Shutters

[angt29]

I'm new here, and really appreciate the help you guys have given me so far.  I mentioned that I'm renovating a dollhouse I received as a child.  It's the Duracraft Newberg.  My dad put it together when I got it, probably almost thirty years ago, and it was never really decorated or anything, so I'm 'finishing' it now.  It was very well put together, and is in perfect shape and very sturdy.  At any rate, I'm changing a lot of the exterior aesthetics, and am going to add shutters to some of the windows.  There is one window for which I would like to add shutters, but the space between it and the trim is only 1 1/4".  It's the bay window on the front of the house.  All of the shutters I have found have been 1 1/4 inch, and I don't think that would look good.  Has anyone seen unfinished louvered shutters that are only one inch wide?  Or do you have suggestions for altering the size of another shutter?  It seems like it would be tricky.  Thanks!

[angt29]

I'm so sorry that I posted this twice.  I was having some issues posting it after I wrote it.  Editing isn't working for me.  Is there a way you can delete your own posts?

[otterine]

You could alter these with a little work.  First, if you pop the shutter into the microwave for 5-10 seconds at a time (careful, it will be hot), this will loosen the glue.  You can then remove the long edge piece on one side.  You can cut down the width of the middle louvered section using a straight edge and utility knife, but be careful and do this slowly to work through the thickness.  Sand the cut edge to even it out if there's an angle to the cut and then glue the long edge piece back on.

[fov]

I deleted the duplicate.

I haven't tried it yet, but I've been thinking about making a 1:12 shutter narrower to use it for a bifold door in half scale. I think it could be easily done by cutting along one edge with a utility knife, and then gluing on a new edge piece. You might need to add wood filler along the new edge to fill in any gaps where it's not quite straight. If I end up trying it I'll post pictures.

Another option is to build your own frame out of basswood and put corrugated material on the inside. I have some corrugated wood that I bought at a dollhouse store, or you could use cardboard.

[angt29]

I have been using an embossing gun to remove old trim from the house to make it easier to paint, and it works SO well, and is so much easier to paint!  So, I did think about removing the outer trim piece, but thought it would be really hard to saw through all the pieces of wood without breaking.  The utility knife might work really well, though.  It seems like just applying pressure will cut right through those thin pieces of wood.  That didn't cross my mind.  That's a good idea; thanks!

[angt29]

Thanks for deleting it.  I think I will just order the number of 1 1/4 inch shutter I need and cut them with the knife, as you guys suggested.  They're only a couple dollars, so I guess if it doesn't work out it won't be a very expensive experiment. 

[fov]

They can definitely be cut up, I've done it before: http://www.emilymorganti.com/blog/?p=7963

I was putting the louvered part into a different frame (a half scale French door) so it was a bit different than what you're doing. But I think simply making the shutter narrower will be easier. Use a sharp utility knife blade and press it against the straight edge you're cutting off to help keep the line straight. Depending on how much of the louvers you're cutting off, if you have access to a disc sander you might be better shaving them down with that than cutting. If you end up with a line that isn't  straight, you can add thin pieces of basswood over the original edges, see this post for details: http://www.emilymorganti.com/blog/?p=8146

[angt29]

Thanks for posting that; it turned out great!

[havanaholly]

Do people put shutters on bay windows? I made a louvered attic window for the farmhouse, because it wanted one:

[Sable]

I took shutters to the extreme and made them longer so I could have a large wall of bifolds in my poolhouse. I cut all of the edges off with a table saw and remade new sides with base wood strip. They are hinged at the top with eyelets placed into a runner. 

  http://www.greenleafdollhouses.com/forum/?app=gallery&module=gallery&controller=view&id=115369

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Sable said:

I took shutters to the extreme and made them longer so I could have a large wall of bifolds in my poolhouse. I cut all of the edges off with a table saw and remade new sides with base wood strip. They are hinged at the top with eyelets placed into a runner. 

  http://www.greenleafdollhouses.com/forum/?app=gallery&module=gallery&controller=view&id=115369

Those bi-folds are awesome Sable.

 

[mesp2k]

Northeastern Scale Lumber sells shutter parts.

Ummm I just re-read your post Angie & noticed you only need the shutters for around the bay window.

Oh well if anybody needs lots of shutters this might be a good option.

 

Edited April 12, 2017 by mesp2k

[angt29]

Let me preface this by apologizing if this double posts.  Yesterday my posts were turning up twice, but I am only hitting submit once...I swear!!

Okay,  I guess I should be more specific (or correct) in that it's a front part of the house that comes out from the porch, but only has one window on the front side.  It's just a narrow part of the house in general.   So, I guess I misspoke, it's definitely not a true bay window.  But, I agree that I don't think shutters would go on bay windows.  These would be flush with the window, but only have 1 1/4 inch breathing room on either side. 

You guys have all been very creative with making your own windows!  Wow, Sable, those are amazing!  That must have taken a bit of time and care. 

Thanks for all the input.  I ordered small louvered shutters yesterday.  I'll have to make the one pair narrower and shorten three others, so I guess I'll be doing adjusting.  Two windows will not need adjustments, at least.

[fov]

I finished my shutter project today. Here's the blog I posted about it: http://www.emilymorganti.com/blog/?p=11310

(It's really a tutorial for making a bi-fold door, but the early part is the same thing you're doing.)

I used 1/8" x 1/8" basswood for the top and 1/8" x 3/16" basswood for the bottom. I would have also used that for the side but I didn't have enough, so I ended up repurposing the sides I'd cut off. I suggest cutting on the back side with a sharp utility blade, and use a straight edge. First remove the side, then cut down the louvers to the width you want, then add the side back on. If you're reusing the same side you cut off, you might want to flip it over so what used to be the back is now the front. The louvers don't want to let go when you cut them, so after cutting, the back side has a cleaner edge than the front.

 

[fov]

(I keep getting double posts on this thread as well. Don't know why. I delete them when I see them, but also you can report a duplicate post by clicking the faint "report post" text next to the time stamp at the top of the post.)

 

[angt29]

That looks great!  I wasn't able to remove the side with heat, but it sounds like you were.  It's strange, because I have removed lots of trim on the dollhouse with a heat gun with great luck, but these must be glued very solidly, as I heated them for a long time.  Did you do the microwave thing?  I ended up using a saw, and was able to get very clean lines, which surprised me. 

Thanks for the info about reporting the double posts. 

[fov]

I didn't do anything with heat, I just used a utility knife and straight edge to cut off the side edge along the seam where it was glued.

[angt29]

Ah, I see.  Well, it looks great!