A few months ago I was asked for if I could make a wooden window for a shed. It would be a wooden window with a metal wire mesh instead of glass. The object was that it should help to ventilate the shed, but that no animals could enter or leave. But in order to install the window in the opening in the shed, a wooden frame was needed. So, in this post I am going to show how I made that window frame. Although it will not be a window frame suitable for any wooden window, but a simple and sufficient one to install in the shed.
How to make finger-joints in the wood frame
First I have to cut the frame head and side jambs and the sill. And to cut two side jambs exactly the same, plus a head jamb identical to the sill, I can use the table saw sled and my homemade table saw.
To join the corners of the window frame I am going to make straight finger joints (not sure if I should call them box joints). Then, I adjust my router table finger joint jig to route the sockets between the pins at the head of all the frame parts. The problem is that the side jambs are very long, and it can be difficult to keep them vertical in this router table jig. I needed the help of the square and a homemade one handed fast clamp.
Another problem is that the cutting edge of the straight router bit I use is not long enough to route the sockets to the required height. So I start by routing sockets that are half the height, or deep, that is needed.
And now I can lift the straight router bit, to finish routing the sockets and pins to the necessary dimensions, to make the box joints in the corners of this window frame.
Now I can glue the finger joints and check that the window frame has all sides equal two by two and all corners at 90 degrees. To check that the frame is a perfect rectangle I use the square, and I also check that both diagonals measure exactly the same.
Once the glue is dry, here we see a finger joint in one corner of this window frame.
And here we see a finger joint after sanding to make the pins flush with the surface of the window frame.
Stops for window frame
Watch how to make the wooden window that goes inside this frame.
Now I am going to cut the stops that go inside the frame, and that serve to retain the window flush with the frame when closing it. With the table saw sled I am cutting and adjusting them as best I can
And with the window (I show in next post how I make the window) inside the frame, I glue in position the stops to the frame.
There is no need to use clamps, I can put some nails to attach them. Although the truth is that I don’t like to rely on the glue alone.
This is how the stops look on the inside of this window frame.
Finally, before installing this window frame in the opening in the shed, I apply a couple of plenty coats of weather proof and woodworm protection. Like this, this window frame will withstand a few years of inclement weather and woodworms attacks before it needs to be treated again.
