Hi all! Recently, good friends approached me for advice. They are building a house from timber and have reached the stage of installing plastic windows. They build, of course, not themselves, but hired teams.

But you still need to control it. They asked me to talk about the nuances of installing double-glazed windows in the house, what to pay attention to, etc., so as not to waste money down the drain and then not have to redo it six months later. We sat with them over a cup of coffee, I told them everything in detail and at the same time wrote it down in this article. Maybe this information will come in handy for you too. Read!

Structures and buildings made of natural wood tend to move, that is, shrink. This characteristic imposes restrictions on the installation of windows and doors in light openings.

If you do not use special techniques in the form of casing or frames, the installed window or door will be deformed, broken, and gaps will appear between the frame and the wall.

To avoid such problems, additional framing of the light opening, which is called casing, is widely used. In essence, this structure is a wooden product - a box that is placed on the walls and to which window and door profiles are attached.

This simple design ensures the independent position of windows and doors relative to the walls, and therefore, when the house begins to sag, the casing becomes mobile - it moves along the opening, moving the frames with it without deforming them.

There are two options for making a pigtail, or rather its profile. Highlight

• tenon-groove - where grooves and tenons are cut out in the parts being fastened for joining and fastening;
• monolithic, or finishing, which also have a tongue and groove, but the counter part of the beam is made of solid wood timber. In this case, laminated veneer lumber is not even recommended due to the characteristics of the glue’s reaction to changes in humidity.

It is important that when making one type of casing or another, it should not sit tightly on the walls of the house in any case, since in this case mobility will not be ensured.

Since the frame consists of sidewalls, a top and a bottom (or threshold), it is very important to leave a larger gap between the top and the wall - up to 12 cm, which is intended to compensate for the shrinkage of a wooden house. Such gaps, of course, are processed: they are insulated and closed with platbands.

In order for the casing to serve for a long time and reliably, before installation it is important to treat it with an antiseptic and follow the installation order: first the bottom, then the sides and finally the top with insulation and platbands.

Types of pigtails:

• Photo 1 – Finish (with a quarter).
• Photo 2- Power “SPIRE” or “GROOVE”.

The difference between the two options is the slope for a PVC window

Vocabulary and material for the pigtail:

Carriage (side posts) - timber material, according to the thickness of the house timber (deck):

• Minimum 150mm*150mm(100);
• Maximum 360mm*150mm(100);

Top (upper part of the pigtail) – 150 mm*50 mm;

Insulation:

• flax batting (jute);
• mineral wool;

Antiseptic – protection of wood from exposure to atmospheric and biological factors;

Measurement of window frames (house wall thickness 150 mm) and PVC (plastic) windows.

• Distance from the floor 80-90 cm.
• The width of the casing is 12-14 cm greater than the width of the window.
• The height of the casing is 14-18 cm greater than the height of the window.
• Installation of a frame and a plastic window.
• Preparing the opening to fit the size of the frame.
• I cut “SPIRE” or “GROOVE”.
• Antiseptic treatment.
• Roll seal (flax-wadding (jute)).
• Installation of the CARRIAGE (the side parts of the pigtail) is carried out without fastening elements (screws, nails)
• The top (top part) is put on the side elements.
• The upper gap of the window frame is 8-12 cm. At the rate of 10 cm per 1 p/m of window.
• Laying insulation (mineral wool) + steam-waterproofing on both sides.
• Installing a PVC window like in a box (the gap is filled with foam).

Source: plastikovokna.ru

Installing windows in a wooden house is significantly different from installing windows in brick and stone houses. For example, the openings of buildings made of logs and beams, as a rule, have a quarter, but not from the inside, but from the outside.

Shrinkage

But the most important difference between houses made of wood (does not apply to frame-panel houses) is the ability to shrink as a result of drying of the wall material (logs, timber).

And this point is decisive in installing plastic windows in a wooden house, because if you install a window, as usual, in a bare opening, it will inevitably be crushed and deformed by the shrinkage process.

There is an opinion that the first two are the most active period of wood drying. But that's not true. After the construction of the house, the shrinkage of the walls continues for decades. But that is not all. Wood not only gives off moisture, but also absorbs it. Therefore, rigid fastening when installing windows in a wooden house is impossible in principle!

