Plantation Shutter Build

[Dave Jurek]

I'm starting to wonder if there is no interest in this.....


Haven't had much of a chance to progress a whole lot. Between visitors, getting sick, and after work events, it hasn't left much time for me. BUT....a couple things I've done in the meantime. I'm still working off the bow in my 1 stile by wetting the back side then sitting 35 lbs of weight on it. I've got the bow barely noticeable now. I also spent some time making a control rod out of poplar and decided it seems too heavy for the basswood louvers so I'm pretty sure I'll use basswood instead.

I've decided that I don't want to use the Rockler fasteners. Firstly, they are expensive, figure 1-2 $10 packs per shutter frame and that's a lot of panels if I take on the whole house. So borrowing from the ideas on forums, Norm, and articles I've seen, today I spent getting the stapler jigs ready. Not as pretty as some, but very functional after fine tuning them.

This one is for putting crown staples in the control rod. Notice the piece of scrap wedged in the gun. That's to keep the safety up and the gun engaged. No taking the gun apart to get that functionality! I found that the gun wasn't completely true so after making careful cuts, I had to add some shims to get the crown staple to look straight. Good thing I'm practicing!

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And this one is for the louvers. I made a couple cradles for adjustments. The screw in the 1st picture is for adjusting the depth of the staple across the louver.

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Family gets a head start on vacation on Monday so I'll have a week to myself before catching up to them. I have aspirations of finishing this off. We'll see. LOL

[Mike Null]

Dave

There is a lot of interest in this thread. For me just reading and following as you go is very interesting and you are doing a fine job of show and tell as well.

I don't know if it's visible to you but at the bottom of the thread on my screen there is a list of those who have read the thread. It's a LONG list! (at last count 281 members)

Good job--I'm waiting to see the finished results.

[John McClanahan]

I've been following you too, Dave. This is not the kind of project I would want to tackle, but I like to see how someone else does it.

John

[Dave Jurek]

Today I spent finishing off odds and ends. Putting in the overlapping rabbet on the adjacent panel stiles, control rods, drilling the dowel holes, and I started on my last(I hope) jig as well; for the mouse hole. I was going to use a router guide over an oversized hole but I'm too impatient to figure out the sizes and lining up the collar so I got online and bought a flush cut trim bit with the bearing at the top. More waiting..... I have to admit, all these jigs are kind of annoying but next set of shutters should go much more quickly.

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Even got to try laying down some primer. This is my first time using a spray gun. I have to admit I really enjoyed how this lays down over a brush. I don't think I'll ever go back!

My primer was very thin though. Almost speckled, I had it cut back as I wanted to be conservative. Also, the surface is rough, much rougher than the wood I primed over. Is this normal for primer? How do you know how much paint is the right amount? Obviously you don't want it to run but I presume you want enough where it will fill in the imperfections? Could use advice here.

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[Gordon Eyre]

You are doing amazingly good work. I really appreciate your documentation of the project.

[Dave Jurek]

More priming. Sanded smooth all the primer I put on yesterday. That was actually fairly quick to do. I wonder if the water in the primer is raising the grain and that's why it feels so rough?

The white sure highlights the imperfections in my pieces. More filling to do.

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[Dave Jurek]

Got an email from a fellow member asking how I was coming along so I guess its time for an update.

Admittedly, its been slow, very slow. Between a full time job, 4 kids, vacations, visitors, excessive heat, pool swimming, and sometimes just plain laziness has really dragged this project out. I am close though. Let's cover what I have done.

Mortises routed on the stiles. I intend to also mortise the window molding but at the time of installation.
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Second round of priming after sanding.

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Sanding and more priming.
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This is today actually. Second coat of primer on half of the louvers(one panel's worth) and I've already cut the molding for the second window in the house to get a jump on it. This is also the second coat for it. How do you like my make-shift supports? LOL
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Afterwhich, I sprayed the 1st coat of primer on the next panel louvers. I got smart and picked up a NIOSH approved respirator.
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So right now, I have finished priming my rails, stiles, the window frame, and enough louvers to complete 1 panel. After a quick sand, I will start assembly, and I'll spray the base paint on with the panels fully assembled. Then we're off to hanging them!

As I eluded above, I went ahead and cut the window frame trim for the next window and now have applied 2 coats of primer. I have spent as much time if not more messing with that frame trim than the actual project! All because I tried to deal with the router shatter marks. Constant sanding, filler, priming, more sanding, more filler, more priming, ugh. I had exchanged the molding bit and tightened it pretty hard in the router, and this second round trim routed MUCH more smoothly. Almost no chatter marks, what a difference.

So lessons learned so far:
* Don't accept a lousy routing job
* Get all my window frame trim complete first
* Be prepared to invest some time in this (although with all the jigs now made, should go faster)
* Dirty saw blades hinder smooth and easy cuts!
* I need to work on a better dowelling jig. As predicted, my bronze inserts wallowed out.
* Drilling into basswood needs to be very slow! I have tear out on nearly every louver pivot hole on the stiles. Luckily the louver pins will hide it. [edit - just thinking here - drilling the pivot holes on may be easier to avoid tear out after priming the stiles]
* I LOVE SPRAYING! First time sprayer, wow, never go back to a brush if I can help it for finishing projects. The finish is SO much better than I could ever obtain with a brush.

[Dave Jurek]

Yesterday was a very very satisfying day. Finally seeing the work come together.

Started with stapling the louvers. Footage below. One tip I quickly figured out is you have to hold that gun down. If you don't, it will recoil and you won't drive your staple in all the way.
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Setting up the control rod.
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[Dave Jurek]

Dry assembly! Even one of my daughters helps.
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[Dave Jurek]

Panel glued up and window test fit.
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I'm really glad I didn't go with the Rockler fasteners. The staples look much more elegant, much easier to staple, and certainly cheaper. I used 18 gauge 1" crown staples on the louvers, and 5/8" staples on the control rod. Here's a close up shot.
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Alright!! 1 panel assembled, 1 more to go. Then off to final paint and install.

[frank shic]

looks great, dave! did you have to do any additional trimming to get the shutter to fit the opening? i'm toying with the idea of building the frame and the shutter together simultaneously next time so that i don't waste so much time fitting

[Dave Jurek]

Hi Frank. Thanks! I actually built the frame first, test dry fit it up on the window, then based my panels on the actual opening. I have to complete my second shutter panel but test fitting the first one appears right on the money. I don't believe I'll be trimming anything. Note the actual install of the shutters look to be a project in itself!

The frame around my window took me so long to sand, prime, fill, repeat; and its still not quite where I want it (you can read the saga of getting my frame finished out thruout this story) that I have actually decided to build and finish all my trim/framing on all my windows before I build any more shutters. Just seems wrong to have to spend that kind of time on trim! I've already bought 2 12' 10/4 boards of poplar which will be enough to do the rest of my windows.

What I will do though is not screw the z-trim into the openings until I have dry fitted with the shutter panels so that if needed I can shim any of the frame to keep it true with the shutter panels. Make sense? That's how I'm planning on going about completing this project.

[frank shic]

i'm going to take much greater pains in the future to make sure that the jamb extensions are as square as possible next time to avoid all the trimming. ever consider becoming a manufacturer? lol...

[Garrett Ellis]

Well... it's been a year, any more progress?

Do you put any strips along the top and bottom to act as stops for the shutters when closed?

[Patrick Tipton]

Nice work!