However hectic and crazy our lives have been through this trasformation, no matter how many things change along the way, the tasks around the house we've needed to take care of haven't magically taken care of themselves. Case in point: Wendy decides to make a career altering decision to pursue a passion in real estate that hopefully results in an ultra fulfilling and enjoyable period of her life. Meanwhile, I still haven't finished the storm windows I've been "working on" for five years. I'm so lame.

We left off in my first window build rundown with the storm frame assembled, but that's really only about 1/2 of the build process. If you'll recall, I want to be able to change out our storm's glass during the nicer months for screens. This will hopefully promote a more comfortable and bug free spring and fall, while also allowing for a more energy efficient and quiet winter and summer. Good plan? Yep, I think so too.

I decided to start the replaceable frame efforts with the true divided light glass panels. Though I'm relatively sure the screens will be an overall easier undertaking, I want to both make sure the glass panels work and put myself into a position where I have actual storm windows. You know, if I don't get around to the screen inserts all that soon. (Preposterous idea that I wouldn't be timely, I know!)

For the front windows I wanted to do something that felt a little bit more authentic with these storms. Since the front of our home retains its original character, I've opted to do a 2 over 2 storm window to mimic the antique and original sash. I'm not sure I'll do this on the back windows, but for the front, it's worth the extra work and effort.

Each frame is fairly simple. My plan was to cut five sticks for each frame. Four sticks would make up the border of the while the fifth would sit as a vertical middle divider making up the 2 over 2 look.

Since I had already assembled the outer frame and cut rabbets around the exterior, using the dado blade I proceeded to cut matching rabbets around the sides and top of the frame.

However the bottom of each frame needed to match the angle I cut into the bottom rail of the outer frame. Remember, I did this to hopefully keep water from sneaking back through the storm and into the window sill area.

Once the outer rabbets were cut, I cut the rabbets that will ultimately accept the glass panels and glazing once everything is assembled. I wanted to give the glass as much of a relief as possible, knowing the more glazing I could fit into the area the better off I'd be long term. But this was a balance with wanting to ensure the glass was supported by enough wood on the back side of the frame. I opted for about 5/8" deep rabbets cut with about 3/4" relief. Hopefully this will all ultimately be sufficient. I think it will, but only time will tell.

The final step was to get a perfect fit on the center mullion pieces (I guess I'll call them mullions). I took great care to make sure it all fit as expected. Measure 400 times, cut once.

After extensive measuring, checking, trimming, etc, I finished by glueing up each frame assembly for the first window.

After the above photo I laid in and glued up the center piece as well. Rather than doing a mortise and tenon on these inner frames, I decided to simply glue then screw in the corners with an exterior grade screw. It felt like cheating a bit, but I think it will be better in the long run.

Once the frames were glued and dry, I was able to put a full assembly together and check my progress.

So far so good. I have what one can actually call a "window looking wood structure." The view you're seeing is the inside look. It fits the intended window's opening rather perfectly and I'm incredibly hopeful that we will have functional storm windows at some point in the future. How's that for a vague and in-exact statement on timeframe?

We still need to sand this whole thing down to make all of the joints and lines smooth and without significant flaw. We'll also need to do a few prep items prior to setting the glass, glazing, and painting, but I largely have the supplies we'll need. I have found a local supplier for the glass, so I'm going to have to drive up and check out their product. More on that in a future post.

More than anything, I'm hopeful. Primarily I'm hopeful I'll be able to finally check this long overdue project at least partially off my list. I don't know how long it will take to do all 10 of our windows, but the five originals are in my sights.

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The next step in our process was to draw up some good plans and get to building these long overdue windows. I went through several drafts of "plans," each one a slight evolution on the prior, and before I cut the first piece of wood I put together a concept drawing of what the various size and shapes of the windows will be.

As I mentioned in the last post on the subject, I want to treat this as a frame that will be mounted in place, and then create a series of glass or screen panels that can be changed out as the seasons dictate. The drawing I made reflects this approach. Although I would have liked to have a bit more material at all of the critical points of the window to support the panels, I didn't want to overdo it and make the storms so large that their profile would obscure the view from inside of the house. Once I had all of the significant measurements according to my plans, and all of the height and width measurements of the first window, I got to work building the frame.

The first step was to rip the lengths of cedar to the sizes I needed. The cedar I ordered came in 4" and 6" widths. I carefully calculated the best way to rip the boards to minimize waste given their size, and the size of the pieces I'd need for the project.

With the top and sides cut, I moved on to the middle dividing rail and the bottom rail of the window. Though I planned to rabbet most of these boards to accept the panels, these two pieces were a little different. Since the bottoms of both panels will rest on these elements and I wanted to ensure water would not end up pouring into the air gap between the storm and window. I needed to figure out a way to make sure the water would run away from the house and window if it ended up coming in sideways (like during a driving rain storm). To accomplish this rather than cut the pieces square, I placed a slight angle on the cut. This way if any water decides to run into that part of the wood, it will fall away almost as quickly rather than running into the house. At least that's the plan.

