Tip #16
Fences and Shutters (continued)
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Pg. 1-3, Pg 4-6

Shutters Decoration

An "ogee" groove forming bit. They are also available in different styles. (Router Arm Guard removed for photographic purposes.)

Decoration - Once you have completed the basic board-and-batten, there is no end to the ways you may decorate them. Here are a few suggestions:

Peepholes - Once upon a time, our ancestors cut these in their shutters so they had something to shoot out of when they were under attack. Now they are purely decorative and can be cut in any shape you fancy. Make a piercing cut with yourjigsaw and smooth with a rasp.

Initials and Designs - This also takes somejigsaw work. Cut the design out of solid wood and apply to the shutter with waterproof glue.

From left to right: A router arm template for a paneled shutter, the routed shutter board, and the finished shutter.

Molding - By tacking and/or gluing moldings to the surface of the shutter, you can achieve a paneled effect. Or you can use the molding to create a design.

Raised Panels - By using both the jigsaw and the router arm, you can make your shutter look as if it were made of raised panels instead of simple boards and battens. Cut a template on the jigsaw and attach it to a piece of plywood the same size as your shutter. Attach the shutter, battens down, to the other side. Trace the template over the table pin in the router arm, while cuthng a groove in the shutter with a paneling or 'groove forming' bit. The result is indistinguishable from true panels and costs much less in time and effort.

Continue to Hanging the Shutters
Back to Attaching Boards to Battens