Help with rebuilding windows

[Ron Taylor]

My fixer-upper has wood boxed sash windows throughout. Some of them have some rot in the bottom sash and instead of replacing them with modern replacement, I intend to mill and replace the damaged sash parts myself.

My question... What is the best wood for the sash parts? It seems that the wood must be fairly stable with varying humidity changes to maintain serviceability.

The windows will be painted.

I've some experience in reglazing, but have never built sash parts from scratch. Any advice?

[Stan Thigpen]

I would think that the greater chalange to your project will be the removal of the damaged part of the sash without further damaging the rest of the window.

[Bob Boake]

I think most are made out of yellow pine.

Is there an architectural salvage yard around your location? Windows on most houses were built to stock sizes and you might be able to find replacements for rotted sections.

In Tulsa there is a used building material yard (Dawson Building Supply) that has a a lot of doors and windows stacked in covered sheds.
Might be something like it in your area. Another option is the Habitat for Humanity Whse. They get lots of donations from remodels and project leftovers and sell what they cannot use in their projects.

[Todd Burch]

Cypress or redwood would be excellent choices.

My grandfather built his house in 1949. He made the exterior window sills out of cypress. Last time I saw the house on 1998, they were doing just find.

Todd.

[Jason Roehl]

Just some quick reminders here: more important than what wood you pick to be the painted replacement parts is that your roof does not leak and the window is properly flashed when replaced. Other than that, it basically does not matter what wood you use, but some, like redwood or cedar have lots of tannins (that's why they're weather-resistant) that will make painting a major PAIN, so I'd avoid those. Use wood that has stabilized in moisture (12-16%), and then, once it is painted and caulked, it's not going to move much. Personally, I'd use pine, preferably yellow.