• Shrinkage in a log house is about 10 – 15 mm per log D = 250-300 mm
• Shrinkage in a house made of timber is about 7 – 10 mm per beam with a section of 150x150 mm
• Glued laminated timber – unknown.

There are other ways to calculate the shrinkage height of log houses as a percentage: approximately 10-15% of the original height. But in fact, the shrinkage of houses made of timber and logs depends on many factors:

• on the material (log, rounded log, timber, laminated timber);
• on the time of material procurement (winter procurement or summer);
• depending on the time of day (morning, evening) Yes-Yes!!! Don’t be surprised – we explored this too!
• from the environment where the forest grew (swamp, field); on the degree of resinity and density of the tree;
• on the size of the material - both its length and thickness;
• from the moisture content of the material;
• on the size of the building; on construction technology (dowel, type of felling, etc.);
• from the material of inter-crown insulation; from the type of wood;
• depending on the time of year when construction is carried out.

The most severe shrinkage occurs in log houses made of ordinary logs, followed by rounded logs, profiled beams, timber, and laminated veneer lumber.

Even if the house is more than a dozen years old, it is still necessary when installing windows in a wooden house to take into account the vertical movements of the walls as a result of an increase and or decrease in humidity and air temperature at different times of the year.

Wooden house – Living

A wooden house is a constantly moving structure, compared to buildings made of stone and concrete. Therefore, the installation of windows in a wooden house is carried out not in the opening itself, but in a special wooden box, which acts as a connecting link between the window and the wall. This box is called differently: casing, frame, deck, pigtail, linden.

How the pigtail works

As can be seen from the photo, the casing is an ordinary window box made of four, sometimes three (sides and top) thick boards, installed inside the opening.

The meaning of this design is that it is independent of the vertical movements of the wall and moves freely in the opening, since it is not attached to the logs (beams) with nails, screws, or other fasteners, but is held in place by grooves in the side posts mounted on the spikes at the ends of the logs.

Even foam is not used to seal the gaps around the window frame - only tow, jute (flax batting) and other soft insulation.

Shrinkage gap

Please note: a large gap is specially left above the jamb, the size of which is designed for the maximum possible amount of shrinkage of the logs (beams). During the first years after the construction of the house, this compensation gap will gradually decrease to a minimum, but the upper log (timber) of the opening, if calculated correctly, will not press down or deform the frame.

Thus, the shrinkage of the house will not in any way affect the size and shape of the window frame, and, accordingly, will not damage the plastic window located inside it.

Shrinkage gap size

If you decide to install windows in an old wooden house that has long gone through the process of shrinkage, then, when disassembling the window blocks, you will probably notice: they are made according to the same principle as the casing design described here, i.e. are not nailed to the logs of the opening, but are fixed in it using a simple “mortise and tenon” system on the sides.

This suggests that the technology of installing windows and doors in a wooden house in frames was invented a very long time ago, and is used successfully to this day. We will not invent anything new and will follow the same path.

There are several ways to install the pigtail:

• T-shaped frame - a groove is made at the ends of the opening logs, and a T-shaped profile is placed into it;
• U-shaped - a tenon is cut out at the ends of the opening logs, and a groove is made in the side casing posts).

We do both options, since they provide maximum strength and stability of the opening, because the frame not only protects the window from shrinkage of the walls, but also ensures the stability of the wall at the place where the opening is cut.

Briefly, the sequence of our actions will be as follows: we cut out an opening in the wall, the dimensions of which are slightly larger than the dimensions of the inserted plastic window;

Preparing the opening for installing a window in a wooden house

Before cutting, we mark the window opening using a level, because the plastic window will be installed strictly level in all planes, therefore the frame must also be installed in the opening as accurately as possible according to the level initially.

The lower crown in the opening needs to be sawed through so that a flat horizontal platform is obtained.

We determine the dimensions of the opening based on the size of the plastic window, the thickness of the casing bars and the size of the required gaps.

We perform all calculations visually. Here is an example of a diagram for calculating the size of the opening for a rough T-shaped frame:

Accordingly, we take a beam with a cross-section of 100x150 mm and cut out a T-shaped profile.

