Clamping Tall Window Frames

[Fitzroy]

Ev'nin' all,

I made some window frames for the shed, they are 1.8m tall and 0.6m wide. I'm needing to glue them up pretty soon and wondered if anyone had any trick to clamp something up that is taller than my longest clamp?

Is there some of using a rope/strap etc? Or could I use the opening in the stud wall and drive wedges top and bottom between the window and opening? Any other suggestions? Is there a generic woodworking term for this conundrum that I can go and google?

Cheers

Fitz.

 

[SteveF]

sure someone will be along with better answer
have u got a sheet of 8x4 something spare?
screw some battens to it and use wedges to tighten joint

Steve

 

[novocaine]

A description in this thread on making wedge clamps. Basically a peice of wood with a block at either end and a few wedges.

advice-please-work-bench-and-vice-t101083.html

 

[flh801978]

Record batten clamps
A pair of heads that bolt onto a batten one fixed ,one with a screw you can make the batten as long as you like
Machine mart sell them at £14 per pair

Ian

 

[RobinBHM]

Im guessing you are talking about joining the jambs to the head and cill?

Ive never glued a window frame together, I just normally paint the joint with end grain sealer and 2 screws in each joint. The strength of a window or door frame is achieved when it is screwed into its opening, from that point on the joints are never under any stress.

 

[kevinlightfoot]

Drill and countersink then screw the joint together if it's a good joint you don't even need to glue use two screws one each side of the mortice or use bolts as in bed bolts a bit of a faff but very strong and eliminates the need for clamps.

 

[Jacob]

As a rule windows and doors have tenons on the horizontal bits and only need clamping from side to side. Any verticals with tenons (muntins etc) should be taken care of by the wedges in the rails pulling everything together.

 

[Doug71]

Screws should do the trick but if you need to clamp it you can use two shorter clamps and pull them against each other if you know what i mean?

Doug

 

[Fitzroy]

So, as a relative novice to all this i expect my frames don't quite match the normal way of making them, perhaps that's why i'm in this predicament. Windows are bridle joints on the corners, although odd ones as normally the wood would be in the other orientation giving a big glue surface. The vertical window components have the tenons on them with the open mortices on the horizontal, see photos below.

I have one other window in the shed, a big picture window that is wide (1.8m) but not so tall (1.0m), i have long enough clamps to clamp that top to bottom and pull the tenons into the joint.

I had thought about using the floor with some temporary bit screwed to it that I could wedge against. I'd not thought of two clamps pulling on each other, i'll have a look at that. However, it sounds like i could just glue and use screws to pull it all together. As people said once it's installed the fabric of the building means it ain't going anywhere.

As always many thanks for all your advice.

F.

PS: and that is why weekend warriors should not be allowed to build real buildings....

 

[RobinBHM]

Your frame is the correct way to make a window frame. Its not really a bridle joint, its a mortice and tenon joint, but open to the side. In a frame, the mortice and tenon is for location as much as strength and is not usually glued. I would screw it together, although there isnt much room on the internal (ie side that will face shed interior) side of the tenon.

 

[katellwood]

As an apprentice in the Seventies we made lots of door frames without cills (normally for industry than domestic).

I had a set of steel tapered pins made in the engineering workshop and this is how we clamped them (not too dissimilar to a draw dowel)

hole drilled in the tenon set back enough to allow some cramping then wack in the pin



not suitable for a lot of situations but handy and effective when needed (or sash cramps not long enough)

 

[Jacob]

.... its a mortice and tenon joint, but open to the side. ...

There is no mortice - it's a "bridle" joint.
M&T much more durable and solves the cramping problem.

 

[RobinBHM]

It is basically a conventional window or door frame. A joiner would make the square hole with a morticer. Traditionally such a frame would be made with horns, but in this case theyve been cut flush so the end of the mortice is exposed.

I cant see how it could have been made as a m&t joint, the only way woild have been to cut a haunch on the tenon and stop the mortice short from the end, but the tenon would then be small.

I would make it with a morticer and tenoner, so to me it quacks like a mortice and tenon

 

[Jacob]

...
I cant see how it could have been made as a m&t joint, the only way woild have been to cut a haunch on the tenon and stop the mortice short from the end, but the tenon would then be small....

That's how it's done.
Tenon being from 1/2 to 2/3rds of the depth of the rail. Though normally with a frame (as distinct from the light) you would have them going the other way so that the head and cill are through, with mortices. Either way you leave a horn to take the strain of the wedging and protect the corners on site, which with this tall window brings you back to clamping - but there's plenty of ways of bodging that detail!

 

[Billy Flitch]

As said very little strain comes on the joint in a door or window frame after it is fitted in place.I allways leave the horns on mine and cut them of just before fitting. If you need to clamp parts to gether that are a good disstance away from each other just google Spanish windless.
At the very least it will save you money on clamps.