In stores you can find a large number of windows of all shapes and sizes. Most often, their frames are made of polymeric material (PVC), and products made of wood or aluminum can also be found on sale. If you want to get an inexpensive window for giving, which you can make yourself, then wooden window frames will be the best option. .
What are wood frames?
There are several modifications of structures from this material:
- The swing frame is the most common. In this case, one or two sashes can open.
- Sealed: no opening shutters, the window is deaf.
If you are not going to open the window in principle, and you only need to ventilate the room occasionally, the frame can be made with a window. This will help bring fresh air into the room efficiently.
Types of wooden windows by type of opening
How to choose tools and material?
Before you start doing , they need to be drawn. For work, you can choose wood of any species. The hardness of the wood will determine how difficult it is to process. For example, oak is the strongest material, but due to its hardness it is quite difficult to work with it. Oak planks or prefabricated elements for windows are an order of magnitude more expensive than similar ones from pine.
It is a common type of wood, it is the cheapest, softest, which makes it easy to process, however, it is a less durable tree. Larch, ash are well suited for frame elements.
The manufacture of wooden frames does not require the use of solid wood; glued beams can be dispensed with. A feature of this material is that it will not shrink after you mount the frame into the wall. That is why the beam is considered quite durable and reliable.
If you have thick enough plywood, you can use that as well. The sheets do not differ much in quality from a solid piece of board, they are able to serve for a long time, they will not shrink.
What tools are needed to assemble the structure?
To assemble wooden frames for yourself, you will need the following tools:
- Plane.
- Hand or circular saw. The second option should have various nozzles that will help simplify the work.
- Sanding machine, as well as a set of sandpaper sheets with different grits.
- Chisel.
Method for making a frame from a bar
You need to start work with preparation for long-term operation. To do this, it will need to be cleaned of all contaminants and treated with an antiseptic. Protected wood will not be afraid of fungi and dampness, and will be able to stand much longer. 
After the timber has dried out, you can begin the production of wooden frames. They usually do this, starting with the box. You will need a board, the size of which is 150x50 cm. You will need to make a slot in it with the letter G. This is necessary in order to make the window airtight. After that, the board is cut into 4 parts, equal in length. You will need to cut a groove on one part of the boards, and a spike on the other. In order for the fastening to turn out to be reliable, the spike must enter the groove tightly, with difficulty.
Cutting is best done with a circular saw. A chisel will help remove excess material, align the cut if it turned out to be not quite even.
It is more convenient to assemble the structure if the groove is placed on the vertical part of the frame, and the spike is placed on a horizontal plane.
Making wooden window frames requires precision, so after you cut out the necessary elements, you need to try to assemble the box. If all the parts come together, the box must be disassembled again, apply carpentry glue to the spike and groove, after which they make a final assembly of the structure.
The frame pieces should be at a 90 degree angle. For accuracy, you can use a square.
In order for the box not to fall apart and become rigid enough, it is reinforced with metal corners in the corners. Do not rush to install the structure in the wall. First, the glue must dry completely.
How to make and install a frame?
The manufacture of wooden frames for summer cottages does not end with the assembly of the box. After it is ready, you need to take care of. For its manufacture, a beam of 50x50 mm is required: the desired profile is cut out of it, the shape of which depends on what design your window will be and what width you will install the glazing bead.
The frame itself must be slightly smaller than the box so that it can be put into it. The gap should be about 2 mm. You will need a planer in order to create a profile. The finished element must be carefully sanded.
The production of wooden frames for windows follows the same principle as the assembly of the box. Saw out a castle in the design, spread it with glue and connect the elements. Outside, you can install metal corners, thanks to them the structure will become more durable.
Before installing the structure, it is recommended that it be treated with a stain. After the paint dries, hinges and sashes can be installed if the structure is openable.
Using plywood as the base material
To work with this material, it is desirable to have a jigsaw. Plywood should be taken moisture resistant with a minimum amount of damage and cosmetic defects. The most suitable will be plywood with a thickness of 9-15 mm. To make a frame, you will need to cut 4 strips, the width of which will be different. Each layer is treated with glue, connected, pressed down and allowed to dry.
