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I started this week's project, not to be challenged by the Window Sash Kit, but to do a
Mission Style Mirror for my Son and Daughter-in-Law. Having visited them in their new home
in San Francisco, I thought they could use such a mirror. They liked the idea and decided
that a mirror 50" X 33" would fit the long wall of the dining room just fine.
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Through the magic of computer paint
programs, this was the drawing superimposed on their dining room wall. [Note, now you can
see that he gets his good looks from his father, except he has slightly more hair.]
Now, let me explain up front, that I have not seen any Mission Style Mirrors,
so this is pure fancy on my part. I will make it with quarter-sawn white oak, so at least
that much will be authentic.
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The Window Sash Kit is from CMT.
While the bits are great, the instructions are a little confusing. Checking other
manufacturers' instructions didn't help.
If you take a look at the bits in the first picture, above, you will see the
basic profile. That part is easy. The confusing part is in the window joinery. For the
moment, we will skip that, but I promise, I will figure it out and put it up on the site
next week.
Since I am making a mirror, I will miter the corners just as I would a
frame—and avoid the mortise and tenon that would normally be in a window. I do want
to figure that out, so I will come back to that.
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After making a very rough sketch and
list of materials, I visited my local hardwood supplier and picked up some very nice
quarter-sawn white oak that was 1 1/2" thick. I needed 1 3/8" in order to
properly run the profile of the window sash bits. The bit's rabbet cuts a 1/2" width
— enough for a 1/4" glass mirror and a 1/4" plywood backing board.
Several passes through my thickness sander brought the boards to the right
thickness and did a nice job of smoothing the surface.
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I first wanted to test the bits—mainly
to see if they were "matched" and if I could change from one bit to the other
without resetting router height.
It didn't take long to route the edge on one length and then change bits, and
route the end on the mating piece.
The pieces fit exactly with no height adjustment between bits. That helps a
great deal since there will be quite a bit of switching bits before this mirror has been
completed.
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I have now ripped the four sides of the
mirror. I added a few extra inches to allow for some end trimming.
The first shaping task will be to run the sash profile on the edges of each
of the frame members.
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