Extreme DIY – Double glazed Sliding Sash Windows
* Extreme DIY Warning * This is project not for the faint of heart.
I have already built one sliding sash window as a working prototype. It’s been installed now for for over a year and I’m happy with the basic design. For more details of the prototype build please visit my Sliding Sash Blog.
The next step is to have a bit of re-think on some of the details and make five more for the rest of the house. At the same time I’ll be recording, photographing and possibly videoing how to make them.
The intention is to provide the resource I was looking for when I started out on designing and building sliding sash windows a couple of years ago. I would have been quite happy to buy the plans at the time but could find any. Details are available of traditional single glazed windows but double glazing means quite a re-think.
The cost of purchasing modern sliding sash windows from a manufacturer or skilled joiner is way out of my budget. I’m also not convinced that all the design details they incorporate are appropriate. It seems to be a booming market at the moment and I think there are some poor designs being manufactured and sold for a lot of money. I want design that will work for many years, that looks right and doesn’t cost the earth.
This leaves me with the only alternative to design and make my own sash windows.
I have spent hours and hours researching and testing various ideas to come up with a near perfect design. I’m hoping it’s going to be worth it. For a start instead of paying around £1000+ per window I should be able to build my own for less than £300 each. On Six windows thats saving me more than £4200. Certainly more than enough to pay for the extra woodworking tools I’ve had to buy.
On top of this I intend to sell the plans as a e-book to those who appreciate the effort I’ve put in and fancy benefiting from the time I’ve spent.
When I’ve finished this batch I will have the plans, construction details and methods completed. These will be formatted as a step by step guide to building your own Double Glazed Sliding Sash Windows.
I’ll also but some articles together that covers the subject of sliding sash windows, double glazing in timber and the rational behind the design that I’ve put together.
This really is extreme DIY. Sash windows are certainly not the easiest thing in the world to make yourself and it sounds like you have put countless hours into making these to the highest standard possible.
FourEd, Yes it’s extreme DIY but fairly moderate woodworking. It’s not so much the making that takes the time but coming up with a design to solve all the little details to high standard for performace, longevity, aesthetics and ease of making.
Hi, I have read your original window blog with interest. I very much like the idea of making my own sash windows (or similar), but lack the confidence to know where to start. I would really appreciate a step by step (very basic) guide, and would be willing to pay (a modest sum) for. Especially If I could ask you questions as and when I get stuck. Would also be interested in what tools I need (as I don’t have many) and would need to figure out what is worth investing in etc.
I am by no means great at woodwork, but am generally handy enough, especially if I have good enough instructions. Like most of these things it appears to me that it is having the nerve to get in a try it (and learn from mistakes) that is the key.
Ben,
I hope I’m going to end up with exactly what you need. In the way of plans and instructions to make the windows.
I justified buying the tools I need from the saving over buying bespoke windows. On top of the normal woodworking handtools I’ve been using :
Thicknesser, Table saw and Table mounted router. I’ll not be detailing all the ins and outs of using these, so you might want to start looking into whats available and how to use them.
I’ve done a review on my planer / thicknesser and put some basic info together on buying timber and preparing timber. These might start you in the right direction.
There’s lots of advice available on the web and some great forums. I find Get Woodworking very friendly and encouraging particulally to those wanting to start out.
“Learning from Mistakes” I’ve done plenty of that. It’s part of the process, if you can keep that in context, you can do almost anything!
All the best
Andy
Thanks Andy,
I have been doing a lot of reading over the past few weeks, to try and decide exactly what tools to invest in etc. There seems to be some decent second hand routers etc on ebay. Do you have any views on plunging routers as opposed to table mounted, as in, some people seem to say that you can just mount a plunging router under any given table, others don’t seem so confident. There seems to be way more plungers on the market than fixed base routers.
In terms of saws, there are very few table saws around. Would a mitre saw suffice for most jobs, or is there a specific reason why an actual table saw in neccessary?
Thanks Again
Ben
Ben, A plunge router is what you need to mount in a simple table. The plunging mechanisum then works as the depth control. As for recomendations, the best advice is get the best you afford. Try some of the forums for specific advice. (I have a Trend router in a Record Power table)
You need a Table saw or band saw to cut down (rip) the length of timber, a mitre saw is for cross cutting only.
Regards
Andy