Option for manufacturing a wooden window from slats
When working with plywood, the tenon-groove elements are taken into account in advance; it is not always possible and convenient to cut them out.
The second layer should be thinner than the first, this will allow the glass to be installed. For strength, the finished structure is fixed with self-tapping screws. Plywood is an analogue of glued laminated timber, only in this case you make it yourself.
Wooden window frames for summer cottages are an excellent inexpensive solution, if you have a tool, desire and improvised material, you can make them yourself, which will allow you to save a lot on buying a window.
Today, plastic windows are in the greatest demand among consumers, but this does not mean that wooden models have lost their relevance. The main advantage of such structures is as follows: almost anyone can make wooden windows with their own hands.
Advantages
Today, wooden windows with double-glazed windows are considered an elite option that not every homeowner can afford. In terms of their technical and operational characteristics, they are in no way inferior to PVC structures, and in terms of environmental safety they are in many ways superior.
The undoubted advantages of wood models include:
- naturalness;
- safety in use (they do not emit toxins during temperature changes, with high-quality installation they do not change their parameters);
- ease and convenience of installation, repair work;
- aesthetic appeal (dirt is almost invisible on wooden models);
- several opening options, mosquito net.
Of course, such designs are by no means cheap. But making them yourself is a way to save money.
Wooden windows made on special machines are distinguished by the accuracy of assembly. But compliance with all technological features of the process of connecting various structural elements will make it high-quality and reliable.
Tools
To make a similar window with your own hands, you will need the following tools:
- drill;
- a hammer;
- screwdriver;
- milling machine;
- roulette;
- ruler;
- glazing bead;
- glue;
- sealant;
- fasteners.
box
The most popular among the materials for the manufacture of the box among middle-class consumers is pine. It is affordable and practical to use.
An oak window will be of better quality. But this material is quite expensive, so experts do not recommend making a window structure from it for the first time. Also, do not use soft woods.
Pine boards that will be used for the box must be properly dried.
When buying a board, choose material without knots, cracks, undeformed. The box experiences the greatest load, so it must be made of high-quality board.
If glued laminated timber was chosen, then, subject to high-quality installation, you are guaranteed to receive a high-strength window, it will not change its parameters during operation.
To avoid subsequent deformation, the window block should be a couple of centimeters smaller than the opening.
Depending on the thickness of the window, a bar of a certain size is selected. The minimum indicator is 6 * 4 cm.
Grooves in the timber can be made using a milling cutter or an electric planer. Before carrying out this stage of work, it is best to practice on a separate piece of the board.
First you need to make measurements, according to which it will be possible to make a box. In the blanks for it, to a depth of 1.5 cm, grooves should be made in the shape of the letter G. The ends of the bars are cut down at an angle of 45˚. After that, all the elements of the window box must be connected with carpentry glue, make holes in them, through which insert wooden rods 3 cm long.
Do not forget to grease the holes for the wooden rods with glue.
Thus, the resulting structure will become fixed and rigidly fixed at a right angle.
The opening in which the box will be mounted must first be prepared: cleaned of debris and dirt, leveled. Holes should be drilled in the walls (in increments of no more than 80 cm), into which dowels should be driven. The box is fixed with self-tapping screws.
After that, with the help of mounting foam, it is necessary to close up all the gaps between the walls and the box. The advantage of this fixation is as follows: the design does not depend on temperature changes.
It must be remembered that the geometry of the window must be strictly observed: corners - 90˚, diagonal difference - no more than 10 mm, deviations in evenness - no more than 1 mm per 1 m of the length of the window block.
Frame
Experts advise to invite professional craftsmen to measure the frame, since the slightest mistake in the calculations can lead to undesirable consequences. It is best to make a frame from a bar with a cross section of at least 6 * 4 cm. For euro-windows, a bar is needed, the humidity of which does not exceed 12%. Oak, hornbeam, beech are ideal for such structures.
