools for that savings********

I have to be honest though, $100 isn't that bad. especially if they give you any sort of warranty... that's not a bad way to "waste" a thousand bucks.

[angolito]

i don't think there is so much of an issue about rot in storm windows. mine will be taken down and replaced with screens seasonally and i assume that will be the opportunity to do a "wood check" . i would think if stored properly, that storms should be fairly easy to maintain.

[HB]

Ya know moonshadow, I think you may be on to something.

I was thinking about this a bit more last night and I bet that if you cared to go to the expense of it, coating the joint wwith Abatron Wood epoy or something similar instead of glue miight do the trick. Of course it would add a few dollars to each storm window.

I've seen samples at home shows where end grain wood was joined with abatron and it was as strong as the original piece of wood.

Keep the project going Danno, Great stuff!

HB

[NYAlhambra]

Hi Danno,

Did you consider using biscuits instead of dowels? This is a project slated for me for this summer (in addition to the legal pad full of summer projects) and I loooove biscuits.

I guess I'm wondering if you considered them, but know something about them that I don't regarding their durability, etc.

I was resistant to the biscuit movement because I wanted to be a purist, but they totally seduced me.

Tricia

[Danno]

Hi Danno,

Did you consider using biscuits instead of dowels? This is a project slated for me for this summer (in addition to the legal pad full of summer projects) and I loooove biscuits.

I guess I'm wondering if you considered them, but know something about them that I don't regarding their durability, etc.

I was resistant to the biscuit movement because I wanted to be a purist, but they totally seduced me.

Tricia

The only reason I didn't do it was the cost of a biscuit joiner.It would be a sweet tool to have and I'd probably get my use out of it. It would be totally appropriate to use one for this project. I just didn't have the extra 80-150 to get one!

[NYAlhambra]

Danno - Do you have a harbor freight nearby? I bought mine there for 35 bucks. I figured that if I liked it and it died I would invest in a better brand, but it works just fine for me. The dust collector doesn't work well, so I did some super technical modifications (using duct tape and scissors) so that I could hook up my shop vac (poor girl's dust collection system).

When I get bored of working on the house I build sad attempts at arts and crafts style furniture, that's why I was resistant to the biscuits in the beginning.

Tricia

[Danno]

Danno - Do you have a harbor freight nearby? I bought mine there for 35 bucks.

WHAT? no I don't but HF is really good about shipping charges and I usually get by with almost nothing paid in shipping. I didn't even think to check with them (don't ask why!)

Maybe my final instructional will be released with both the dowel and the biscuit joint method....