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Hand Tools Hollows & Rounds Moulding planes Practical techniques Richard Arnold

Richard Arnold’s glazing bars

When I have a bit of downtime, I sometimes log into my ‘webstats’, so see which posts (if any!) are considered to be popular on my blog.
Always in the top of the league was a rather ‘cobbled-together’ post about making sash and using ‘templets’ for coping the joints of your glazing bars.
Whilst at Richard Arnold’s open day the other day, I had the pleasure of seeing Richard use these sash templates and their associated planes and I will soon post a few pictures about the technique, because I think people are obviously a little confused as to how they are used.
In the meantime, however, I’d like to show a series of pics of Richard sticking glazing bars before he starts considering the joints, because there are two quite surprising things I learned from his technique. I hope you will also find them interesting.

Any idea what this is? No? it's the tip of a simple cutlery knife. Richard has cut it off and ground the edge to make it sharp. he uses it as a 'bench knife'. Now, I always thought a bench knife was a simple knife that might have been left lying around on a bench, something that might have been used for simple tasks.
Any idea what this is? No? it’s the tip of a simple cutlery knife. Richard has cut it off and ground the edge to make it sharp. he uses it as a ‘bench knife’. Now, I always thought a bench knife was a simple knife that might have been left lying around on a bench, something that might have been used for simple tasks.
But no, Richard explained. Once your stock for your glazing bar is captive at the front end of the sticking board, you need a moveable element that will hold the other end. Bearing in mind your stock will be different lengths, it needs to be simple. Bring forth the 'bench knife'. Here, Richard slots the sharp edge into the end of the stock.
But no, Richard explained. Once your stock for your glazing bar is captive at the front end of the sticking board, you need a moveable element that will hold the other end. Bearing in mind your stock will be different lengths, it needs to be simple. Bring forth the ‘bench knife’. Here, Richard slots the sharp edge into the end of the stock.
A few quick taps and that little blade is biting the stock and securing it to the sticking board. Note it is also small enough not to impede the use of your planes.
A few quick taps and that little blade is biting the stock and securing it to the sticking board. Note it is also small enough not to impede the use of your planes.
The glazing rebate is taken out with a sash fillister. Working from the outer face (which will in fact be on the inside of the window), the upper glazing rebate is worked.
The glazing rebate is taken out with a sash fillister. Working from the outer face (which will in fact be on the inside of the window), the upper glazing rebate is worked.
Cutting until the sash fillister bottoms out. You would work out the thickness you require for the glazing bead, then the rebate needs to be half the depth that is left once that thickness is taken away from the thickness of the stock.
Cutting until the sash fillister bottoms out. You would work out the thickness you require for the glazing bead, then the rebate needs to be half the depth that is left once that thickness is taken away from the thickness of the stock.
Richard flips it over and works the other side to the same depth.
Richard flips it over and works the other side to the same depth.
Now look. The glazing bead is slotted into a rebate on the sticking board to hold it securely. That also has a screw to hold it, but transversely. Interesting. I think Richard just tapped the bench knife back in again after this.
Now look. The glazing bead is slotted into a rebate on the sticking board to hold it securely. That also has a screw to hold it, but transversely. Interesting. I think Richard just tapped the bench knife back in again after this.
Out come the sexy sash-ovolo planes with dovetailed boxing. Ooh, matron! Do you know why these often came in pairs, which looked almost identical? it's not the reason you're thinking. You'll have to ask Richard.
Out come the sexy sash-ovolo planes with dovetailed boxing. Ooh, matron! Do you know why these often came in pairs, which looked almost identical? it’s not the reason you’re thinking. You’ll have to ask Richard.
Off he goes, shaping first side. The planes are sprung, but you still need to keep your eye very much on holding the correct profile.
Off he goes, shaping first side. The planes are sprung, but you still need to keep your eye very much on holding the correct profile.
Nearly there!
Nearly there!
Again, the bead is held by the rebate for working the other side.
Again, the bead is held by the rebate for working the other side.
A few more passes and you just have to make sure things look symmetrical. Easy for me to say, I was just snapping photos.
A few more passes and you just have to make sure things look symmetrical. Easy for me to say, I was just snapping photos.
All that remains is to take of any sliver that might be clinging to the meeting of the top bead. This can be done with an appropriately-sized hollow plane.
All that remains is to take of any sliver that might be clinging to the meeting of the top bead. This can be done with an appropriately-sized hollow plane.
Categories
Jane Rees Practical techniques

How to use sash templates, or ‘templets’

A matching sash plane and templet by Moir & Co., Glasgow (1836-75), from the collection of Jane Rees.
A matching sash plane and templet by Moir & Co., Glasgow (1836-75), from the collection of Jane Rees.

