What would you consider to be the ideal wood(s) for window frames and sills?
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Are you in the Arizona desert or the Oregon coast?
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Thanks for responding.I'm in the Finger Lakes area of New York. It will be painted.The area of the house is about 150 years old. Historic replication is not required, But I'm going to replicate the windo to preserve the look of the house.I believe the jambs of the frame I removed are white pine, the sill may be the same. I may run a nail free chunk through the planer later in the day to get a better look at the wood.
Poplar takes paint well.
decays easily though
I'm thinking poplar or soft maple for the interior trim, the only part with any shaping. Everything else is flat, a couple dados, applied stops.
Rot resistance is the key. They might have white oak at the local mill, I'm headed there anyway.
That's a good choice.. Are your new windows going to be double glazed? If so then yes maple is a good choice for the interior.. However if not, you will have the same rot issues from frost buildup.
no double glazing, wood frame storm windows.
I might use white oak or mahogany for sills and use white pine for the rest of this myself, since it is all protected pretty well, but seal end grains before assembly.
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should work real well for you..
Thanks everybody.
I'm going white oak sill, white pine jambs, poplar or soft maple interior trim all of which grow on my property. I will not be using my own wood but it will be from the neighborhood.I'm just finishing a cherry door frame for a door in our home. I've taken that wood from tree to finished product. It makes you look at the wood and the trees with different eyes.
Not knowing if you are looking for paint or stain grade, so I'll just suggest cypress, mahogany, cedar, and maybe douglas fir (in no particular order) for their durability and workability. None are inexpensive though.
what climate?
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Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
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not cedar or pine, too soft, always seen them banged up by overzealous vacuuming ..
White Oak.. or black walnut..
Black walnut is ideal because it machines so well and sooooooo smooth. (it's also decay resistant)
White oak is also decay resistant and normally much cheaper.. you will need sharp cutters on your shaper though.
You can paint either one nicely but I would use stainless steel fastners because the tannic acid in any decay resistant wood will attack steel. You could also use silicone bronze or copper..
Honduran Mahogany, Spanish cedar, VG Fir, VG Red Cedar, eastern white pine, Longleaf yellow pine....