The size of the shrinkage gap (H shrinkage) is not easy to determine, since the amount of shrinkage of the house, as mentioned above, depends on many factors. If we, for example, roughly calculate, taking everything to the maximum, then for a window with a standard height of 1400 mm (plus the thickness of the casing crossbars, plus installation gaps ~ 245 mm) with 15 percent shrinkage, the top gap will be 24.5 cm - a huge hole , the height of which will most likely end up being too large.

To simplify the task and avoid mistakes, you should not rack your brains over GOSTs that regulate the shrinkage values ​​of building materials of various wood species, comparing this with local climatic conditions, etc.
You can do it simpler, namely:

• If you are building a new house, then start installing windows in it no earlier than a year after the construction of the log house in order to wait out the period of the most active shrinkage. Then, when manufacturing and installing the frame, the size of the shrinkage gap (H shrinkage) can be safely made 60-50 mm for a log house, 50-40 mm for a timber house and 40 mm for a house made of laminated veneer lumber;
• if your house has stood for more than five years, then the shrinkage gap (H shrinkage) can be made minimal - 40 millimeters, just to compensate for possible seasonal changes in the geometric dimensions of the opening;

So, we calculated the size of the opening, marked it and cut it out. Now you need to cut out a tenon at the ends of the logs (beams) on the sides of the opening. The tenon is also marked using a level in the center of the log (beam).

Making a pigtail

First, you need to decide on the width of the frame bars: it should either be equal to the thickness of the wall, or be a little larger, so that later, when installing external trims, they (the trims) fit tightly and unhindered on the frame, and not on the wall. There is another option in a log house - a groove around the opening along the width of the groove.

Secondly, to make a pigtail you need to take well-dried material, otherwise the assembled structure itself will soon deform as it dries.

First we cut out the bottom part (window sill), making it 10 cm longer than the width of the opening. At the ends of the window sill we cut a groove for a tenon 65 mm wide and 40 mm deep.

We also make small 20 mm recesses at the ends of both window sills for joining the crossbars with the side posts - the so-called locks.

We make the side posts 70 mm higher than the height of the plastic window frame. On the reverse sides of the racks, using a circular saw, we cut out a groove for a tenon 60 mm wide and 40 mm deep. We immediately make a lock in the side posts for the upper part.

Lastly, we make the top part of the pigtail. Based on the dimensions obtained between the two installed side parts.

Installation of the pigtail

We begin installing the frame into the opening from the bottom crossbar (window sill). Then the top is inserted into the opening, under which we place the side posts one by one, placing them with grooves on the tenons.

We fasten the elements of the frame together with self-tapping screws and, if desired (not necessary), coat the joints with sealant. We caulk the gaps around the casing with ordinary tow, but without much fanaticism, so that the parts do not bend.

We close the upper shrinkage gap with soft insulation such as Rocwool or holofiber. This operation is best done after installing windows and external trim.

Now you can begin installing the window.

Installing a window in a wooden house

We install a wooden or plastic window, aligning it with the front edge of the frame. There is no need to place a window inside a third of the wall thickness, as is done in a panel or brick house, due to the lower thermal conductivity coefficient of wood (smaller freezing depth).

Moreover, given the small thickness of the walls of a wooden house, by deepening the window into the opening, we will be forced to trim the already narrow window sill. And the ledge that is formed as a result on the outside of the opening will have to be additionally closed and sealed.

And as measurements taken with a thermal imager show, the main conductor of cold is the profile itself. For more details, see the photo report based on photographs from a thermal imager here.

Rough frame for cladding

If you have calculated the dimensions of the opening and the frame as described above, then the installation gaps around the window frame when installing in a wooden house should be 15 mm on the sides, 15 mm on the top and 15 mm on the bottom (we do not make the bottom gap larger, because the stand profile makes it possible later place a plastic window sill under the frame, the thickness of which is 30 mm).

It is more convenient to attach the frame to the frame with the help of self-tapping screws of such a size that they fit into the body of the frame, but do not penetrate the wall. We drill holes in the frame with a drill with a diameter of 5-6 mm. Using self-tapping screws longer than the thickness of the frame is dangerous because they will pass through the frame and screw into the logs (timber), which is unacceptable.

Provided that all preparatory work has been done using a level, the window frame should fit exactly along the frame, i.e. the front edge of the frame should be parallel to the plane of the window, without noticeable distortions.

Waterproofing a window from the outside

Before foaming the gap between the window and the frame, we need to decide what material we will use to waterproof the installation seam on the street side. As you know, the two main enemies of foam are sunlight and water.

