Replies

1. 
   Ragnar17 | Jan 02, 2003 08:53pm | #1

   Boris,

   Here are a couple of techniques that might be helpful to you:

   1) Support: you can open the lower sash and then use a pair of quick-clamps to hold the stool in place.  Put one end of the clamp around the stool, and the other end around the sill on the exterior.  If need be, you could always put a 2x4 across the opening on the outside, and then clamp against this, too.  The clamp action will allow you to do this without actually having to nail or screw the 2x4 to the wall.  It sounds like part of your work is on a bay window, so you might need to improvise a bit to use the clamps, but I'm sure you could find a way.

   2) Cutouts: for a straight window, clamping the stool in place and then marking all the locations directly against the jamb locations works well.  Again, it sounds like you may have a bay window to deal with here, which is more complicated.  On the other hand, if it is in fact a bay, you'll have three separate stools as opposed to one long continuous one.  If the angles are preventing you from putting the stool in position for an accurate mark, maybe you could try using short pieces of scrap to make the left and right ends independently.  Then, when the cut ends are in their respective locations, just measure the distance between the butt ends and transfer this information to a piece of stock.

   3) Trimming the Cutouts: lots of times, I'll take the stool and put it on my chop saw and carefully make the cuts across the grain.  The little slivers that the circular blade doesn't reach can be easily chiseled out or cut by hand.  When executing the cutouts, always keep in mind what part of the stool will be visible, and what part will be hidden by casings.  Like coping, there's not much reason to making things super tight where they will be hidden anyway.  So leave yourself a little play in the hidden areas to get the visible parts to fit as best as you can.

   Hope this helps.  Let me know if I've misunderstood the situation.

   Ragnar

1. 
   Scooter1 | Jan 02, 2003 09:17pm | #2

   Situation is 3 sets of multiple windows, 3 to 4 double hung windows in a row.

   Several long quick clamps might work. Good idea.

   Cutouts across the grain will be visible and are against the window jamb. These are giving me fits, but once clamped, I may be able to scribe these cuts with an adjustable square, at least within a sixteenth.

   Cutouts with the grain will be against the window sash (which can be loose or trimmed) and against the finished wall (which will be covered by the casing) are of less importance to me.Regards,

   Boris

   "Sir, I may be drunk, but you're crazy, and I'll be sober tomorrow" -- WC Fields, "Its a Gift" 1927

1. 
   Ragnar17 | Jan 02, 2003 11:51pm | #4

   Cutouts across the grain will be visible and are against the window jamb. 

   Are you using traditional windows here, or some sort of modern window where the sash rides in a jambliner?  In traditional windows, the stops will help cover any gaps between the stool and the jamb.  Even if you're using a modern window, it may be possible to apply some stops to add some extra detail.

   Adding decorative stops would be more work, but it may help your effort in the long run.  And of course, they do look nice.  I typically use a 1/2 x 1-3/8 ogee for window and door stops.

   Regards,

   Ragnar

1. 
   Scooter1 | Jan 03, 2003 12:33am | #5

   Good idea there Ragnar, about the stops.

   These are custom new double hung windows, with the sashes riding in a routed out vinyl pocket in the side jambs. Even the slightest molding (like a quarter round) at the apron would work to disguise the across the grain cutouts.

   Regards,

   Boris

   "Sir, I may be drunk, but you're crazy, and I'll be sober tomorrow" -- WC Fields, "Its a Gift" 1927

2. 
   Bruce | Jan 02, 2003 09:51pm | #3

   I like your idea of the aluminum piece; how about a long piece of aluminum angle screw into the subsill?  Then a few small clamps will hold your piece in place.

   How ever you hold your piece in place, I've usually had the best luck by sliding a small square up against the jamb, then depending on which way the jamb is out of square (usually) marking the front or back of my piece appropriately.  The I mark the other side of my piece showing the difference the jamb is out of square.  I do this all along the piece, then connect the dots to get my side cuts.  I also mark the depth of each notch at both corners; these are usually different too.  I do so hate the notches that are wider on the room side than against the window.    

   I use a 14 tpi crosscut saw for the crosscuts, then go in with a jigsaw with a hacksaw blade to take out the rest.  I usally undercut all the way around, then use a Nicholson pattern rasp to finish out to the lines.  These are real hard to find now, and are about $50 a copy, but I treat it like gold and can get 5-6 years out of one.  They not only cut extremely fast, but they leave a real fine edge.  If you do any amount of coping, it's a must-have for that too. 

   About the saw ... hit on a flea market and find yourself and old Disston or Nicholson saw, with that good old tempered steel blade.  Cut about 6" off the end, then have someone re-cut and set the teeth for 12-14 tpi.  Now treat it like gold too.  

1. 
   Scooter1 | Jan 13, 2003 06:28am | #6

   Hey, BEMW, I want to thank you and others for giving me some good tips.

   1. The tip on the handsaw was right on. The jig saw was not used, except for internal with the grain cuts. Everything else was done with a handsaw, which gave me straighter cuts, and more control. It is also easier to line up with marks than my jig saw. Thanks for that. I used an old Dovetail Back Saw for the work. Maybe that will make the tool box, instead of staying at home. I gained new respect for this handtool. Thanks!

   2. Ultimately, many of the stools took 2 shots, but a couple I got away with on the first try. Length and depth were consistent, but I f u c k e d up on a couple of the cuts. When I did, I just used the old piece as a template and adjusted accordingly. I was fortunate in that I milled up about 25 pieces of stool, and only needed about 12.

   3. The angled rabbet was a bit of a bear for me, but with a sliding bevel square and a couple test pieces, ripping that stock was fairly straight forward, if one went slowly and took several passes. Straight stock is absolutely necessary, and a couple of the longer pieces were slightly bowed, and had to be thrown out.

   4. The edge treatement was easy, as I found a router bit that mirrored what was in the home. Not perfect, but darn close. No bearing bit, so adjustment of the router fence was very crucial. It was impossible to rout the returns (too long), so we had to miter them, glue and nail them.

   5. Supporting the long stools was easy like others suggested using a couple sections of 2x4. Because the stools were so deep, we had to cobble 3 sections of 2x4 and mount this on some plywood for easy removal to the next window.

   6. Window stops could be made a bit wider to hide the seam between the stool and the finished jambs.

   7. The wide window stops could also hide the shims on the finished jambs. Some of the jambs were slightly shy of the finished wall, but not so shy that extensions were necessary, so we just ripped some strips of jamb material and tacked it into place. Cover the shims with casing and cover the seam between the jamb and the casing with the wide window stop. Coulnd't see any of the sloppy framing!

   Thanks again, for all who made the suggestions.

   Regards,

   Boris

   "Sir, I may be drunk, but you're crazy, and I'll be sober tomorrow" -- WC Fields, "Its a Gift" 1927