Finally started LOMLs plantation shutters and a question

[smorris]

I don't know how long it will take to make these, it seems to be a major jig fest in my shop right now.

Anyway, here is the jig I used to start on the louvre profile. Tried a lot of things before I finally settled on this which does an adquate job.

Here is an overview of the setup. Perhaps the person whose router fence design I stole will recgonise it, but his is nicer.

[smorris]

And here is the jig itself. Leaves the whole bit buried and away from my hands which I like. At this point I always have 2 parallel faces that ride on the jig faces to keep everything plumb. I get a little chatter for the last couple inches but slowing down deals with that well. The trick is getting just the right tightness so as not to make too much drag.

[smorris]

Here are the test pieces I used as i adjusted the jig and router to get just the profile I wanted, took a few tries . I'm using MDF as you can see. I cut a 1'2" sheet in half and have a large stack of 48 x 2.5 strips I just finished running through this. Now the question.

This won't work for the next 2 faces as they tend to rock and snipe badly once you shape the 3rd side, 4th side is a nightmare. Not sure how to overcome that at this point but am thinking I could take one of the milled pieces and cut it down to add to the jig face in an inverted orientationto compensate for the lack of flat surfaces. Anyone have a better idea, or any idea for that matter?

[JimD]

I tried what you describe but I got better results using feather boards instead of a shim behind the cut portion of the louver blanks. I put a feather board in the center - where the bit is - and vertically in the center - where the louver is flat. I put a second feather board on the outboard side and it seemed to help. I put a third feather board in the center from the top. My router table has a screw elevation adjustment and I make the cut in 3 passes going up a bit leaving the fence alone. The last pass removes only about 1/32 or less (half a turn of my elevation screw is 1/32).

I leave about 1/16 of flat on the edge of the louvers. It doesn't hardly show on the finished louvers and it seems to help - a knife edge was too hard to control.

My louvers are 3 inches wide. That leaves a flat portion that your profile does not seem to have - are they narrower? That flat portion is key to the way I support them on the router table. If you have no flat and can't make wider louvers then I think a shim would be the way to go but I would still mess with feather boards rather than having a second vertical guide.

When you get to the stapling part, the jigs that Norm came up with are better IMHO than the ones in the plans that came with the router bits you seem to be using.

Jim

[smorris]

Thanks Jim.

Mine are 2 1/2 inches as the wife thought the 3 inch were too wide for her taste. I'll give the feather boards a try but don't have a flat in the center. I may end up with a shim, we'll see how it goes. The 3rd profile isn't so bad but the 4th may be a real trial.

I got the Norm video/plans and have to agree his jig for stapling look easier to deal with. Wish I had one of those planers he used with the custom cut blade but us mere mortals have to get by with mortals tools.

[JimD]

2 1/2 may also fit your windows better. I had to make a custom moulding to move the shutter out so that the louvers wouldn't hit the window. Otherwise they would not open and close.

I like the center screw idea for tension. My shutters are about 5 feet high and I don't have a middle rail so the screw helps hold things together. It also helps with assembly. I glue the frame into a C shape and sand the joints flush before applying finish to the frame and louvers. Then I staple the louvers to the bar used to open and close them and dry assemble the shutter. Then I screw the center louver to the C piece and remove the other stile to apply glue. I use mortise and tenon joints on the corners so it is nice to have one side of the louvers in place during the glue up.

Jim