After the five pieces that will make up the frame were ripped to their proper size, I set up the dado blade along with a sacrificial fence to rabbet the interior parts to eventually accept the panels. This was a simple and shallow dado, but it left enough material to really support each panel on three sides in each opening.

I debated for quite some time on how I wanted to ultimately assemble this frame. On one hand, I could use pocket holes and screws at each joint. This was the quickest and easiest solution, but definitely not the best. Pocket holes would require me to fill them after the fact and also wouldn't allow for much room for expansion and contraction of the wood, possibly leading to excess warping and finished product failure. This is a perfect example of using pocket holes for unconventional purposes isn't always the best answer. 

Instead I decided I wanted to take a little extra time and do true mortise and tenon joints at each meeting point on the outer frame. I figured out where each tenon would fit and got to work on my bench top mortiser.

A little while later I cut the tenons using the dado blade on the table saw and was on my way to assembly.

The areas of the rails that included that slight angle required me to use my chisel to ease the edge of the mortise to accept the angle cut into the rails.

Things were fitting nice and tight and I was able to see the whole thing starting to come together.

But before I got ahead of myself I tried to dry fit the frame in the master bedroom opening and take a few measurements for the panels.

Did I ever mention our house is old? Yeah, it's true, about 125 years actually. And with those years come some settlement and sagging (thanks, gravity). And with that settlement and sagging comes some windows that are completely out of square. The end result? My dry fit was close, but needed a little adjustment. So a little trim here, a little shave tere, and we were back in business with a good fit. I primarily ended up trimming the boards with the dado blade to make slightly longer tenons and then just chopped the ends a little. Here's one of those tenons before I trimmed it down to the right size.

With the first frame done I decided it was a good time to take stock of what had gone well, and what could be improved upon for the next window. I mean, I do have about 10 of these things to build in total.

Good:

• Construction seemed solid
• Sizes seem to work
• Mortise and tenon wasn't horribly difficult
• Cedar was working out and smelling great while being cut

Bad:

• Remember to reset the angle on the saw *before* cutting
• Determine the location of the meeting rail once the frame is actually in its opening (don't just guess and check)
• Remember to take the clean, folded laundry out of the basement *before* cutting a lot of cedar or your laundry will smell like a Guinea pig's cage

With everything set for size, I laid the whole assembly flat and clamped the first frame together. I still need to sand everything down to make it nice and smooth, but we're well on the way to one of 10 windows complete. Oh joy.

Although this project is embarrassingly years behind schedule, I'm really happy to finally be knocking out some progress. After all, if we go through another winter without storm windows, I think I may be sleeping on the couch permanently. 

Am I getting ahead of myself with my enthusiasm, or are you starting to see how this project will come together? Do you have any experience building storm windows? Maybe you're in the midst of a woodworking project? I'd love to hear what you're up to.

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Actually, ever since we removed those old triple track storms in 2005 I've been in my planning stages to build us some custom wood storm windows. I'm not going to call myself slow (I'll leave that to Wendy), instead i'll go with "thorough."

I've discussed my various ideas and approaches with everyone from neighbors to contractors, and almost everyone says, "Why not just replace your windows?" I usually either stare blankly until they leave the room, or if I'm drinking something I try to do a good old fashioned spit take in their face, it makes for good renovation comedy. 

Honestly, we've never even once considered window replacements for the original windows we still have. Long ago I read an article comparing old windows to new windows and learned some very interesting facts that really weren't surprising when I thought about it.

Fact 1: "A properly maintained historic wooden true divided light sash with weather stripping and storm window are nearly as energy efficient as a top of the line modern replacement window."

Fact 2: "An historic wood window with storm and proper maintenance will outlast a replacement by 100 years or more."

Fact 3: "Bears like beets. Bears, beets, Battlestar Galactica." (Wait, that's from something else.)

Beyond the character our old windows bring to our home's interior and exterior, the fact that keeping them is more eco friendly, or our desire to maintain the original fabric and historic integrity of our home, keeping our original windows and applying new storms is actually a better and far more cost effective long term solution for our house.

All that being said, we don't want to replace the old triple track storms that we removed with new triple track storms. We don't like how they look, we feel like they detract from the front of the house, and I just plain don't like them and how they function. Did I mentioned I don't like them?

It's also very important to remember that storm windows aren't a newfangled contraption. Homeowners have long known the benefits of applying an outer window to cover their inner windows to help keep warm in the winter, so why not do it the old way?

