BUILDING A WOODEN STORM WINDOW

Home ownership seems to have that never ending list of projects to occupy your time. I'm not one to "restore" a home. Just keeping it "nice" is enough work. That list will sometimes challenge your skills and ability, offering opportunities to learn new tricks beyond simple painting, remodeling, or repairs. Being a do-it-your-self person can usually save some money.
This year was no different. My Castle was built in 1875. Nothing special, just an ordinary plain stick built house of the era. I like it, and it's my home. Lots of paint, nails, toothpicks and glue have kept it livable. It has the original windows which utilize the old wooden storm window/screens. You put them up, take them down, depending on the season. I learned that these are actually more efficient that the modern, vinyl double pane replacement windows available. Whether you have new, or old, make sure the window is properly sealed/caulked to prevent drafty leaks, wasting energy.

This project started in August. A lone window by the entrance was peeling and chipping, and the chore to scrape and repaint began. Now I started "paying attention" to the other windows. A walk around the house inspection revealed that ALL the storm windows needed work. The culprit was the ancient paint underneath causing the problem. A workshop was set up in the garage, and one by one, each window was stripped using a heat gun, sanded, primed twice, and painted twice.

But the inspection found a disaster. A storm window, one of the biggest, had completely ROTTED! YUK. It came out, and research began on what to do. So now we can focus on the title of this subject, which became the final decision ........ building a wooden storm window. A totally new DIY project for this amateur, not having any of the professional tools or equipment to accomplish such a task. Enjoy the procedure, with pictures, from design to completion. (FYI: an aluminum storm window didn't seem right, and places that custom build wooden storm windows were ungodly expensive.)

The opening must have been measured 10 times hoping I would get it right, allowing for 1/8" clearance on each of the four sides. It's one shot to cut the wood correctly. Too big, or too small, is a waste of time and material. The frame size needed was 28 3/4" X 62 1/4". The old window was now measured, to get the dimensions for the top, sides, bottom, and middle pieces. A diagram took shape to help calculate material needed for the design.......which changed 3 times. On a "normal" window, the glass sits in a groove in the window frame, called a Rabbet, usually a minimum of 1/4". Once in place, the glass perimeter is glazed or putty on the outside  to seal out the elements. 1) I don't have a router to cut such a Rabbet. (it can be cut on a table saw.) 2) I wanted to avoid using glazing compound to seal the glass. (My glazing always falls out!)

Some of my windows have a "reverse rabbet". The glass gets inserted from the inside, and is held in place by another thin strip of wood nailed on the inside. No glazing or putty. Spotting some neat Oak trim wood solved the dilemma of creating a rabbet for the glass to sit on, with no cutting in the frame. You'll see how this was done in the picture sequence.
Design complete, time to get material. Cedar wood was selected for the frame. Light weight and rot free(??)
Calculated measurements indicated I could cut everything I needed from one piece of 1x8x8 wood.(2 sides, top, bottom, and middle piece.) And it was on sale, only $6.50. Lucky to find a slab that was straight, and not a single knothole! Careful buzzing on the table saw, there were now 5 sticks of wood destined to become a window frame.

Another dilemma was that the old windows are 1" thick. Current wood is 3/4" thick. Solved that problem by buzzing 1/4" thick strips to match each piece, and gluing them together. Sometimes you have to fabricate what is needed.

Here's my approach to creating the Rabbet, using Oak Trim.

Each piece must be miter cut to fit the inside rectangle where the glass goes. Permanently attach the trim to the EXTERIOR side of the frame via an adhesive of your choice. I used Liquid Nails, plus brads. The glass will be installed from the interior side of the frame.

Miter cut an identical set of trim pieces for the INTERIOR side of the frame. If you were getting confused, here's the result you are trying to achieve, attaching the trim to the frame.

The trim creates a channel, and the glass is merely "sandwiched" between them. A bead of Silicone on the exterior Rabbet will ensure a tight fit and weatherproof seal. No glazing needed. Design it the best you can so the width of the channel accommodates the desired thickness of the glass. The trim on the interior side is just nailed into place with small brads. Should the glass need replacing, simply pry up the trim. No scraping or chiseling to remove dry, hard glazing compound. Tip: it's probably easier to prime and paint all these sticks prior to assembly, and better protect the wood on all sides.

