# Ideas and help for Plantation Shutters



## mengtian (Nov 8, 2012)

I am going to make Plantation Shutters for the first time. I see jigs and pre made slats from Rockler. Any ideas on wood, if I should go with pre made or make my own louvres would be appreciated.


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## woodchux (Jul 6, 2014)

Size, the number of shutters required, your time, & available equipment/material should also be considered in your decision. Be safe.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

If you can find some that is dry I would make everything out of pressure treated pine. Once finished they would never rot.


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## mengtian (Nov 8, 2012)

woodchux said:


> Size, the number of shutters required, your time, & available equipment/material should also be considered in your decision. Be safe.


Just one window..about 6 feet by 4 feet. Plenty of time. I have a complete shop so I reallly don't need any tools unless I buy bits to make the louvres



Steve Neul said:


> If you can find some that is dry I would make everything out of pressure treated pine. Once finished they would never rot.


This is for inside.....You think rot is an issue? Rockler makes louvres out of basswood


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

mengtian said:


> Just one window..about 6 feet by 4 feet. Plenty of time. I have a complete shop so I reallly don't need any tools unless I buy bits to make the louvres
> 
> 
> 
> This is for inside.....You think rot is an issue? Rockler makes louvres out of basswood


Rot wouldn't be an issue for interior louvers. When I see plantation shutters I just think exterior. I don't think I would make anything like that out of basswood. I think you would eventually have a problem with the hinge screws coming out on basswood. If it were me I would use a harder wood.


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## Rebelwork (Jan 15, 2012)

Steve Neul said:


> Rot wouldn't be an issue for interior louvers. When I see plantation shutters I just think exterior. I don't think I would make anything like that out of basswood. I think you would eventually have a problem with the hinge screws coming out on basswood. If it were me I would use a harder wood.


Worked with basswood a lot in the early 80's. Used a lot on interior shutters but exterior, one would really have to keep them sealed for rains,etc. If there going to paint I would just use poplar.

Treated would be okay for exterior but when it comes to warpage treated is the "KING" of all woods in my opinion. 

Warner just purchased a machine for such things. I'm sure he's done his homework and surely he will chime in soon with better answers...


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## Toolman50 (Mar 22, 2015)

Steve Neul said:


> If you can find some that is dry I would make everything out of pressure treated pine. Once finished they would never rot.


The problem is P T Pine is not dry and for shutters you need kiln dried. 
The P T Pine would warp and twist before you could get them installed. 
I recommend Poplar. 
Also the shops that make shutters use staple guns. The staples are left standing to allow for the shutter movement. This is hard to duplicate in the home shop because their tools were custom designed to leave the staples standing when driven. (The driver blades were ground in some cases or an extended tip was welded onto the nose of the tools). 
Shutters are a hard project if your not jigged up for it. 
Tolerances have to be right or you will never be pleased.


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## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

Have you seen Norm's video?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLxMhN17Sj4


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Toolman50 said:


> The problem is P T Pine is not dry and for shutters you need kiln dried.
> The P T Pine would warp and twist before you could get them installed.
> I recommend Poplar.
> Also the shops that make shutters use staple guns. The staples are left standing to allow for the shutter movement. This is hard to duplicate in the home shop because their tools were custom designed to leave the staples standing when driven. (The driver blades were ground in some cases or an extended tip was welded onto the nose of the tools).
> ...


Pressure treated pine isn't always wet. If you can find a small lumber company chances are they've had some on the shelf for months and is dry enough to use it right from the store. I make millwork from PT pine all the time and don't have an issue however if I'm not able to find some that has been in the store a long time I will use something else. If I had storage space I would stockpile some and put stickers between it. 

In 1977 I worked for a small mill shop that made louver shutters. To staple them we just used a regular staple gun with a block of wood taped to the end of it to give the right spacing to leave them standing. At first it's hard to aim but it doesn't take very long to figure how to aim the gun.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Great Video!*

Say what you want about Norm, but I have a new found respect for the guy after seeing all the cool jigs he made for the shutters. Very accurate and they turned out great.
In my experience jigs are always a better idea whether making one or twenty pieces and they were very well thought out. :yes:


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## mengtian (Nov 8, 2012)

Rockler has the jigs and hardware. I guess I am torn between doing it all myself and running into frustrations or doing a common sense approach and getting the stuff from Rockler.

My skills have been improving drastically in recent months and I have a lot of confidence I can now do most an project. But, I have survived over 2000 jumps from airplanes and over 12 years in combat/HFP zones from not getting too overconfident

I guess a direct question is: do it like Norm or get pre-made jigs.


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## Al B Thayer (Dec 10, 2011)

I don't know. Norm the power staple guy has a lot of fixtures for one set of shutters? It doesn't look like he's using a hard wood either. 