It is worth using whole pieces of timber for the manufacture of frames, it is better to make it from several boards in several layers, connecting each of them with wood glue; make sure that the fibers of each layer are perpendicular to the fibers of the previous one.
The number and thickness of glass, the parameters of the glazing bead depend on the shape of the frame profile. The single glass model has a pair of rectangular slots. The double-glazed window has an additional groove for the second glass.
The profile is shaped using a milling cutter or an electric planer. In this case, glass with a thickness of 4 mm and a glazing bead with a thickness of 10 mm are used.
The prepared boards are sawn, the sawing angle along the edges should be 45˚. They are connected like a thorn-groove and fixed on self-tapping screws so that their hats are recessed into the tree (if desired, they can be “hidden” under a mixture of glue and sawdust).
Then the entire structure is assembled, the joints are carefully coated with carpentry glue. After the frame is dry, the joints are sanded.
Window models with a sash need to install fittings.
Do not forget to treat all wooden components with an antiseptic composition before installing both the box and the frame.
Glasses can be mounted only after the frames are installed.
Installation Features
In order for a wooden window to be installed strictly horizontally, it is necessary to use mounting blocks. The window is carefully adjusted beforehand, then fixed with wedges.
If your window is more than 1.5 m, then install an additional mounting plate in the middle of the structure.
glass
It is important to correctly calculate the size of the glass, this will avoid the formation of cold bridges. Measurements are taken with an accuracy of 1 mm. When cutting glass with a diamond self-tapping screw, you must take care of safety precautions (use gloves to protect your hands, goggles to protect your eyes).
Prepared pieces of glass are inserted into the frame for fitting, then they are removed. Sealant is applied to the grooves and the glass is inserted again. Then the whole structure is fixed with a glazing bead using small nails.
Finishing touches
A fully prepared do-it-yourself structure is installed in the grooves and fixed on self-tapping screws.
Self-tapping screws must go through the box, a mounting gun will help you do this.
At the last stage, it is necessary to close up all the cracks with mounting foam, let it dry and plaster the surface of the walls.
After that, you can mount the ebbs and the window sill.
As you can see, making wooden windows with your own hands is quite possible. Of course, for this it is necessary to adhere to a certain sequence of work and observe some technological subtleties.
If you doubt that you can make such designs yourself, seek help from professional craftsmen. They will manufacture and install wooden windows quickly and efficiently.
Today, plastic windows have almost replaced wooden ones. Of course, the production of the latter has not completely stopped, it can even be stated that it is gradually expanding, and in the very near future we can expect its renaissance, however, wood windows have already moved into a higher price category.
Products that are in no way inferior to plastic, but significantly superior in environmental friendliness, and are much higher. For reasons of economy, many are interested in how to make a window frame with their own hands and whether a self-made window can become a full-fledged replacement for a manufactured product.
Preparing for production
It should be said that it will be possible to make a box and a frame with high quality, first of all, for someone who knows how to handle carpentry tools and approaches the work with due responsibility.
Most beginner home craftsmen will not be able to make a window frame with their own hands so that it is not inferior to the factory one, but at first you can make a window for a summer house or a workshop, in other words, hone your skills on “minor” objects. Often there windows are small, single-leaf or deaf. If you do not give in and resolutely approach the matter, it will turn out that everything is very simple.
The window consists of only 4 elements:
- wood;
- glasses;
- fasteners;
- accessories.
The main difficulty lies in the fact that to create it you need:
- selection of suitable material;
- accurate marking and high-quality processing of workpieces;
- accurate window assembly.
Figure 1. L-shaped box profile.
If the arguments "for" outweighed the arguments "against", then you can start making your first window frame with a frame.
For work you will need:
- pine board 150 x 50 mm;
- pine bars 50 x 50 mm;
- wooden dowels;
- drill;
- wood saw or circular saw;
- mallet;
- planer or its electrical equivalent;
- manual milling machine or chisel;
- window corners;
- self-tapping screws;
- square, tape measure, pencil;
- wood glue.