If we can simply cover the installation seam with platbands or flashings from the sun's rays, then with waterproofing the situation is more complicated, because it must meet two basic conditions: not let water in and at the same time not prevent moisture vapor from escaping from the inside to the outside.

Well, and, of course, waterproofing must be resistant to prolonged weathering.

All these conditions are met by materials such as PSUL, waterproofing vapor-permeable tape and special sealant “STIZ-A”.

Sealant "STIZ-A" - a one-component, vapor-permeable acrylic sealant of white color for sealing the outer layer - is characterized by good adhesion to the main building materials: plastic, concrete, polymer concrete, foam concrete, plaster, brick and wood, among others.

It is also resistant to UV radiation, precipitation, temperature deformation and can be applied even at temperatures as low as -20 degrees.

The only disadvantage of this material is that it is difficult to find in small containers, and buying a whole bucket makes sense when you are installing a lot of windows. If you choose “STIZ-A” as external waterproofing, then the procedure will be as follows: first we foam the window, then, after complete drying, we cut off the foam sticking out from the outside and after that, using a spatula, apply sealant to the cut.

Waterproofing vapor-permeable tape (self-adhesive butyl rubber tape consisting of a vapor diffusion membrane with an adhesive layer of sealant on one or both sides) is sold in rolls of different widths.

In our case, a tape with a width of 70 mm is suitable. When using this tape as waterproofing, ensure it is oriented correctly when gluing.

You can determine this by blowing into it from one side and the other (don’t forget to remove the paper first). Since there is a membrane inside the tape, air passage is only possible in one direction. The side from which it is impossible to “blow through” the tape is the outer (street) side.

The sequence of actions (first the tape, then the foam or first the foam, then the tape) does not matter much, but you need to take into account that the foam, expanding when drying, not only stretches the tape with a bubble (it will interfere later when installing platbands), but in general it can tear it away from the window or frame.

Therefore, if you first stick the tape, then screw the platbands or hard strips on top of it immediately, and only then foam it. Or foam it first, wait for the foam to dry, cut off the excess and stick the tape on the same day so as not to expose the foam cut to prolonged weathering.

PSUL is a pre-compressed self-expanding sealing tape (similar to foam rubber), impregnated with a special composition, thanks to which it is waterproofing and vapor-permeable. Supplied compressed, rolled into rollers.

If you choose PSUL tape, then buy one that expands more than 30 mm. The PSUL will have to be glued not to the outer side of the frame profile, but to the end next to the front edge.

This should be done after fixing the frame in the opening, but before foaming. Of course, it is more convenient to cover the frame with PSUL before installation, when it lies on the floor, but then the installation will have to be done at an accelerated pace, because after a few minutes the tape will expand and interfere with work.

The installation seam should be foamed only after the PSUL has completely expanded and closed the installation gap. But here the same problem is quite possible as with the waterproofing tape: the foam expanding as it dries can squeeze the PSUL out. This can be avoided by pressing the PSUL on the street side with platbands or flashings.

Internal vapor barrier of windows

On the inside, the foam should also not remain open to prevent moisture from entering it from the air in the room.

To install an internal vapor barrier, you can use vapor barrier tape, which has already been discussed in the main section of this site, or use acrylic sealant SAZILAST-11 (“STIZ-B”).

The vapor barrier tape is glued to the end of the frame with a thin adhesive strip before foaming. Immediately after foaming, the protective paper is removed from the wide adhesive strip, and the tape is glued to the pigtail.

Before the foam under the tape hardens, it is advisable to immediately install the window sill and screw the starting profile to the edges of the frame, otherwise later the tape “bloated” with foam will interfere with this.

Sazilast is applied to the hardened foam, or more precisely, to its cut. In this case, it is no longer necessary to rush to install the window sills and the starting profile, as when using tape. Nothing will prevent you from doing this later, when it is convenient.

Interior decoration

The interior decoration of a window in a wooden house (window sills, slopes) is not much different from the decoration in a panel or brick house.

It’s even a little simpler here: you don’t need to drill holes to install the slopes - we fasten everything with self-tapping screws into the wood (into the frame).

