Manual of Purpose-Made Woodworking Joinery

58 Making traditional and modern windows

stiles – and only single items marked off when

there is more than one like- component, to be

cramped to the others and used as a rod in itself.

MACHINING OR HAND- SKILLS

PROCEDURES

Figures 4.5(a)(b): If necessary, the marking out should

be completed and the extent of this depends on how

much machining and how much hand- skill oper-

ations are involved. For example, if the rebates for the

glazing were to be done by hand, with a Stanley- type

078 metal rebate plane, marking- gauge lines on the

edges and faces would be required. But if the rebates

were to be formed with a portable powered router or a

vertical spindle- moulder machine, gauge lines would

not be required. Likewise, if the tenon- thickness is

ripped down by hand (deeped), with a hand saw or a

wide- bladed band saw, mortise- gauge lines would be

required. But if done on a tenoning machine, gauge

lines are not required – except on the end of one rail,

for the initial setting up of the tenoning cutters.

Either way, the mortises are usually cut first, as it

is more practical to mortise plain, rectangular sec-

tions than those that are already moulded and rebated

(also, if tenoning by machine, this allows the tenons

to be trial- and- error fitted to suit the mortises). If

the tenons are not being cut on a tenoning machine

(whereby the ovolo moulding would usually be scribed

completely through one of the shoulders), the second

operation is to rip (deep) them down carefully to the

shoulder lines, but without shouldering them (remov-

ing the side- cheeks). The third sequential operation is

to mould and rebate the components. Then, the side-

cheeks of the tenons can be removed with a tenon saw,

ready for the scribing of each joint’s ovolo mould – as

detailed in Chapter 3.

Although sill shapes – especially those with multi-

weathered rebates, etc, as shown in Figure 4.1(c) at

finally, mark the two 16mm projections for the

edges of the outer linings. Note that these initial

marking off marks can be short (4 to 5mm) free-

hand marks or – if you are worried about accuracy

• can be made with the aid of a small, 45° plastic
  set- square squared up from the relevant points
  on the rod. Either way, this marking- off is then
  marked- out squarely to the relevant sides of the sill.

2. Next, lay the pulley- stile head on the rod and mark
   off its length (which should be to the outer edges
   of the side- linings, as the plywood backings are
   usually butted up to the head’s underside); then
   mark off the pulley- stile positions for through-
   housing – as in the sill, but, this time, without being
   side- wedged. As before, square these marks across
   the faces.


3. Position one pulley stile on the vertical section of
   the rod and mark its square- ended length to the
   pre- marked broken- line housing depths (or side-
   projecting marks that indicate this). Note that the
   common through- housings in the head should
   be one- third of the head’s thickness (6.66mm, so
   say 7mm) – and in the sill, where the through-
   housings are widened to receive thin, 1 in 10
   sloping wedges (single, not folding, that logically
   drive- in from the inner, thick- part of the sill),
   the stiles should be housed in by an amount that
   leaves not less than 25mm of sill on the underside,
   below the housing. If the position of the pockets
   is already known and set out on the rod, mark
   the face- side position of these on the stile. Before
   setting aside, cramp the marked- out pulley stile to
   the other unmarked stile and transfer the marks
   squarely across.


4. The lengths of the inner- and outer- linings are
   usually left with horns on which are removed after
   assembly of the boxframe – but they can be laid on
   the rod to mark the positions of the edge- tongues
   of the pulley- stile head. On good- class work, these
   tongues are grooved across the back- side faces of
   the inner- and outer- linings to add to the rigidity
   and squareness of the boxframe; but on cheaper
   work, the tongues are removed to avoid the cross-
   grooving operation.


5. The inner- and outer- lining heads could be marked
   for length from the rod, but in practise, these
   are usually marked from, and fitted to, the near-
   completed frame.


6. A similar procedure is followed regarding the
   marking off and marking out of the sashes, i.e.
   shoulder- line marks and mortise- position in the
   rails for the glazing bars, mortise positions and
   joggles (if any) related to the height of the sash

Figure 4.5 (a) Sill (with a more common, simpler

weathered shape) reduced to a manageable, hand- skills’

operation; (b) End of sill crosscut to depth for pulley-

stile and wedge prior to shaping; and side- ends ripped

down to accommodate the inner- and outer- linings either

prior to or after shaping – but not removed until the sill is

shaped.

(a) (b)