The primary task is to acquire sufficiently dried and even wood. Choose pine, as it is an inexpensive and easy-to-work material. Boards and bars need to be dried for another 10-12 days without any acceleration of the drying process, but under a canopy to hide them from rain and sunlight. If the material needs to be finished, process it with a planer.
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How to make a box
Figure 2. Profiles for a window with one pane and for a window with two panes.
First, a window frame is made. Its height and width should be 4-5 cm less than the opening. This will facilitate its installation and subsequent thermal and waterproofing. When marking on the boards, use a square. Make a selection under the frame in them with a milling cutter or an electric planer, as the diagram shows (Fig. 1). Cut the boards to the desired size.
The connection of the verticals and horizontals of the box is done in a "thorn groove" (the spikes are cut out on the crossbars). When making spikes and grooves, be careful, as the strength of the entire structure depends on your accuracy. When marking and trimming box parts, consider the dimensions of the sample made on the blanks. Spikes and grooves are cut out with a router, but not everyone has it, so you can use a hacksaw, mallet and well-sharpened chisels.
Assemble the box on a workbench or other flat surface. Check the corners with a square. Measure 2 diagonals, if both lengths are the same, the box is assembled correctly. Pull the box with self-tapping screws and drill 4 holes for the dowels.
Unscrew the screws, disassemble the workpieces, grease the spikes, grooves, dowels with glue and reassemble the structure together. Insert the dowels, once again check the squareness of the box and tighten it with fasteners completely. You can strengthen the structure with window corners. Leave it aside for now.
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Frame manufacturing
The window frame has a more complex profile. How it looks in cross section is shown by the following diagram (Fig. 2). A sample of 15 x 20 mm is made under the box. Samples 10 x 14 are for glass and bead. The dimensions of the frame must be less than the internal dimensions of the box by 1 mm on each side. This will compensate for the swelling of wood with high humidity.
If the tongue and groove joints and the installation of dowels in the manufacture of the box were a desirable condition, since it can be rigidly fixed when installed in a window opening, then these structural elements are mandatory for the frame. The opening sash is subjected to more intense loads, and its lack of rigidity can lead to skew.
As you can see from the diagram, the bars can be prepared for either double or single glazing. Make an appropriate selection on them and cut the bars according to the selected dimensions for the width and height of the frame. Prepare the spikes and grooves. Assemble the frame into one piece. Checking the correctness of the assembly is carried out in the same way as in the manufacture of the box. Make holes for the dowels, disassemble the frame and grease all contact surfaces with glue. Assemble the frame, check the corners, hammer the dowels with a mallet, tighten the frame with self-tapping screws.
How to make a window with your own hands? If there is a desire, then, knowing some of the nuances, you can easily cope with this task. For example, handicraft wooden windows are in great demand during the construction of a summer house or a covered veranda. Or maybe you are planning to make a workshop? Then for it you will also need wooden window structures.
And if you try and use high-quality materials, you can make a window for a house or apartment. The main thing is that your future device meets the requirements of good tightness and perfectly correct geometry. In addition to saving money, you will get a window that is warm, durable and safe for human health.
You can increase its service life if you use various compounds in your work that allow you to reliably protect wooden surfaces from negative influences.
Of course, you are unlikely to be able to compete with factory production, since assembly accuracy suffers a little during manual work. But subject to the technology relating to the joints of the details of the window structure, it is quite possible to obtain a high-quality result.
The solution to the question: how to make plastic windows with your own hands requires professional equipment and certain skills, therefore it is not available to everyone. Let's look at how to make a window with your own hands using available materials, such as wood.
Preparatory stage
To work, you will need a number of tools that you need to prepare in advance. It:
- screwdriver;
- glass cutter;
- a hammer;
- drill;
- chisel;
- electric planer.
After all the necessary tools have been prepared, you need to take measurements and make a large-scale drawing of the future window structure. Based on its performance, you can easily calculate the amount of material that will be needed to manufacture the system. When the preparatory work has come to an end, you can proceed directly to the manufacture of the box.
