Have you built these types of window shutters before?

[Matt Przybylski]

Hello,
We will be moving to Arizona shortly and having a new house built. One of the projects I'd like to tackle is the window shutters that I saw in the model homes but I don't want to spend a small fortune on them from the builder. They look like this:

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I was wondering if anyone had built this type of shutter before? My specific concerns are:



What is the best material to use? I will also be painting them white.
What is the best way to get the "bar" to hold its position in the open/closed state?
General tips on anything else that would help me out in building these. If there are plans somewhere that's even better. Or if you know what this type of shutter is officially called at least I can research it a bit more.


Appreciate any help I can get!

[Matt Przybylski]

I think I just answered my own question: http://www.rockler.com/3-1-2-movable-louver-w-front-control-arm-shutter-jig-and-hardware

:)

[Frederick Skelly]

I've seen that kit before and have read a mix of things (pro and con) about building your own. If you have the skill, patience and time, it might be a good project to take on. But I think I'd make one or two and see what you think, before setting up for a full-house production run.

It's certainly worth a test run.

[Matt Przybylski]

Yeah, absolutely agree. I have a ton of other projects to tackle and I have to weigh the cost/time versus purchasing. So much to think about!

[Hoang N Nguyen]

I plan to build a bunch of these shutters for my new house once it's completed. Building your own will require a lot of time as the other poster stated but the money savings may be worth it. If you've never gotten a quote on how much these are to buy, you should do so and compare to how much it'll cost to build. You'll be surprised at how expensive they are. It all comes down to how much you value your time and how much you enjoy milling wood since that's going to be the largest time consumer for this project.

I asked about these shutters when we built our current house. The builders wanted nearly 7 grand for all the windows in the house. My eyes nearly popped out and went with the standard window treatment. I later priced out how much it would cost me to build my own and I landed around $1500 plus my time. The new house is larger with more windows so I assume it will cost more but it's still a lot cheaper than buying pre-built.

[John Lankers]

I built these shutters using the Rockler router bits and hardware about 2 years ago. They are about 52" tall by 60" wide, I wandered from the downloadable plans and made the rails and stiles wider and didn't install a center rail as suggested and this has worked out just fine, I did however use 4 2 1/2" long floating tenons in each joint. I rehearsed the glue up more than once and it still was a chore.
Be aware shutters of this type and size are HEAVY (hard maple for the frames and birch for the slats) and require 3 hinges. I used the hidden bar offered by Rockler for opening and closing the shutters and screwed it to the slats instead of nailing as suggested in the plans, I also added a dab of crazy glue to the screws to keep the screws from becoming loose over time.
Overall the shutters have remained very stable and square.
As a cautionary note I would like to add that this project (especially this size) requires extreme precision all the way from the planning stages and leaves no room for error but is also very rewarding too.
I was quoted $1,600 for a set of these from a custom blinds shop.

[Matt Przybylski]

Hoang, that's my sentiment exactly. I feel like they're going to want astronomical prices.

John, those came out great! I'm assuming you got the pre-primed ones? What did you use for the paint? And did you topcoat it? How much did you end up spending (and was it just that one set?)?

I was thinking of using poplar for the rails/stiles which would weigh a bit less. I would be doing all the windows in the house so I imagine it would take quite some time but I can spread it out over a period of time rather than doing it all at once. I do worry about how precise this all needs to be but I think its something I can manage.

[John Lankers]

Hoang, that's my sentiment exactly. I feel like they're going to want astronomical prices.

John, those came out great! I'm assuming you got the pre-primed ones? What did you use for the paint? And did you topcoat it? How much did you end up spending (and was it just that one set?)?

I was thinking of using poplar for the rails/stiles which would weigh a bit less. I would be doing all the windows in the house so I imagine it would take quite some time but I can spread it out over a period of time rather than doing it all at once. I do worry about how precise this all needs to be but I think its something I can manage.

