Replies

1. 
   Guest_ | May 03, 1999 08:13am | #1

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   Allan - are you doing this on your own house, or are you billing someone for your time? - yb

2. 
   Allan_smith | May 05, 1999 05:01am | #2

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   My own old house

3. 
   Guest_ | May 05, 1999 06:29am | #3

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   Allan - you're going to have to do some digging to find this but, the first time I ever heard of FHB was when a close friend showed me an article about a router mounted in the extension table of a table saw. The article itself was about making your own window sash.

   Since you asked, I tried to dig it out of my collection, but couldn't find it. My copies start with issue #20, so if you can find either an index or issues before that, I think you'll find the article. I don't remember "back ordering" but I am missing a few issues too. At any rate, I know it was before 1985 because that's the summer I built the windows for this house.

   It's not that tough, but pretty time consuming, especially if you are going to reproduce the divided lites.

   A book you might enjoy is "handcrafted Doors & Windows" by Amy Zaffarano Rowland, published by Rodale Press, Emmaus, PA. They used to publish a magazine (might still) called "New Shelter" back in the 70s-80s - This book isn't really "how to" but it is pretty inspirational. - good luck - yb

1. 
   Guest_ | May 05, 1999 08:06am | #4

   *FHB publishes a "Windows and Skylights" compilation of a number of interesting articles. Amazon.com has it for $12.Windowbuilding is a LOT of labor, which I guess is OK if you really like woodworking ... a LOT for that many windows. Many of the windows may not need replacing, just some sprucing up and weatherstripping. I don't think the window industry has squelched the books -- it's just cheaper to buy a high quality production-line window.That said, I'm experimenting with it myself for some custom applications. Read the FHB book, I really enjoyed it.And I'd love to hear of a vendor of window hardware sets for, say, casement and awning. Esp. in brass. I'm going to try some of the window manufacturers for "replacement sets" when i get to it.

1. 
   Guest_ | May 05, 1999 08:54am | #5

   *Whitco sash hardware is really nice for either casement or awning units. You can buy them in 1 or 2" length increments. Use same hardware for either application. I know, I know, but they really do work great either way. After I built my first set with them, I started noticing them on all kinds of industrial sized awning windows. Vincent Whitney Company Sausalito, CA 94966. - yb

1. 
   Guest_ | May 06, 1999 01:27am | #6

   *Thank you Washington Bob.

4. 
   Avram_Gimbel | May 15, 1999 06:55am | #7

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   A few days ago I bought Ed Knox's Window Book at Builders' Booksource here in Berkeley, phone: 510-845-6874, a manual written and apparently published by a guy who owned a window shop in Oakland for 30 years. "A manual for measuring, fitting, ordering, installing, making and replacing windows." Has everything you will need to replace those old windows. Blunt speaking working-person's prose with hand-drawn illustrations.

5. 
   Guest_ | May 16, 1999 06:40pm | #8

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   Allan,

   Why do you need to replace them?

   Are they rotten?

   How about restoring the existing windows?

   I restored an old house last year that had many, many, many double hungs in real bad shape. Some required new frames, some needed sashes some needed both. Many of the sashes were diamond panes that we wanted to salvage at all costs -- we were shooting for historic preservation.

   Heat gun, glue, dowels and shims.

   And a large, flat work table.

   Taking apart an old window is a pretty good illustration of how to put a new one together. I used old wood for the parts of my new window frames and sashes, obtained from my friendly neighborhood used wood guy. He tears down old lumber mills and sells the beams, flooring etc. I was able to get vertical grain fir larger than any dimension I needed and plane it down to perfection.

   I'm mostly a framing/finishing carpenter, concrete slab/foundation, and sheetrock, painter guy.

   Not really a woodworker.

   Meaning that I don't have a planer, jointer, re-saw, or thickness sander. Luckily, the used wood guy lives in a cabin without electricity and needed a place to put his planer and jointer. And the other guy that was helping me had a re-saw. A mighty impressive wood shop it was.

   We salvaged to weights from the existing house and anywhere else we could find them. The weight needs to be one quarter the weight of the sash for smooth operation (each pulley cuts the required force in half).

   Please make sure to use good wood for this project,

   Dan

1. 
   Guest_ | May 18, 1999 09:14am | #9

   *Yeh, "good wood" as in VG Fir. (have to bow my head when I say that) - yb

1. 
   Guest_ | May 19, 1999 08:10am | #10

   *Now if I could only get that used wood guy to move to Nashville.

1. 
   Guest_ | May 20, 1999 05:51am | #11

   *Dan - you might have ahard time finding much fir in those parts, bummer. I wonder if that southern yellow pine would work for sash/millwork? - yb

1. 
   Guest_ | May 22, 1999 07:48am | #12

   *SYP - yuck! I'm going to try clear cypress, wish me luck.

2. 
   Guest_ | May 24, 1999 02:14am | #14

   *Good luck Andrew.Let us know how it works out.My experience (so far) with southern yellow pine also is "yuk"

6. 
   Allan_smith | May 24, 1999 02:14am | #13

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   I have 24 large 6 over 1 double hung windows
   to replace in this 80 year old house. I can't go with Andersons, to much $. I can't fine any books on making sashes,hardware for balances
   etc. I think the window industry is trying to keep this out of print. Does any one know about,
   if there was a manual, book out there?