The wood that is most often used to create a do-it-yourself window is pine. It is affordable, practical and affordable. Of course, a window made of oak will be both stronger and more durable, but if you decide to make it yourself for the first time, then it is better not to experiment with expensive materials.
- The quality of the raw material must meet the following requirements: well dried, free from damage and other defects such as cracks or knots. When choosing a material, keep in mind that the future box will be located in the opening and it will have all the main load.
Some experts advise using glued laminated timber for the manufacture of windows. It is believed that this design has increased strength and copes well with various influences that cause deformation.
You will need a board, the size of which corresponds to the value of 150x50 mm. On the details of the box, you need to make grooves resembling the letter G in shape, their depth should be about 15 mm. All four blanks of the future box must be connected to each other using wood glue.
After that, it is necessary to make holes and place a wooden rod in them, the length of which is at least 3 cm. This way will ensure that the connection is reliable and it will meet the necessary requirements for rigidity and immobility.
The installation of the box in the window opening is carried out in such a way that it is motionless. To do this, it is necessary to drill holes in the wall and drive dowels into them. Self-tapping screws are used for fixing.
All gaps formed between the window frame and the wall must be treated with mounting foam, which acts as a sealant. Please note that the installation is carried out without taking into account the mobility of the boards, which is possible when exposed to temperature changes.
Do-it-yourself frame device
To make a frame yourself, you will need to purchase a beam with a section of 6x4 cm. You can also use a large beam, it will depend on the design of your future window.
The profile shape of the frame will depend on how many glasses are planned to be used, their thickness, as well as the size of the glazing beads.
- If the profile will have one glass, then you will need two rectangular grooves, which are necessary in order to place the glass and subsequent installation in the box.
- If the profile is double-glazed, then you need to make another groove. To make a frame profile yourself, you will need either an electric planer or a milling cutter. The standard version of the glass thickness corresponds to a value of 4 mm, and the glazing bead is 10 mm.
After the boards are prepared, you can start assembling the frame. For this purpose, the boards are sawn in accordance with the dimensions at an angle of 45 degrees. The connection should be in the nature of "thorn-groove". To increase the immobility of the entire structure, it is also necessary to use self-tapping screws.
Please note that they are screwed in in such a way that the caps do not protrude above the surface of the tree and are recessed into the wood.
Glass works
Particularly important in this stage of work is the exact determination of the size of the glass. This will allow you to ensure a snug fit, therefore, will save the design from possible cold bridges. Measurements are taken, taking into account values up to 1 mm.
To cut glass, you will need a diamond glass cutter. The end parts of the prepared glass must be processed with sandpaper. And yet, it is very important when working with glass to comply with the basic safety requirements. These include:
- use of protective gloves. Thus, you protect your palms from possible cuts;
- eye protection is also mandatory, since the ingress of glass chips or dust into them can cause a minimum of discomfort, a maximum of serious damage.
When working with a glass cutter, the cut is made using a ruler along which the tool is guided. It is necessary that the ruler be longer than the length of the glass being cut.
After that, the glass is moved to the very edge of the table and pressure is applied by hand. Ideally, it should break strictly along the line drawn by the glass cutter.
The cut glass must be tried on to the window frame, making sure of the right size and pulled out.
Now all the grooves of the window frame, in which the glass will be placed, are treated with a hermetic composition and only then the glass itself is placed there. For additional fastening, a bead is used. It helps to fix the glass in the frame. Its fixation is carried out with the help of thin nails. If you use wide glazing beads, then their fastening will be possible with the help of self-tapping screws.
With the option of a window consisting of two parts, it is necessary to mount a bar of a vertical nature in the center of the frame, equipped with grooves of the same nature. Half of such a window must be run separately. Note that it is narrower than the first one. Its fastening to the frame of the main character is carried out with the help of loops. As a result of these actions, you will receive a sash that will open.
The last stage of installation work
After the window is completely ready, it must be inserted into the box and securely fixed. Fastening is carried out using self-tapping screws that pass through the box through. For this purpose, you will need a mounting gun and metal dowels.