OK, samples have been fabricated and tested, the design should work. Now there are 5 pieces of wood waiting to become a frame. How does an amateur do that ........... and make sure it's square?? 45 degree miter joints are not feasible for this type of project ............. not strong enough. The best would be a mortise & tenon joint, but who has the equipment, tool, or ability to create those? Not me!! Let's settle for a simple Lap Joint. Ample surfaces for gluing and strength. Simple, but one must exercise some precision in cutting the pieces so they fit together exactly right. A Lap Joint is two pieces of wood, each cut equally on the ends, which, OVERLAP each other to create a joint. Precise cutting is necessary so the final joint remains the same thickness, and is square with no gaps. 

USE SAMPLES OF WHAT YOU ARE MAKING, AND MAKE TEST CUTS TO GET IT RIGHT!!

It usually takes several passes with the saw to get the depth set EXACTLY RIGHT. A few minutes of practice and setting up, and you won't screw up your good wood, ruining the project.

Setting the proper depth, and cutting straight, the lap joint goes together with no gaps. Once set up, cut all the joints. Four Corners means 8 cuts. And 4 more for the window frame center bar. This window is one piece, and has 2 panes of glass. Ideally, with a table saw, a DADOO blade would make the job faster and easier. I don't have that either. My cuts took more time, with only the thickness of the saw blade to whittle away the lap. But, got the job done.

Joints cut, it's time to assemble the basic frame. Liquid Nails were trusted for the adhesive. I also put two screws in each corner to secure the pieces tightly together. (No clamps.) Best place I could do this was on the floor, in a corner that was 90 degrees, hoping it would be square.

The frame is done. Sturdy too. Before proceeding any further, it was taken outside and poked in position. The darn thing fits ........... perfectly!!! The amateur is all smiles now.

Now is the time to actually start cutting the trim pieces that will hold the glass in place. Needing trim for both sides, this would be 16 sticks. These have to be cut at 45 degree angles to fit properly. Lucky, I was able to borrow a Miter Saw to get those precise angles. When cutting such angles, never assume any piece of wood will be the exact same length as another. Measure each one to get it right. Only 1/16" short will leave an ugly gap. You can't put back what was cut off. 1/16" too long, simply trim it down for that nice tight fit. Take your time when measuring, AND cutting. Also make sure you cut the angle in the right direction. It's easy to mistakenly cut it the opposite direction of what you need.

Cut and marked where they go, the pieces were permanently attached to the outside of the frame. Liquid Nails again, and a few brads, should hold them there for an eternity. Now is the time to prime and paint the frame (before the glass goes in.) The sticks that are attached (nailed) to the inside of the frame are not used until the glass is installed. But be sure they are primed and painted also. I didn't get a picture until after the painting started, but here's the trim on the frame.

An original intention was to use the flat oak corner trim. But the one I chose adds a lot more design and character to the window. And I found it at a Moulding Discount Outlet......CHEAP! The total investment in wood material (frame & trim) is about $18. This is going to be the best looking window on my house, and it's in a location where nobody sees it!!

One more coat should finish the painting process. I did salvage the glass, but unfortunately, can't use it. It's about 1/4" too big to fit my frame. Very old and brittle, the glass people said its impossible to cut off that small of a slice without it breaking. So there will be an investment in new glass. I did allow the option to use standard glass (3/32" thick, $12 ea.), or double strength glass(1/8" thick, $20 ea.).

The storm window itself will be put in place using hangers & clips. Hangers are attached to the top rail of the storm window, and slip over a piece attached to the window frame on the house ........... allowing the window to "hang". How clever. The spring tension clips attach to the house frame, and just clip over the side edge of the storm window frame to hold it in place from rattling. Nice, no screws to loosen or wing nuts to turn. Both are probably available at Hardware stores.

While not totally complete at this point, I think you have seen enough of the process in building a wooden storm window. Here's the result of the window project. Just envision that it has glass installed.

My do it yourself idea produced a nice window frame with minimum expense. I hope it is functional, and lasts quite a while. Perhaps some of the technique will help anyone else who may have a need to do the same thing with a window. Don't be fooled by the ease of reading here, and thinking what appears to be simple. It is NOT. This is more than a one day, or weekend project. If you attempt to try it, be prepared to invest some time. Good luck.

Thanks for stopping by my window project.