My research (see...thoroughness) led me to several places that make custom fixed glass wood storm windows. These storms typically hang or are clipped to the outside of a window assembly by way of mounting hardware on the exterior molding. They often mimic the look of the interior window, such as a two-over-two configuration, or have two large pieces of fixed glass, one in front of the upper sash, one in front of the lower. In the cases I've seen, all panes are fully fixed in place and are not movable. With these fixed glass storms you would put them up in the fall, take them down in the spring, and if we wanted to open a window while they are installed, the storms might lean out a bit to let fresh air in. Smith Restoration Sash sells a storm stay for just this purpose.

I walked around Old Town and was able to find a handful of houses that have this style of storm window. I really prefer the look of these storms to the aluminum triple tracks, and it just feels like the right option on our house. Sure, there's more maintenance involved in upkeep over painted aluminum, but I think a coat of paint every few years isn't a steep price to pay for a much better looking end result.

The problem with this approach, though it is the most historically accurate, is that it seems to be the least flexible. Storing the windows would be cumbersome, installing them each year is difficult and potentially dangerous to passers by (knowing me and my track record, I'd drop one on someone while changing it out), and there are no real options for screens in the warmer months. Besides all of that, the cost for these custom windows from a window shop, even just for five of them, yowza! We're looking at prices into the thousands!

Photo Credit: Adams Architectural Millwork Co.

Several years ago I saw an ad in Old House Journal for "wood triple track storms" created by SpencerWorks They supposedly looked like older storms, but had all of the convenience of the newer triple tracks with an embedded bronze track in the wood window. I liked the idea a lot, but I'd love to do my own version.

This concept got me thinking, how difficult would it be to build my own version of this? It wouldn't be a triple track, but it would be something more flexible and manageable than the large removable storms. So I got to work on a plan.

As I see it, we can have our cake and eat it too. The storms need to essentially be a frame that fits into our window openings and allows us to insert the panels we'd prefer, be it glass panels or screens. In our case, we'd be able to insert a fixed glass panel in the winter, but put in screens in the summer. This would be far easier to store in the off seasons since the only things being moved in or out are the smaller panels that would cover each sash (not the whole window), and would be easier to maneuver when installing since the pieces are so much smaller. To me it sounded like a win win. I even drew up a little sketch for how I planned to execute the build.

With the overall approach and concept down I started to focus on materials. I knew I didn't want to use any standard pine, there's no way it would hold up to the elements. Instead I wanted to use the wonderful weather resistant benefits of Western Red Cedar. I've long read of this miraculous species of wood, and without the choice of old growth tight grain yellow pine (the stuff available about 100 or more year's ago), I figured Western Red Cedar was a good option.

I found an online supplier (Sound Cedar Company) that I could order 4/4 kiln dried WRC in the lengths I needed. About a week after ordering all of it arrived just begging to be turned into storm windows.

The cedar is neatly stacked in the basement and has been crying out for a little attention for the past few weeks. Though the wait has been long, I'm finally to a point where the project is thoroughly underway. Keep your fingers crossed for me, I think I'm going to need some patience on this project. I don't think there is a square window opening in the house. I'll just keep my eye on the prize, a warm and quiet house and bedroom.

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If you're not familiar with a mortiser's role in a woodshop, essentially it's used to make slots in any of your material that will ultimately accept tenons (square pegs cut on the end of wood) from adjoining material for a secure joint.

At its core, the mortiser is little more than a drill press with some specialized setup. However, don't make the mistake I initially made in my expectation that any old drill press with a mortising jig attachment would do the same job.

Initially I tried to use my small Delta drill press as a mortiser. I purchased a mortising jig, which consisted of a few bolt, clamp, and screw on attachments for the drill press to turn it into a mortiser. While this was good in theory, and a great way to have more space by needing to buy fewer things, in implementation it left something to be desired.

The main problem was with the drill press's support. The plate was not sturdy or secure enough to achieve a consistent pattern of holes. Beyond this, the drill press I have is a small and entry level press (it's in the background of the photo above), the whole thing just doesn't lend itself to being a mortiser because of its construction. I kept getting holes off center, different sizes, and tear out on the back of the material. The final problem was that the jig just kept slipping and was simply not working well.

After some frustration on the first project I used the mortising jig, I decided I would invest in a tool built specifically for mortising, so I purchased a Jet bench top mortiser.

I already owned the Jet brand table saw and really liked it, and I read several reviews about how sturdy, reliable, and accurate the mortiser was, so I opted to go this route. I ordered from Amazon and it arrived well packaged and oiled (as it seems most Jet tools do) just a few days later.

Setup was simple as the whole thing came almost completely assembled. I just had to bolt on the arm, setup the fence, apply the bit collar, and install my first bit to make an initial cut.