The gaps present after assembly are processed with mounting foam. After it has dried, you can start plastering work.
Like any other window, a wooden one requires the installation of a low tide and a window sill. On this, the independent production of the window comes to an end. Good luck!
Thinking about replacing windows? Do not rush to buy popular plastic, because in Europe wooden windows are considered to be of better quality. In the domestic market, wooden euro-windows are much more expensive than plastic ones, but you can make an excellent quality wooden window with your own hands. As a result, it can even be cheaper than factory plastic.
Selection and preparation of wood
The main requirements in windows are imposed on the profile, so it is necessary to choose high-quality wood for wood. Windows can be made from different types of trees. Mostly pine, oak and ash. For elite windows, modrina or even more valuable breeds are used.
For beginners, it is better to take pine, in case some part is damaged. Pine is cheaper than other species.
It is unprofitable to make a window profile from a whole wooden beam: too much waste is obtained and the product becomes too expensive. In addition, glued laminated timber is a 100% guarantee that the window will not dry out or deform from moisture.
For a window profile, glued laminated timber is chosen from 2 or 3 layers. What is glued timber? These are 2-3 boards glued together. Modern high-quality glue gives the tree additional strength.
Preparatory stage
To make the work go easily and quickly, it is better to prepare in advance a small set of tools for window production:
- Electric planer;
- chisel;
- Screwdriver;
- Drill;
- glass cutter;
- A hammer.
To make a window, of course, it is necessary to take measurements and draw a future product.
How to make a window from glued laminated timber with your own hands? First, you should cut a solid beam into planks. Only those blanks that are sawn radially or near-radially are suitable for the window. What does it mean? If you saw a tree trunk in half, and then cut it into boards perpendicular to the cut, then the boards cut from the central part should be taken. Of course, we do not accept boards with defects. You can return to them later by cutting out knots, cracks and resinous areas.
Selected boards are glued together and dried. Their optimal length should be no more than 6 meters. When gluing, they should be placed so that the fibers along the beam are directed in different directions. This will get rid of the effect of residual stress in the wood - the timber will not twist.
Many firms buy ready-made glued beams from carpentry workshops. You can do the same.
For durability, all wooden parts must be treated with special solutions before the window is assembled.
Installing the window frame
The board of the box should have a size of 15050 mm. On all the details of the box, it is necessary to cut grooves in the shape of the letter "L" with a depth of approximately 15 mm. In this case, the grooves of one board must be aligned with the grooves of the other. After that, the box must be assembled by connecting the boards with wood glue. After the glue has dried, through holes are drilled at the joints, into which small wooden rods need to be hammered. This will provide the box with a strong and reliable connection.
The box in the window opening must be securely fastened. To do this, we drill holes in the wall and hammer dowels into them. The box will be attached to the dowels with self-tapping screws and fastening strips. We blow out the gaps between the box and the wall with mounting foam. It will act as a sealant.
In order for rainwater to flow freely from a wooden profile, the angle of inclination of its horizontal planes should be 15 degrees.
After installing the window, do not forget to plaster the foam: under the influence of the sun, it loses its properties over time and collapses.
Making a window frame
The frame of a standard window is made from a bar with a section of 64 cm. The shape of the frame will depend on how many glasses you intend to install in it and on the thickness of the glazing beads. For each glass you need 1 rectangular groove. Plus one groove is required for installation in the box.
When all the grooves are selected, we begin to assemble the frame. To do this, we cut the boards obliquely at an angle of 45 degrees. And again we apply the technology of spikes and grooves, as in the case of the box. We give additional rigidity to the structure with self-tapping screws.
How to install glass?
To cut the required glass, the measurement must be taken very accurately. Even 1 mm of error will create a cold bridge. We cut the glass sheet with a diamond glass cutter, and grind the edge with fine sandpaper. We draw a line with a glass cutter using a ruler, which must necessarily be longer than a sheet of glass. Having outlined the fault in this way, we hold the glass with one hand, and with the other we press a little on the cut off part. In this case, the glass should break off neatly and evenly along the intended line.
