Casement window wood selection

[Rich.ca]

I've been asked to make a couple of replacement casement windows. My question is - once I've purchased the timber (not sure whether they are going to go the soft wood or hard wood route yet) do I need to let it sit/season before I start cutting it, or will it be stable enough off the shelf? The last thing I want is for it to start to warp or split in a couple of months time.

Thanks in advance

 

[Mike.S]

I think best practice would be to let it sit for a few weeks in conditions similar to where it's to be fitted. Having said that when I kept Redwood (Scandianvian pine - softwood, bought as 'joinery grade' i.e. meant to be better) in my house for a few months before making casement window and french doors I found one door stile warped slightly after I'd machined all the mortices for joints and lock. Had to remake it - did so using timber fresh from the yard and no movement (after several months)!

In summary, it will depend on quality/moisture content of the wood supplied and a dose of luck

 

[dzj]

Making windows is not 'rocket science', but judging by your question, I'm guessing you haven't done this kind of work before.
Perhaps you should take a pass on this job offer and do something you are more comfortable with.
To answer your question, yes, it should be seasoned. Sometimes it is even required for the wood to be laminated.

 

[richarnold]

A bomb proof method would be to use "accoya" wood This is compleatly stable from the word go and comes with an unconditional 50 year guarentee

 

[Rich.ca]

Thanks for the replies, but please don't tell me I should turn the job away and go for something else. Before returning to the UK I was a finishing carpenter in Canada and mostly worked on multi million dollar houses, and among other things I specialised in custom banisters for all kinds of wierd and wonderfull staircases which we bent, laminated and milled to suit each application. I also made furniture, built-ins, walk-ins and custom fire surrounds/mantle pieces, but never had any warping problems because the weather is more consistent over there and all my work was for inside use.

The windows I have to make here are for a house in the Peak District where the weather is wet most of the time, I have no problem with making them, I just don't have the experience/knowledge about how the wood will react in this climate once I've fitted the windows. As a side note, they will be more than likely be made of oak (unless you can suggest a suitable cheaper alternative that I can easily get from the timber merchants) and will be painted.

 

[Woodmonkey]

Douglas fir is commonly used for windows/ doors, although when I got some to make some windows last year I don't think it was way cheaper than oak

 

[Ant-]

If you're going for hardwood idigbo is a bit cheaper than oak, stability is a little better too. Being where the job is make sure they're stormproof & use a good paint system.

 

[Beau]

A bomb proof method would be to use "accoya" wood This is compleatly stable from the word go and comes with an unconditional 50 year guarentee

Next windows I make will be going for accoya or an engineered section. Someone said it's not rocket science but getting windows working right in all seasons can be a minefield. If you go for solid wood definitely leave it to settle before use and if you can face the delay rough it out close to size and leave to settle again. When leaving it to settle make sure it's in stick so all sides can breath evenly.

 

[RobinBHM]

I wouldnt choose oak for joinery that is to be painted -there are better options such as accoya, iroko or sapele.

For an engineered option you could use red grandis (lathams or timbmet).

Most kiln dried timbers are too dry for joinery and will swell after installation. If you want to use oak, it is available part air and part kiln dried with a higher moisture content. Others hardwoods could be cut to sawn section then left for a while outside under cover. Some large joinery companies have humidity control in the factory to do this.

 

[dzj]

Letting wood acclimatize to new surroundings is always a good idea, no matter what you are making.
If a window is designed, made and installed properly, climate should not be an issue.
Start by finding the necessary hardware. Reputable companies also provide cross-sections of
rails, stiles and frame that go with their product. With this information you can rough cut your stock.
Go for the engineered stuff if your client is willing to pay for it, otherwise you'll probably have to make do with kiln dried wood left to settle.

Good luck.

 

[Rich.ca]

Good info, thanks. How are Timbmet and Lathams prices Robin?

 

[tobyriches]

I make built in furniture and kitchens so have little experience in external joinery, but the job I am doing at the moment requires a fairly complicated pivoting window. I am getting this made by an experienced joinery company and for all painted exterior joinery they recommend Timbmet's Red Grandis. It's a new and apperently very stable hardwood that is also sustainable. There's plenty of info on the Timbet website and they are helpful on the phone too. Good luck with your windows... Remember the driving rain of the Peak District is the enemy!