Modern building stuff - doors, windows, stairs

We live in a very exposed site and all doors have insulated panels with 25mm PU sandwiched between the inner and outer leaves. All glazing is triple with 12mm air gaps, argon filled and K glass, all of which serves to make the glass warmer than the walls!

All external timber is Columbian Pine or Douglas Fir if you prefer (Oregon pine if you are American) which has proved to have excellent weather resistance owing to the resin content but is awful to work being very prone to splintering with the additional sting in the tail that they always go septic. It is also likely to have surface shakes and checking with the odd resin pocket thrown in for good measure.

I have finished with it now after 35 years of struggle and am looking forward to moving on to some decent hardwood for my future furniture making.

Glass wall with Tilt and Slide Door (weighs 130Kg!) waiting for gear covers

Outside view

A pile of windows WIP

All I need is Princess Di

You need to be into rebating for Euro Windows

Gluing up on a building board with set clamping blocks for squareness.

Opener bottom rail with essential 8mm drain holes at 150mm and internal gutter

It's easwy to lose you r way with the sections - think ahead is essential

Drill guide for drain holes (to hit the internal gutter)

4m x 1200mm with 2 openers

Some Way to go

4m from the outside (2 drip rails still to fit plus the cill

Alloy cills save a lot of future rot and ,maintenance

It is also possible to get a bottom rail cover

Back door in glue up

Trial fit with half door

One of the radial rails with curved scribed shoulder (a bit rough)

Setting a Tilt And Slide into a widser frame was not easy and I ended up with a bit of unintended end grain


 

The joints were a bit involved.

Corner joints normal double bridles with stepped shoulders

Mason'd mitres at the corners of the glazing was the only practical solution

Preparation for glue up

This type of construction is standard in Europe but a bit unusual here.  The Swedes take it a step further with all alloy outside and timber inside but  reasonable compromise is alloy drip rails and cills and maybe bottom rail covers on the openers which is where the finish always goes first.

Although I have made about 20 windows and 2 patio doors plus a couple of external doors I am not intending to make any more so could not justify the dedicated tooling at about £4000. All the sections were made wioth standard rebate blocks and slotters but I did add a dedicated Eurogroove cutter towards the end.