Replies

1. 
   IronDog | Aug 20, 2002 11:44pm | #1

   Hi Steven,

   Have you done anywork like this before?

   Or, what is your skill level?

   Grizzly has sash cutters as does MLCS/Penn State Ind.

   It is pretty much the same as making a door with glass for a cabinet but bigger scale. You also have to consider weatherstripping, and what species to use.

   I am going to be making a bunch soon and if I wind up using a soft pine I'll probably use a wood preservative on it before I paint it.

   Regards,

   Tom

1. 
   sspitz | Aug 21, 2002 12:26am | #2

   Thanks for the reply I am a carpenter by trade but have never made window sash before. I was thinking of using poplar for a wood second choise would be white pine. Any help i appreciated.

1. 
   ChasStanford | Aug 21, 2002 12:37am | #3

   DO NOT USE POPLAR for an outside project.  Pine is a better choice.

   Edited 8/20/2002 5:38:15 PM ET by CHASSTANFORD

1. 
   LarryPile | Aug 21, 2002 08:30pm | #4

   I agree about poplar.

   I'm a fan of Cypress as a fairly inexpensive "hardwood" for outdoor projects.  I do lots of window restoration and stained glass work..with custom wooden sash...and use cypress exclusively.

   It is easily as water-resistant as cedar or redwood and MUCH cheaper than Teak, mahogany, etc.  And if you're painting it anyway.....

   Good luck!

   lp

2. 
   goldhiller | Aug 26, 2002 07:09am | #6

   Steven,

   Well, I guess I’m going to disagree with a couple of these posts concerning the use of yellow poplar for window sash. I built the 18 storm windows for the Vic that I’m sitting in right now from yellow poplar in 1988 and I couldn’t be happier with the results. These are fairly large sash…..33” x 64” with four lights. I haven’t had an ounce of trouble with even one of them. Yellow poplar is a favorite wood of hat makers who use it for the blocks upon which they form the hats because it doesn’t absorb the moisture from the steaming process. I haven’t tried steaming my windows yet and don’t really have any intention of doing so, but every one of them is as true as the day I made them after being exposed to the forces of nature for fourteen years. They stay on the house 12 months a year as we’re central ACed. I made sets of storms for three other houses from yellow poplar also and haven’t heard a complaint from any of those clients, either. I would agree that cypress may be a superior choice, but at the time it was not readily available here in NW Illinois. Nonetheless, I don’t have any regrets over using the poplar.

1. 
   mike4244 | Aug 28, 2002 03:40am | #7

   As long as poplar is well painted , especially end grain it will last many years. I worked on commercial buildings well over a hundred years old where the sash , frames and sills were poplar. The sills did not hold up. One post office I worked on the postmaster told me the sills were replaced in 1941. The frames and sash were original [ 1879]. This building was someones house originally. Poplar if not kept painted will rot faster than most woods.

1. 
   IronDog | Aug 28, 2002 07:09pm | #8

   And remember you can always apply some clear wood preservative onto the unpainted sash for more protection.

   Just make sure it is compatible with whatever paint you would apply after that.

   Tom

2. 
   mike4244 | Aug 25, 2002 08:14am | #5

   Both Whiteside and Jesada make sash cutters.You will need a 3hp table mounted router.The rails and stiles are easy to do.If you have to make mullions and muntins the setup is trickier.The profile for the mullions is the same as the rails and stiles but on a narrow piece of stock.I use a sled with toggle clamps attached to hold the narrow mullion stock, make sure you use a scrap backup piece when coping the ends of the stock.