Thanks Matt.
I started from scratch with rough sawn lumber. I chose maple for the frames, I didn't want to take the risk of having the frames warp or twist over time because of their size and I used birch for the slats because that's what I had and didn't have to pay for. Pine or poplar might work for smaller shutters but they would still be relatively heavy - so you be the judge.
I used shellac as a primer/sealer and applied 3 coats of an of the shelf Dulux paint - no top coat.
As far as cost goes, I probably paid $50 for the hard maple and nothing for the birch. The router bit to shape the slats, hinge pins for the slats and hidden bars came from Rockler and probably twice as expensive here in Canada, I bought the hinges at Home Depot - all in I paid less than $200 cdn.

Looking back, next time I will use the shaper instead of the router table.

[BOB OLINGER]

Hi John,

First, they are called plantation shutters. FYI, I've made 20-30 or more of them; here's some comments:

1. Norm (Old Yankee Workshop) has a video that is very, very helpful with lots of good info. Although he made his out of a different white wood, I suggest to use poplar if you plan to paint.
2. I made them for every window in our house using red oak. Then, I made some for a daughter using poplar as she wanted them painted.
3. I don't recommend using a shaper to cut the slats. That sounds scary - a big blade on thin stock. I purchased a molding machine from Grisley, then the cutting blades from a separate
company.
4. I purchased the pins (to hold the slats to the frames) from Rockler.
5. The control rod (vertical) is fastened to the slats using two separate gigs and two operations (Norm's video) with a Porter Cable stapler.

I can tell you that precision work is the bottom line in making these. For example, the tension on the slats (to keep them in place as adjusted) depends on cutting the slats to precise length. If too short, they won't stay in place, if too long, they won't adjust.

I'd post some pictures, but i don't have that figured out. I will email you some if you'd like.

Bottom line, they are quite a challenge, take time and patience, but a great feeling of accomplishment once done.

[John Lankers]

Hi John,

First, they are called plantation shutters. FYI, I've made 20-30 or more of them; here's some comments:

1. Norm (Old Yankee Workshop) has a video that is very, very helpful with lots of good info. Although he made his out of a different white wood, I suggest to use poplar if you plan to paint.
2. I made them for every window in our house using red oak. Then, I made some for a daughter using poplar as she wanted them painted.
3. I don't recommend using a shaper to cut the slats. That sounds scary - a big blade on thin stock. I purchased a molding machine from Grisley, then the cutting blades from a separate
company.
4. I purchased the pins (to hold the slats to the frames) from Rockler.
5. The control rod (vertical) is fastened to the slats using two separate gigs and two operations (Norm's video) with a Porter Cable stapler.

I can tell you that precision work is the bottom line in making these. For example, the tension on the slats (to keep them in place as adjusted) depends on cutting the slats to precise length. If too short, they won't stay in place, if too long, they won't adjust.

I'd post some pictures, but i don't have that figured out. I will email you some if you'd like.

Bottom line, they are quite a challenge, take time and patience, but a great feeling of accomplishment once done.

Hi Bob
1. Now that you mention Norm's project I remember it was on TV many years ago.
2. I chose maple for the frames because of their size plus I didn't want the unsightly centre rail, I don't think poplar would have stood the test of time.
3. I think I would get a better (cleaner) cut using the shaper with a properly set up feeder - the slats have a 1" wide flat in the middle plus the profile is relatively shallow. Never ever would I attempt using the shaper hand feeding the boards.
4. So did I, I found out after that I could have saved a lot of money if I had bought them on Amazon.
5. The control rod on mine is hidden in the back and can't be seen and staples can not be used and would pull out over time especially if I had used poplar. I used super glue to set the screws bec. I was afraid the screws would loosen over time with the back and forth rocking when opening and closing the blinds.

I agree with you absolute precision from the planning stage to the very end is the key to success, this project leaves no margin for error.
Also, with the hidden control rod a friction fit is not an issue.

[Matt Przybylski]

Great info guys, thank you very much, I appreciate it. It sounds like its definitely something that will take a good amount of time, time that I'm not sure I'll have, at least not for a while. I may re-consider this for the time being.

[Marshall Mosby]

These kind of windows are going to cost you a lot and in my opinion don't choose to do these by yourself if you have a life.

[Rich Riddle]

This looks like a good winter project; all winter long.

