Thread: Plantation Shutters

maybr i should said widow shutters

Guy

I have never made them but I used to sell them. Very expensive. They mainly used to be made from Western Red Cedar.

They could be made from any timber but the lighter the better because of the amount of timber in them the would be fairly heavy.

They are also finished in a white polyurathane finish as well there is a company making them from Aluminium.

I saw some kind of dowelling jig at the canberra wood show that reportedly help to make these. Not entirely sure how it worked, but might be worth checking out. I can get the details out of my files (read pile of papers) if you want. Cedar would be the best bet as they should be out of the rain (I suspect) and lighter would be better.

Trav

I saw some kind of dowelling jig at the canberra wood show that reportedly help to make these. Not entirely sure how it worked, but might be worth checking out. I can get the details out of my files (read pile of papers) if you want. Cedar would be the best bet as they should be out of the rain (I suspect) and lighter would be better.

Trav

I am pretty sure the jig you are referring to is the OZZIE Jig. It is very expensive for what it is. I would suppose that if you did a lot of these then it would pay for itself.

Russ

I suppose the Ozzie Jig is a bit expensive but it is built to last and, if you take the time to watch the demos and read the instructions, it is very versatile. I bought one a couple of years ago and, not having a biscuit joiner, it gets used for a lot of projects, furniture carcases, panelled door frames, table tops etc.
As you drill both pieces at the same time, the dowels always line up and the faces of the timber never need more than a light sanding after glueing for the joint to be perfectly flush, so as long as you cut everything square to start with, any shutter frame will be straight.
SWMBO wanted those shutters on the windows and ordered them from the commercial suppliers, I wouldn't want to do all that work without a pretty sophisticated workshop, given the fancy profiles on the leaves.

I used to do the materials purchasing and cut sheets for a company that made plantation shutters.

We offered them in three options:

All MDF - This was the least expensive, but an MDF frame isn't going to be as strong as a hardwood. I think we eventually stopped offering this, as we were getting too many repair calls on them.

Basswood frame with MDF louvers - This was the midrange. Basswood is a very strong and very light wood, but the MDF louvers were still a bit flimsy.

All Basswood - Top of the line. The only disadvantage to having basswood louvers is that they were more likely to warp than the MDF, but they were also less likely to break.

I don't check in here nearly often enough, but if I may be of further assistance, you are welcome to PM me.

bat

Hi . You seem knowledgeable about these shutters. I have a few loose shutters (they keep falling shut). Can you suggest a quick fix? Thank you for any assistance.

Guy,

There is a company in Braeside (Melb) that sells kits for plantation shutters. Of course if you are wanting to make them from scratch this may not suit you.

Port Phillip Plantation Shutters

The web site explains everything. We are looking at getting some ourselves and it it true about the saving. We can get two of these kits for what it would cost to get one supplied and fitted from another company.

Stephen

The current edition of Australian Woodsmith, which has just hit the news stands, has a step by step article on how to build a Louvred Shutter for a Louved Lamp

It looks so good I've been tempted to have a go building one next year.

I think everything you require, knowledge wise to build your shutters, is in the technique article that accompanies the project article.

Mick.

Originally Posted by Optimark

The current edition of Australian Woodsmith, which has just hit the news stands, has a step by step article on how to build a Louvred Shutter for a Louved Lamp

Yes the American parent magazine did this last year and I thought the same as you, but SWMBO wants them as soon as possible, not next year when I eventually get around to doing it

Originally Posted by novice123

Hi . You seem knowledgeable about these shutters. I have a few loose shutters (they keep falling shut). Can you suggest a quick fix? Thank you for any assistance.

Try putting some super glue on one or more of the pivot pins. When it dries, break it free. Theoretically, this should give you enough friction to keep the shutters from closing by themselves. It might not work, but it's worth a shot.

My old man recommended the superglue idea for tightening up a loose ball joint (:eek on a car side mirror. He reckoned to drip the CA in then keep it moving as it dries, so as to coat the ball and inside the socket.

He is a devotee of the "RAG Engineering" school though, so dunno if it'd work.

Cheers.........Sean

I seem to remember Sir Norm on the NYW making a shop rig for louvres. Took some time but didn't seem too hard. Might be worth searching the NYW website, heres a link http://www.newyankee.com/2004.shtmlI might have been the cuppola he was building.

Cheers

Hi Guy,though I am a woodworking supervisor, yet I have not still made alike plantation shutters.It's true I have seen them at many places but did not design it yet,now I am thinking to do it for the first time. Any special skills required? Any advice will be highly appreciated. Thanks in advance.