We occasionally hear of homeowners and woodworkers talk about building window shutters themselves. Obviously, it is not impossible to craft quality interior or exterior wood shutters, but we feel it is extremely ambitious. Movable lover shutters are probably the most difficult to construct. Every louver must be in exact alignment with the next. One louver that is not precisely located will cause the entire unit to look unbalanced. Holes are drilled into the side of each side stile to accept a pin that will hold the louver in place. The holes are the real key to proper alignment. The holes also need to be properly sizes to place proper tension on the louver pin. Just the right amount of tension keeps the louvers at the intended angle of rotation. If the tension is to great, the rotation will be difficult. If the tension is too loose, the louvers will fall to the down position.

We have only touched on one aspect of shutter construction here. Before attempting to build shutters, consider purchasing window shutters. There are some great sources from craftsmen who have successfully manufactured thousands of interior shutters and exterior shutters.