For some time now, I been drawn to the idea of making traditional box sash windows using mainly hand tools. By ‘traditional’, I mean sticking the mouldings of the glazing bars with sash planes, rebating the stiles and meeting rails and chopping out all the mortise and tenons by hand.
One thing that has always confused me. Even though I have now found some excellent sash planes, I still wondered how craftsmen used to mitre the cross joints so accurately.
During bits of research on the internet, I’ve come across some excellent resources, such as this pdf from Tim Nott.
However, some tools that kept cropping up in 18thc-19thc information, was the use of sash templates, or ‘templets’. I sent a query to Brian Read at the excellent Tools and Trades History Society, asking of he knew of anyone who could show me how to use these and perhaps I could photograph a slideshow. (This enquiry applies to anyone else who also happens to read this post. I live in London and would still very much like to watch a joiner who can show me these in use.)
Brian was very helpful and forwarded my request to Jane Rees, who many readers will be familiar with, from her and her late husband’s excellent books about vintage tools.
Jane came back with some great info. To start with, if you were making sash using a template, you would have been expected to have a matching plane, to make a perfect profile to drop into the template. This I didn’t know.
One style of sash templets, (showing brass bound ends).
One style of sash templets, (showing brass bound ends).

Another style of sash templet. I have seen many more of this style, but the use of this pair would be somewhat compromised by that lack of matching plane.
Another style of sash templet. I have seen many more of this style, but the use of this pair would be somewhat compromised by that lack of matching plane.

A photograph of the sash plane page from the Alex. Mathieson ca, 1919 catalogue. (Image kindly supplied by Jane Rees).
A photograph of the sash plane page from the Alex. Mathieson ca, 1919 catalogue. (Image kindly supplied by Jane Rees).

Jane supplied me with some of her pictures showing a matched plane with template, some templates of different styles on their own and also a superb pdf of an article Jane wrote for the Construction History Society (which was later reprinted by the Early American Industries Association). You can download a pdf of the article here (3.22mb).

Once you have a profile that has been cut to for the inside of your template, you can work on mitring, or coping the end of it. Mick Dowling of the HTPAA shed some light on this for me:

The components of a sash are the top and bottom rails, the left and right stiles, and the glazing bars.
If you look at a sash from within the building the intersections of the
moulded part of these components (the fancy shaped bit, lambs tongue for example) appear to be mitred, but are in fact coped. Similar to the way the intersection of skirting boards (the board in a room at the base of wall) in an internal corner looks to be mitred, but is one piece of timber cut to fit (coped) over the adjacent piece.
Coping is particularly the case where glazing bars meet the stiles or rails.
I’ve worked on windows as old as the 1860s and have seen stile/rail
intersections that are simply mitred.
Scribing templates are either double sided to fit over the glazing bar, or
single sided for use on the stiles or rails.
With either of those types there are 2 variations. The ones with brass tips
are square on the end and are used with a coping chisel, and the type that is cut on a 45 is used for marking with a pencil or scribe and cutting out the waste with a coping saw.
Sometimes the single sided ones are screwed together to make a template that fits over the glazing bar. Might have been made that way.

If you’re slightly confused about glazing bars and which way round they face, take a look at an excellent write-up on Zach Dillinger’s blog. He shows you how a sash fillister is used when working on the outer rebates where the glazing would sit. A great page which will explain things much easier than I could do!

(Added 05/10/2014)
David Nelson, a reader of the blog from the US, has kindly sent me a digital copy of his excellent guide ‘English Sash Planes’ and kindly allowed me to add a link to the blog for people to download it. Well worth a read.
EnglishSashPlanesCover
You can download a pdf of the article here (11.37mb).