Window Shutters

[Harry Niemann]

Faced with the idea of making exterior shutters for an historical house. Rockler's new shutter jig recommends basswood which I'm told is not good for exterior use. Any
ideas? White oak? Pine?

[HANK METZ]

You might be interested in the details of a shutter project in this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GU2fEdGwD84).

- Beachside Hank
Do not use remaining fingers as push sticks.

[Kevin Bourque]

Are they going to be painted? You could use pressure treated yellow pine.

You can also use cedar or mahogany.

[Peter Kelly]

Spanish Cedar, Western Red Cedar or some select grade Eastern White pine would all work for painted shutters.

[Charles Lent]

For exterior, use Cedar or Fir. Pressure treated pine may work OK for painted shutters, but I avoid it for projects that require a lot of handling and machining because of the health hazards involved. When I was making my first pair of shutters I used treated pine and I developed sores on my arms that took forever to heal. All of my shutters, including replacements for the first pair, have been made using Fir. To extend the life of the shutters, bend a U shaped cover for the tops out of aluminum flashing. It only needs to cover the top edge, so a 1/8-1/4" bend front and back is sufficient to keep the water from getting under it. I tack them on with aluminum brads like those used for aluminum siding and then paint over the flashing, brads, and shutters to make them less visible. The wood can get wet, but it needs to dry thoroughly afterwards or it will deteriorate. My shutters are full raised panel with no louvers, so I also prime all of the panel edges and the rail and style dadoes before assembly. Do whatever it takes to keep the wood from getting wet and staying wet.

Charley