Kitchen Window Frame

Replacing the kitchen window frame had to be done. No one would argue with that.

The finished window frame holds the blinds in place.

Before

The old plastic one was brittle and cracked. We wanted a frame that would hold blinds against the wall and would match the Airstream's rounded legacy and our commitment to a natural wood interior. It was only pure stubbornness on my part that pushed me to try to remake the original plastic shape, but in wood. I learned a lot, mostly about the inflexibility of birch and the advantages of having the right router bits.

The new frame is made up of three parts. The first is a backing that fits around the window and covers all of the wall space behind the new frame. This was cut from 1/8" birch plywood. Here is is merely wedged in place between the upper cabinet and the counter backsplash. Later, it gets attached to the main part of the frame.

The second part is made of solid 1/2" thick maple sides (no birch available) connected by a top board of something cheap.

Many clamps were needed.

 As with the original plastic, the sides hugged the curve of the wall. They were rounded on the outside front edges. And the front face was a continuation of that rounded corner.

The idea was to recess the inner part of the front edge of the thick side pieces. Since these front edges were curved, a simple saw or even plunge router couldn't work. A rabbeting bit was called in to make the cut.

This notch down the inside of the front edge would allow the third part, the 1/8" thick birch front piece, to sit flush with the rounded front edge of the maple side pieces.

The darker backside of the front face needed many cuts.

Unfortunately, birch is stubborn stuff. After trying in vain to persuade the 1/8" plywood to follow a 3" radius using warm, damp towels to soften it up, I resorted to cutting with the router a series of shallow V grooves about 1/8" apart across the backside of the curve. This allowed the birch to bend enough, with only a couple small cracks, and to conform almost completely to the curve of the sides.

Casini Ranch Rally, April 14, 2011

 The finished window frame fills the same function as the original. We replaced the previous owner's vinyl miniblind with real aluminum ones. The result is a sturdy, functional window frame that doesn't detract from the view outside.