There is also no need to additionally insulate the slopes from the inside with foam plastic or other material. To be on the safe side, before installing the slopes, it is enough to foam the inner surface of the casing with a narrow strip next to the installation seam. This will be enough, because wood does not freeze as deeply as concrete or brick.

How to make slopes has already been described on the pages of this site. I want to propose a slightly different method of finishing a window in a wooden house, or rather, refuse to install a plastic window sill and any panels, and instead use the window frame itself.

A window sill, like a window sill and slopes

This method of installing a window in a wooden house allows you to save on slopes and window sills, gain time and achieve, in my opinion, a greater aesthetic effect, but for this you will need a good woodworking machine to evenly cut out the so-called reverse quarter on the casing elements, which will be install a plastic window.

What a reverse quarter is can be easily understood from the figure. This is the recess into which the window frame will be installed on the street side.

Quarter depth – 20 mm. The width is made exactly corresponding to the thickness of the frame, for example: a 5-chamber VEKA has a profile thickness of 70 mm, therefore the width of the reverse quarter should be 70 mm.

It is important to accurately calculate the dimensions of the frame and the window, carefully assemble the frame and install the frame in the opening exactly at the level - the internal clearance should have the shape of a regular rectangle, and all edges of the outer edge should be located in the same plane without distortion.

In order not to make a mistake in the dimensions, it is better to first make and install the window frame, and only then accurately measure and order the plastic window locally.

Installing a quarter window

Let's assume that the window frame is already installed in the opening. The size of the plastic window is made such that it is slightly larger than the “clearance” of the casing, or more precisely: 10 mm more in width and the same amount in height.

Such a window will not fit into the frame from the inside, but it will easily fit into the reverse quarter from the street side. In this case, the edges of the frame will “hide” behind a quarter of 5 mm on each side (this is no longer possible - the sash hinges will interfere), and an installation gap will remain around the frame, which will later be filled with foam.

The frame is attached to the frame with self-tapping screws, as already described above. To ensure a beautiful tight connection between the frame and the casing on the room side, you can use a D-shaped door seal. It is glued before installing the frame with the adhesive side on the edge of the quarter. Accordingly, the dimensions of the quarter must be adjusted for the seal.

But as practice shows, with high-quality production of the pigtail, the need for such an addition disappears. The window is placed directly into the quarter and the meringue of the gaps is pressed tightly against the frame.

When attaching the frame, we press it tightly against the quarter, squeezing the seal, and screw in the screws, fixing the window in this position. The installed window is foamed from the street. Then, after the foam has dried, its excess is cut off, the seam is sealed with waterproofing tape or sealed with “STIZ-A” sealant, and the trim is installed.

Of course, since we refuse to decorate the casing with any additional elements, we must refine it, i.e. give it a look that matches the interior design of the room.

First of all, you need to give the bottom crossbar the shape of a window sill so that its inner edge protrudes slightly from the wall and is slightly wider than the opening.

Secondly, we “dawn” the internal surfaces of the racks and the top, i.e. we abandon the primitive rectangular (in cross-section) shape of these elements and create a large chamfer, simulating a reversal of the slopes.

Next, we process the inner surface of the casing elements. There are many options here: texture, color - the choice is yours. You can simply sand the surface and coat it with varnish. You can cover the wood with stain of the desired color so that the surface of the casing is in harmony with the color of the window and/or the color of the walls.

There is also, in my opinion, an interesting, but more expensive option - brushing the surface, i.e. antiqued treatment.

Artificial aging of antique wood is now very popular in various design styles. The essence of brushing technology is to remove soft fibers from the surface of wood using a metal brush (along the fibers), while the surface turns from smooth to embossed. After giving the relief texture, the wood is cleaned of lint and fibers, then the final gloss is given.

You can immediately coat the wood with varnish, but “aged” wood will look much more impressive after treating it with stain of the color you want. However, there is an even more effective way of painting - patting - creating a contrast between dark wood pores and a lighter surface.

This is achieved using paint of the desired color: the entire front surface of the casing is covered with it, and then the top layer is removed with a cloth before the paint has had time to dry. The final stage of artificial aging is varnishing. It is applied in two or three layers. You can then rub the surface with a soft cloth to add shine.

Material for the pigtail

Material – solid wood (spruce, pine) chamber dried. The material is planed on a surface planer on the wide side. The machine is not a four-sided machine, but a simple planer and can plan a maximum of 200 mm in thickness. Therefore, the dimensions of the ordered material initially include a tolerance for shrinkage and sharpening.

