How to Build Storm Shutters

For this next HouseCall, Ron paid a visit to the famous French quarter of New Orleans. This part of New Orleans had always been a favorite getaway for New Jersey residents, Eric Shnepf and Patrice Pellechia, so they recently purchased a vacation condominium in a 1830's building located just two blocks from Bourbon Street. Eric and Patrice contacted Ron about installing storm shutters for their windows, but French quarter ordinances require that all exterior additions must be historically accurate. So Ron helped Eric and Patrice build a set of early 19th century shutters.

Click Here For a list of what you will need in order to complete this project.

1. The design:

• The shutters they were about to build would be made from planks of wood--for this project they used fir. They would join these planks together by cutting tongue and groove joints along each edge.

• Not only would the tongue and groove create a strong shutter, but also one that is historically accurate. Back in the days before plywood, the only way you could make up a large panel of wood was to take narrower strips and connect them together.

• French quarter craftsmen in the 1830's would have used a hand plane to create the tongues and grooves, but Ron suggested they achieve the same results much more rapidly, with a router.
  

• Ron mounted a router up underneath a router table with the cutter sticking up from the bottom.

• While the cutter was spinning, they passed the first board over it creating a groove right down the side of the board.

• Patrice guided the first board through the router using rubber- faced safety grips. Using these she could press the board firmly against the tabletop for a consistent cut.

• The first groove came out perfectly.

• Once they had completed all the grooves, the next step was to cut tongues on the opposite side of each board. For this, they installed a straight cut bit on the router.
  

• As Eric passed the board through the router, it formed the first half of the tongue.

• After this first pass, they turned the board over and ran it through the router again… this time, creating the full tongue.

3. Decorative bead:

• With tongues and grooves cut for each shutter, it was time to add a decorative feature that was consistent with designs in 1830, but equally attractive in current design. Using a third router bit, they cut a "bead" along the tongue side of each board. The bead helped disguise the joint between the boards making each shutter look more like a singlewide panel.

• Instead of laying the wood flat, this time they turned it up on its side to pass it through the router.

• For the last cut, it was important to press down on the bed to keep it flat. This time it was important to press into the fence and keep the board steady and upright as it passed over the cutter.

4. Rabbet joints:

• The next step was to create rabbet joints along the interior edges of each shutter. These joints would overlap when the shutters were closed, preventing light, wind and water from getting through.

• The router was set up the same way it was for the tongues, but this time, instead of making two passes, they made only one.