The unit came with three sizes of mortise bits with cutting sleeves, 1/8", 1/4", and 1/2". Each is essentially a long drill bit that is turned by the drill press part of the assembly, with an outer square sleeve that is like a hollow square chisel. As the arm of the mortiser is pulle towards your body, the chisel and bit contact the material. The bit clears the middle of the cut while the chisel portion cuts away the edges making a nice slot for your project.

One key I learned to making a good cut is to clearly mark your slot location, and begin your cuts with holes at either side of the slot. Then, once the sides are cut, clear the material from the middle. This ensures that you slot is only as wide as it needs to be and reduces any issues of the bit pulls to the one side or another. The bit often trys to follow a path with less cutting, so if your cutting right next to another cut, it may pull to the side just a little bit.

I used the mortiser over the weekend to make the mortises in the side rails of the storm window. Using our 1/2" bit, each rail has three slots cut for the cross pieces of the storms.

Though I'm using glue to join the mortise and tenons, the joint on its own is actually rather strong. If I wanted to I could have easily drilled holes in the finished joint and secured them with simple wood pegs. I would have probably even used square pegs, which I could have drilled holes for using the mortiser.

I realize that a bench top mortiser is a bit of a luxury, and many won't have a particular need for this tool, but if you're doing any woodworking even the slightest bit often that requires mortise and tenon joinery, it may be worth your while to pick one up.

Do you have any experience with this tool or a similar one? How about any good stories regarding the use of the drill press turned mortise machine kit. I'd especially love to hear if you had any successes with one.

Did you enjoy reading this post? Want to learn more about our first-hand experiences with other tools, devices or items used throughout our renovation? If so, check out our complete list of product reviews in our Toolbox Tuesday section. 

Note: We weren't compensated for this review. We simply want to share good products when we see them, and hope that learning from our mistakes can help save you time, money and frustration.

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We've been working hard behind the scenes here at Old Town Home to tackle this project, and our big conquered closet clutter reveal will be featured on February 9. We encourage you to pop on over to Brooklyn Limestone today as Mrs. Limestone is offering a sneak peek of all projects. Can anyone guess which one is ours?

In the more immediate future, we have a situation this weekend that needs some attention. Have you ever reached a point in a project where you either don't know what to do next or just can't get yourself motivated? Hopefully you said "yes" and I'm not alone (I'll just assume you did). In that case, have you ever reached a point in several projects that are going on at the same time where you just don't know what to do next, so you just sit around watching TV and wonder why you aren't actually working on something? Yeah, that's happening to me.

So I would like your help this weekend. I need you to tell me what to do. I know, I could just let Wendy tell me what to do, but I do that every other day of the week, so this weekend it's your chance. Don't worry, I'm sure she won't mind. 

Here's a quick little poll so you can offer your two cents. Just select from one of three of our ongoing projects and the one that gets the most votes by tomorrow morning when I start working is the one that I'll work on for the rest of the weekend.

If you need some more information on any of these options to help you make a better decision, here's where I currently stand.

Basement Cleaning

If you're a regular around here, you know I have a bit of a hoarding issue when it comes to wood and tools. But if you're new to the site, you might want to check out Wendy's public shaming of me and my basement mess. Yep, it's that bad.

I've been hard at work on operation basement cleanup, but there's still quite a bit left to do. Let's put it this way, I'm no longer falling over stuff in the basement, now I'm just gently tripping on it. Anyhow, if you're interested in me working on our cleanup resolutions that we've been hammering away on, vote for "Clean Basement" in the poll.

Storm Window Construction

This goes back to December and my declaration to complete the DIY construction of wood storm windows on five of our original windows. 

I've been working on this project, but not as much as I should have been. It doesn't look like I'll meet the January 31 deadline I set for myself, which is bumming me out a little bit. On the other hand, we've been making strides in other areas, so I'm not feeling too guilty. So if you'd like to see me work on our storm windows this weekend, vote for "Storm Windows" in the poll.

Miscellaneous Paint Stripping

This is a little out of left field, but we have a bunch of window casings and sash stops that have needed the paint stripped off of them for quite a long time. 

Once these pieces of wood are paint free I can begin the process of repainting and reinstalling them where they need to go, the first steps in restoring our old windows to their previous glory. This isn't a critical item, or a particularly exciting item, but it's an item that still needs to get accomplished. If you want me to spend the weekend with my paint stripper, dental tools, and a respirator, vote for "Misc Paint Stripping."

Friends and readers of Old Town Home, the decision is yours. I leave the productivity fate of the weekend in your hands. Do me proud, and if you feel particularly passionate about any one project, leave a comment and let me know your justification for why you think I should do the thing you vote for. A sincerely compelling argument could help be a good tie breaker.

The Results Are In

Well, it looks like more than half of you think I should clean the basement this weekend, and I must oblige. Thanks for weighing in, I hope I can do you all proud and get to a point where we can say the basement is clean. Well, at least "clean" enough to really get some storm window work done next week. :-)

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