[Mike Wilkins]

I built some exterior shutters using the Rockler system for fixed shutters. I used Cypress as it is a weather resistant material, but mine were painted to greatly extend the life. It is a time consuming, patience-trying endeavor but well worth it.

[Nate Secrist]

Hi Matt,

Lots of good comments here. I just finished my first set of shutters using the Rockler Jigs and bought the router bit to make the 3-1/2" louvers. It worked well.
I have about 10 different windows that I want to do.

2 additional comments, in addition to the other comments

1 - Figuring out the details of the window frame was very time consuming - I think I spent more time on this, than actually building the plantation shutters
Now that I have this figured out, the next sets of shutters will be much easier.

2. I used all the Rockler components that go with the overall system. I don't like Rockler's small metal clips that attach the louver to the control arm. They are very "cheap" and difficult to use.
I had many of them that caused "blowouts". I like Norm's way of attaching the Control Arm to the Louvers - much better way. I am in the process right now of building his stapler jigs - I think
this will be much better

As others have mentioned, it costs a small fortune to have a local company make and install the shutters for you. I was quoted about $9,500 for the 10 windows I have.
I can do it for about 1/4 the cost, but it will take alot of my time and labor.

Here is one of the finished shutters and one of the window frames.

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[Matt Przybylski]

Thanks Nate, those look fantastic! I am a bit worried about the time it will take because I have a ton of other things to do so I'm also starting to explore other options, one of them being smart home controlled blinds. Obviously that is a drastic difference from this and not woodworking related at all, not to mention a totally different look, but I'm exploring ideas of making our new house a smart home and this came up this morning.

[Marshall Mosby]

Nice Job there Nate. I must say if someone is really into wood working, he should really give these kind of windows a shot. It is worth the effort and time. I mean it looks really great. Good Job!

[Jim Dwight]

I made a house full for our last house a couple at a time over the period of several years. I had to add moldings to the edge of the window to move the shutters enough away from the window that they would work. I used construction lumber for the door frames and molding. I had one wood louver in the center that was screwed to the shutter frame and the rest were held from pins. I found a source cheaper than Rockler. I think my bits came from Woodhaven or something like that. My jigs were inspired by Norm. I made most of the slats from 1/2 MDF. It's nasty to work with but it's cheap and stable. I painted them white with Resisthane, a water based lacquer. We liked them but it was a lot of work. I think I actually used poplar for the first few before switching to the construction lumber. Painted up you couldn't tell the difference. I also experimented with more wood louvers but they also took more time and didn't seem to look as good unless I wanted to do a lot of sanding.

This is a jig project. You need a jig for making the pin holes, a couple jigs for the staples that hold the lift bar to the louvers, a jig to cut mortises for the shutter frames, etc.. Once you have the jigs made, if you have a stop for your CMS or RAS, you can spit them out pretty simply. (The stop is so you can cut the louvers a consistent length)

[Lou Ortiz]

I took this on a couple of years back as well and used poplar for the rails/stiles and basswood for the slats. I think it was well worth the effort. i'd echo the other comments and add a few things to watch out for:

-- time factored into the construction was critical for me and these take some time since it's such a large run for more than a few windows; relatively inexpensive if you start with rough cut

-- Norm's jigs are a little finicky when shooting the staples and the slats can readily split if you have the full profile cut,

-- hard to cut the slat profile without a shaper or molder; i have a shaper with a feeder, so that's the route i went, otherwise would have purchased a molder for the job

-- I can't imagine painting these things by hand - a sprayer setup that can handle the latex was essential; if you do this by hand, plan for the extra time; also note that if you do get paint into the pin holes, it will cause them to bind

-- check your windows for square before you start as you may want to build yours into a frame which you then fit to the case. Casings that aren't square are a pain to fit

-- use good quality hinges and latches

[Greg Hines, MD]

My first home had plantation shutters like that, and they add a lot to the value of your home.

I know that Norm did an episode on building them on the New Yankee Workshop. He had a series of different jigs to make sure that your staples end up where they need to be, and to lock the bar to the slats. That said, the Rockler kit is probably a good start, but you might need to modify your technique if you plan to make a lot of them.

Doc