Domino Jig Mortising Transoms

[Scott B.]

Here's some interesting footage Todd bootlegged on our jobsite today of our locally legendary colleagues the Burgesses with a jig set up with their vintage Domino for the purpose of onsite building of divided light transom windows. Just a spur of the moment demo, but we thought it was pretty cool and they were stamping them out pretty quickly and with apparent ease. I am quite sure we will be painting them up soon.

It is cool to see how our carpentry counterparts use their tools to gain efficiency and best results.

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Mortising Jig for Festool Domino

 

[Scott B.]

A batch of the Burgess Transoms assembled and still in rough form. Not far from finish sand and spray. There is a tremendous pile of stop material that goes with them as well. Like 206 stops or something.

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[Alan m]

thats a nice and simple solution there. nothing too complex

 

[Scott B.]

thats a nice and simple solution there. nothing too complex

I agree, Alan. I thought it was pretty clever. On site solutions have to go that way, especially of custom items like this that dont typically get built on site. Its really interesting to work with guys who understand their craft at such a deep level that they can look at a problem (how to build numerous custom transoms on site), identify several possible solutions, pick the most efficient one that achieves the quality goal, set up and execute.

Some of the jigs we see carpenters come up with on site are just remarkable. Architects have these visions that are not rooted in generally accepted carpentry standards often times, and it is the true craftsman who figures it all out and brings it to life. All trades overcome obstacles everyday with ingenious solutions, usually driven by tool and material selection, and devising an ideal process in way less than ideal circumstances. That is what the Burgesses are demonstrating with this task. As a student of wood and finishes, just when you think you have seen it all...you see something new. Thats what keeps me showing up everyday.

 

[Scott B.]

There was alot of this going on during assembly. And I thought I would show the father/son Burgess dynamic duo.

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[WarnerConstCo.]

Is that poplar?  Are those exterior windows or for something inside?

If they are exterior, good luck having them last more then 5 years.  Poplar was once used for siding, trim and windows, but do not use it now, it will rot in under a year.

 

[Scott B.]

WC

It is indeed poplar, and they are for interior transoms:

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[John Stevens]

Here's some interesting footage

Very interesting, Scott, as was the audio.  What was that music?  And the comment, "made by Festool, the greatest tool maker in the world."  Enjoyed your observation about the carpenter using his vision to bring the architect's vision to life.  Thank you for posting all this.

Regards

John

 

[Scott B.]

Here's some interesting footage

Very interesting, Scott, as was the audio.  What was that music?  And the comment, "made by Festool, the greatest tool maker in the world."  Enjoyed your observation about the carpenter using his vision to bring the architect's vision to life.  Thank you for posting all this.

Regards

John

Hi John

Just saw this thread post, sorry about the delay. The music was the singing of old man Burgess. He would like the world to think he is daffy, but we all know he is mostly bored and unchallenged.

I finally got around to doing some finish on this batch of transoms today. I was feeling like being unencumbered, so it was a cordless sprayer day. The Burgesses will be installing glass and stops and then installing the transoms into their openings for final finish very soon.

Thanks for your comments.

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[neeleman]

Here's some interesting footage

Very interesting, Scott, as was the audio.  What was that music?  And the comment, "made by Festool, the greatest tool maker in the world."  Enjoyed your observation about the carpenter using his vision to bring the architect's vision to life.  Thank you for posting all this.

Regards

John

Hi John

Just saw this thread post, sorry about the delay. The music was the singing of old man Burgess. He would like the world to think he is daffy, but we all know he is mostly bored and unchallenged.

I finally got around to doing some finish on this batch of transoms today. I was feeling like being unencumbered, so it was a cordless sprayer day. The Burgesses will be installing glass and stops and then installing the transoms into their openings for final finish very soon.

Thanks for your comments.

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Does anybody know what kind of spray-gun is on the picture ?
As I can see it's battery powered.
I have never seen such a model.

I alreay found it. It's a Graco ProShot Fine Finish.
What are the experiences ?

 

[Scott B.]

neeleman

Here is a general explanation of the differences between the regular ProShot and the Fine Finish model. I have been running cordless for just over 3 years now.

 

[Notorious T.O.D.]

Works for sure but in my experience it is over kill. The cope and stick with a quality glue will hold these pieces in place just fine, let alone when all the glass and window stop is added. Afterall these should not be structural nor even movable most likely. Sometimes when we get bored or feel unchallenged we over build and find solutions to problems that really are not.  Thats my opinion, very nicely executed work none the less.

Best,
Todd

 

[Scott B.]

Works for sure but in my experience it is over kill. The cope and stick with a quality glue will hold these pieces in place just fine, let alone when all the glass and window stop is added. Afterall these should not be structural nor even movable most likely. Sometimes when we get bored or feel unchallenged we over build and find solutions to problems that really are not.  Thats my opinion, very nicely executed work none the less.

Best,
Todd

Out of respect for a master craftsman who has passed it on to at least two subsequent generations of craftsmen in my state, the suggestion that Mr Burgess is actually unchallenged or bored, can only be made by someone who has worked with him for the past decade.

That generation right there could sit under a tree and whittle joints all day long that would make even the heartiest of tool hounds buy some new chisels. I like to see veterans of that ilk who are not lost in the past, and are embracing new technologies.

That said, These transoms have some weight and builk to them. Plus the glass being installed now. Their locations in swinging door openings makes a good case for the best performing, most functional joint possible. And in the context of the trim package it lives in, its design appropriate. The end users of the custom built transoms likely wont want to see a hairline joint in their white paint. They won't.

There are bunches of cabinet shop ways to build custom pieces, but for an on the job solution that will perform for the long haul, this one has been fun to finish. They dont always go this way...there is more underkill in the world than overkill in general.

 

[Dixon Peer]

So the transoms were built on the job?  The stiles, rails and muntin bars look like a shaper was involved at least, and perhaps a molder.  Did the Burgess fellows have the parts milled for them and do assembly on sight?  I've done lots of that kind of work over the years; it's very satisfying, particularly when one gets involved with radiused and elliptical work.  But when it came to the muntins, I always used a hollow chisel mortiser set up on a drill press.  That was before the Domino came along, but I'd still do it that way as it's faster.  Nice work those boys do.

 

[Scott B.]

Dixon,

All milling on site by Burgesses. They call it "the Burgess way."

 

[Dixon Peer]

Dixon,

All milling on site by Burgesses. They call it "the Burgess way."

So the boys use a router table to do the sticking profile (ovolo) and cope cuts, and perhaps a small table saw for the glass rabbet?  I can't imagine taking a shaper to a job site, and if one had a shaper, why not do the work in the shop as it would be quite a bit faster.  In any event, they seem to do nice things.