Could you tell me your opinion about sizing for this simple wooden frame for a plexiglass window?

Submitted by MaybeYouHaveAPoint t3_y27etd in DIY

I have a shed with a huge window (5'x6') that needs replacing. But it's just a shed, and I'm just doing plexiglass. I figure four panes, so wood around the outside and a cross in the middle. Just cut dadoes into some 1x1 and slide the acrylic in there. (I'm not sure yet about how I'll join the wood).

My main question is: what dimensions should I choose, for the wood, the dado, and the acrylic thickness?

Here's a sketch to make it more clear. The shed has an interior casing in place already, so that's basically a wooden frame, 4" deep. I'll put what I make right inside that.

What I'm picturing right now is 1x1 wood all around, 3/16" acrylic for the "glass", and then ... half an inch deep dado? Quarter inch?

One problem is that the inner cross of wood (muntins?) needs to accept two panes of plexi, so two half-inch dadoes in one inch of wood just cuts it in half. But it would look dumb for the inner cross to be thicker than the outer frame. So can I get away with quarter inch dadoes? Or should I make the whole wood frame 2x2 or 2x1 instead?

Four panes seems like the right balance of work and money (one five-foot-by-six-foot pane would cost a ton).

This is a back yard shed, so I'd like the window to survive maybe a tennis ball or a frisbee hitting it. Not trying to be bulletproof.

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alcesalcesg t1_is1hvh5 wrote

last time i priced it, glass was much cheaper than plexi

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MaybeYouHaveAPoint OP t1_is1i8xg wrote

Huh, would not expect that; I'll go price some before I commit.

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Earthling63 t1_is1ka9l wrote

Yeah, I’m hoping to make diy storm windows but the cost of plexi has that on hold for now. You might look for a used window on CL or something for the shed.

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MeshColour t1_is2cbyt wrote

Especially in smaller pieces Plexi is over priced

Frames for poster are often a cheap source for a good size, the cheap ones have very thin Plexi, the mid range ones might be thick enough to survive being outside for a few years (UV is hard on plastic)

And polycarbonate (lexan) is even more overpriced, again due to being more specialized uses

If you were buying a full 8x4ft sheet of them, Plexi is likely cheapest, then glass, then lexan?? But buying in-stock cut pieces, glass is likely cheapest. Especially from a glass/mirror shop, which is in every city

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MaybeYouHaveAPoint OP t1_is2em45 wrote

I'm not sure we've got a glass/mirror shop here -- that doesn't ring any bells, although I haven't tried buying glass much before. Searching online doesn't find me much.

But even at Lowe's, glass is clearly cheaper than TAP. I might adjust my plans to match the 30x36 size they sell. I'll just have to learn some new stuff about putting it in. Since I'm building the frame from scratch, all the "How To Install" videos don't help me much. Could I use a dado for this? I might need to make something closer to a traditional window frame (which is a lot more work, of course).

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Fake_Engineer t1_is2sgor wrote

How about an auto glass place? I've actually been surprised at how cheap Portland Glass has been for various glass projects.

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[deleted] t1_is1aj1b wrote

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Calixarene t1_is2heuv wrote

I agree. I've been making interior storms using 3/8" dados in 1x2 frames. They've held up fine, though admittedly mine aren't exposed to exterior conditions.

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MaybeYouHaveAPoint OP t1_is1bxu3 wrote

Thanks! I don't even really have a baseline for thinking about the dado depth, so that's good to hear.

But the other comment reminded me about real/nominal size, so I might as well go a bit thicker.

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Intelligent_Ebb4887 t1_is1annl wrote

Are you planning on buying or cutting actual 1x1? Personally I would do a standard 2x2, which is only 1.5x1.5. 1/2" dado, leaving 1/2" in the center stiles.

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MaybeYouHaveAPoint OP t1_is1bs3v wrote

Great point; I can't believe I forgot 1x1 doesn't exist. So 2x2 starts to make more sense.

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skylarmt_ t1_is2jriw wrote

> 1x1 doesn't exist

It does sort of, it's called a large and expensive square dowel.

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ToolMeister t1_is1e4il wrote

If you ever want to replace the window, dados in a glued frame will make it impossible to reinsert a new piece.

You could just scrap the dado idea, build your cross and hold the glass in place with trim.

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MaybeYouHaveAPoint OP t1_is1ex3v wrote

How would you build the cross? Make each line two pieces, one on either side of the plexi? I like the idea of being dismantle-able, but I think it would add to the price tag. Trim is kind of crazy expensive these days.

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ToolMeister t1_is1fu4h wrote

Make the cross out of 2x2 and lap join it in the center. Then nail trim to all the inside faces on one side, insert glass, repeat trim on the other side.

Oh and when I say trim, doesn't have to be fancy trim, you could just rip your own square trim from scraps on the table saw. It's just a shed afterall.

Seal the plexiglass to the trim with a thin bead of clear silicone and it won't rattle and eliminate any drafts

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MaybeYouHaveAPoint OP t1_is1g6da wrote

Yeah, I'll sketch it out and maybe try that, thanks.

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jeffersonairmattress t1_is33cga wrote

Traditional windows this size would use a nominal 2x2 muntin but with a profile done on a shaper. They would not be dadoed and built around the plexi becasue that way you can't replace the panes; they use a rabbet and stop or putty instead. The vertical of the cross gets a 90 degree notch both sides, as does each inner edge of the outer frame where it meets the ends of the "cross." The ends of the cross are pointed 45 degrees each side to register in the four notches. It's a very strong construction, simple on a tablesaw.

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mikeisboris t1_is2m74z wrote

If you don't want to use trim, you could use points and window glaze. It's really pretty easy to do and is how almost all windows used to be done.

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PrinceJahLove t1_is2u67g wrote

Lexan is different than acrylic. Lean will not break and if you look around you can find a sheet 5 by 6 all in one piece.

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MaybeYouHaveAPoint OP t1_is32q7l wrote

I have a TAP Plastics nearish that I think can produce anything I want -- but it doesn't look cheap.

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PrinceJahLove t1_is33hrm wrote

Plastic ain't cheap. But Lexan is UV stabilized and you can whack it with a hammer and she ain't gunna break. I once demonstrated after I fixed my let's call it drunken party house with 5 dudes kitchen window and I 360 threw a computer chair at it and it busted the frame out but the lexan piece was intact on the ground outside next to the chair. Fix er once expensive. Or several times cheap.

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MaybeYouHaveAPoint OP t1_is3q7qz wrote

Well, I'm getting whiplash from changing my mind. It's a good point. I'll have to keep thinking about it.

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[deleted] t1_is8j0we wrote

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MaybeYouHaveAPoint OP t1_is8ouel wrote

Thanks! But is that just for Canada? I'm in California. I'll look around on our versions, though. It's a pretty big frame, though, so I think I'd have to get pretty lucky.

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