Shutter Sunburst

Listing #3703 Listed on: 01/17/2012 Company Name: Mitch Suber Custom Shutters
Name: Mitch Suber

These are pictures of three sunburst I built for a customer to provide a window treatment for their arch windows. We do not build many of these due to their high cost, so we use a combination of our existing shop equipment and a series of specialized jigs that were made just for this use. All parts are made from basswood with the exception of the 72" arch which we made from a double thickness of MDF.

12 Photos

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Posted By:

Dave Sochar

Nice! I am impressed. I always was at a loss as to how to deal with the 'heel' or inner ends hitting the frame as they opened, since they have to be curved, but then hit the frame/sunburst.

Have you ever done these where the slats were symmetrical - angled both directions to meet in the center?

Thanks for posting, I enjoy seeing this work being done.

Posted By:

Mitch Suber

Thanks for the compliments david. Yes, I have done these with the slats symmetrical, but I prefer the one way closure. Reason being most customers find this the easiest to set. With the louvers made for symmetrical operation they can be turned completely around and then they don't fit well together, as each louver is made to have a front and back side.

Posted By:

brian

Thanks for all the informative photos - excellent job!
Brian

Posted By:

Gene

Very nice work. Bet they look great over the windows.

Posted By:

Dennis DiRienzo

Excellent work. How do you open and close them? I am making some for my windows but they are rectangular and of oak.

Posted By:

Mitch Suber

We build these so that each louver is operated individually. We find that our average customer will set the louvers at 45% or half open, and leave them. This breaks the sunlight up so that the rays are not as harmful, plus it gives the sunburst a better appearance as the light comes through.

Posted By:

Art

Great photos, thanks where do you get the pins and sockets for the pivot points?

Posted By:

Mitch

I buy louvers pins from Stonehouse Supply, Hardware Resources or San Benito Shutter. I also drill the holes in the hub and arch extra deep to accomodate a spring to hold th elouver in place. All pins in the Sunburst are the tension type pins.

Posted By:

anthony

The finish looks great. Who's topcoat/enamel do you use?

Thanks

Posted By:

Mitch Suber

I used Sherwin Williams Problock fast dry primer and then used their Proclassic waterborne enamel. With the difficlty that goes with spraying a sunburst, I find the quick dry primer and the faster dry time of waterborne to be a big help.

Posted By:

Dean

Nice work Mitch. How much does each slat overlap in the first photo? The 36" ones look like they have very little overlap. I mostly am pretty jaded with custom door/window work, but I have to say those are definately inspiring. I am now daydreaming of building myself a set, fullround, for use as shutters for portholes on a boat....

Posted By:

sheilaram

Excellent and innovative work Mitch.

Posted By:

Mitch Suber

Thanks Dean and Sheilaram. Dean, the overlap is 1/4" on the louvers, so the edges pass over each other about 1/8". We rough cut them with about an extra 1/16", then dry assemble and mark them to be cut down or trimed for the best fit. The drilling of the hub and arch unfortuantely does not yield holes with exact spacing, so we counter this by the final sizing of the louvers.

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