Rockler? $$$$$$$

Cutting the louvers to the shape needed is really the difficult part. Thin aero shape with a round edge is quite difficult without a moulding machine. It's the last cuts when you have no flat sides to work with that make it tricky.

I've wanted to make shutters many times but...

Al


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*straight answer...*



mengtian said:


> Rockler has the jigs and hardware. I guess I am torn between doing it all myself and running into frustrations or doing a common sense approach and getting the stuff from Rockler.
> 
> *My skills have been improving drastically in recent months and I have a lot of confidence I can now do most an project. But, I have survived over 2000 jumps from airplanes and over 12 years in combat/HFP zones from not getting too overconfident
> *
> I guess a direct question is: do it like Norm or get pre-made jigs.


Not everyone jumps out of aircraft. Not everyone would make their own jigs. See where I'm going here? Anyone can buy premade jigs from Rockler, but where is the satisfaction in that... BTDT myself.

The video pretty well spells out how the jigs would be made. Maybe there are "measured drawings" for them I donno? They really turned out well. :yes:


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## shoot summ (Feb 21, 2014)

Al B Thayer said:


> I don't know. Norm the power staple guy has a lot of fixtures for one set of shutters? It doesn't look like he's using a hard wood either.
> 
> Rockler? $$$$$$$
> 
> ...


Me too, fortunately I realize that there are some really good shutter makers, and my time is better spent writing the check for the shutters, and working on other things.

I will say that the installation of the shutters deserves a lot of attention. A lot of the shutter guys want to go the quick and easy route, so they need to be managed to do it to my standards versus how the majority of folks will accept them done.


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## Al B Thayer (Dec 10, 2011)

To the OP. Go for it. I made my post just to paint a possible picture. Someday I will make my own shutters. We would all love to see how you do and follow your progress.

Al


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## WarnerConstInc. (Nov 25, 2008)

The hardest part is cutting the tennon on the blind slats. 

I just missed an old blind slat tenoner last fall.

Nothing real complicated about these really, just need to do a good job laying stuff out.

I do make my own louvers to fit the grooves my louver groover cuts.

Exterior I use eithe cypress or sapele. Mahogany if they want to pay more then the neighbor did.

Interior, I would like something harder then poplar or basswood.


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## mengtian (Nov 8, 2012)

Al B Thayer said:


> To the OP. Go for it. I made my post just to paint a possible picture. Someday I will make my own shutters. We would all love to see how you do and follow your progress.
> 
> Al


I probably will. I think my skills have improved considerably in the last couple of years. You guys would be a better judge than me LOL. I used to think about store bought jigs a lot and actually own one (dowel jig). Other than that I enjoy the time actually making the jigs. (Spline, tapered leg, dovetail keys, finger joint, et al).

I will be bugging you all as I go through this process.


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## MrZ2u (Feb 1, 2015)

WarnerConstInc. said:


> The hardest part is cutting the tennon on the blind slats.
> Interior, I would like something harder then poplar or basswood.


Just curious but why? What do you feel you would you gain with something harder?


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## Zircon (Aug 1, 2009)

I made these shutters from a few 2x6 8footers ,not pt from HD. ripped the slats 3/8" and rounded them with roundover bit. I made the grooves for the slats by laying the stiles in an old fashioned wood miter box. I tacked two strips of wood at a 45 angle on top of the miter box to guide the router and added two stop blocks to control length of cut. Plunge cut with a 3/8" straight bit. No store bought jigs or materials.


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## WarnerConstInc. (Nov 25, 2008)

MrZ2u said:


> Just curious but why? What do you feel you would you gain with something harder?


Because poplar and bass wood will dent and ding easily.

I use poplar for prototypes or solid cores under something else.


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## mengtian (Nov 8, 2012)

This is what I am going for (just one side, not double). Wife is not sure if she wants them white or sapele


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## Rebelwork (Jan 15, 2012)

I think it would be a fun and tedious project. Not one for the impatient. I actually have considered making some for my home. They seem simple, yet complicated but fun. If it came down to cutting a check for everything I or my wife wanted I would have never got past being a cabinet maker. Thank goodness:laughing:


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## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

MrZ2u said:


> Just curious but why? What do you feel you would you gain with something harder?


Norm used basswood because it was light and stable, they are interior window coverings, if they are getting dented and scratched there are other problems going on in the house.:icon_smile:


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## Al B Thayer (Dec 10, 2011)

WarnerConstInc. said:


> Because poplar and bass wood will dent and ding easily.
> 
> I use poplar for prototypes or solid cores under something else.



You would be hard pressed to ever find shutters made from "harder" hardwood. Your only increasing your problems and dulling your tools faster. Quite frankly the choice of manufacturers today is LDF with a melamine wrap. Ready to paint.

Al


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## WarnerConstInc. (Nov 25, 2008)

Soft maple for everything interior that gets painted.


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