Carpentry training

For those who have studied my courses on pigtails, making it will not seem like some kind of unrealistic thing. In my courses you will learn common truths that joiners and carpenters usually do not say to each other, but imply. To the video courses “Do-It-Yourself Jig” we add a solid stack of books on mechanical and manual wood processing. And, of course, experience working both at woodworking enterprises and in a home workshop. No one has canceled elementary knowledge.

Answer to the question

To answer your natural question: - is it possible to produce high-quality carpentry products at home using power tools?

I will answer: absolutely! With the tool we have now, we can work wonders. You can make not only carpentry, but even furniture of quite decent quality.

The difference between hand and stationary power tools

After all, people work at a woodworking enterprise, and the only difference is that they have stationary machines. What is the difference between a stationary and a hand-held power tool? Only by its immobility.

Accuracy class

According to the class of manufacturing accuracy, I divide woodworking into three categories:

Carpenter's quality. Accuracy class centimeters plus minus 10 mm.

Joinery quality. Accuracy class millimeters. Plus minus 1 mm.

Furniture quality. Accuracy class tenths of a millimeter. Plus minus 0.1 mm.

How does this translate in practice?

Carpenter's quality. You've probably noticed how the corners in the walls of your house are filed. This is carpentry quality.

Joinery quality. In carpentry, the joints are quite visible and these are carpentry tolerances. Joinery products include binding of wooden frames, paneled partitions, technical furniture such as a stool or bench. Woodwork also includes wooden doors, windows, frames, planed boards and various moldings (platbands, plinths, etc.).

Furniture quality. Accuracy class in the manufacture of furniture - the connection of parts with each other should be indistinguishable to the eye. An example is a furniture panel.

But in carpentry, the joints are quite visible and these are the tolerances of carpentry products.

Aspirations and reality

Of course, I adhere to the rule of working at the highest level and strive for this with all my might. But when manufacturing parts from wood with a large cross-section, it is impossible to achieve absolute accuracy for the simple reason that wood is an unstable material. It absorbs moisture directly from the air and, as a result, changes its size.

Here is a case from practice

I made a joint - joints, “a mosquito won’t undermine your nose.” While the windows were being prepared, 3 weeks passed. I came to install them. I look, there’s a small crack, here it’s stuck out a little, here it’s a little bent. These are gaps visible to the eye within a millimeter.

That's it. The volume of the workpieces is large and the expansion of the material is large, as is the shrinkage (compression). Therefore, I think plus or minus a millimeter is quite normal.
When I found out that the change in size depending on humidity of a regular 150 mm wide edged board reaches 7 (seven!) millimeters, I was simply shocked.

View from the outside

Moreover, it is impossible to notice this visually with such a large product as a pigtail. The same applies to platbands. They are always viewed in the same volume as the house, and no one looks at them with a magnifying glass.

The window is almost completely hidden by the platbands. All that remains are the slopes and the window sill. I, of course, place the greatest emphasis on the window sill, as the most significant detail of the frame.

The process of making a pigtail

Edge planing

To cut out the edges, do the following: select a side that is more even, beat out a straight line and cut it with an electric planer with a blade width of 110 mm. This makes it possible to sharpen the edge of the workpiece in one pass.

Parts calibration

Trimming parts

Trimming the parts of the pigtail along the length due to their large cross-section is also done using a circular saw along a line laid down using a square.

Window sill material

For the window sill, a piece of solid coniferous wood is used. At the client's request, the window sill can be made from harder wood species - larch, oak and ash.

It is quite possible to purchase unplaned dry boards or ready-made furniture panels. You can order timber for a larch window sill from the same sawmill as a budget option. Oak and ash are expensive.

Making a window sill

The window sill parts are calibrated in width and the edges are cut. The edges are rounded using a jigsaw with a special file for cutting curved surfaces. Next, using a router and a cutter with a support bearing, the edge of the window sill is rounded.

Tool for making locks, grooves and tenons

Locks, tenons and eyes in the parts are made using the usual set of carpentry power tools: a circular saw, a router, and for chipping off the curves remaining from the router - a chisel and a hammer.

The advantage of power tools

I think that not a single carpenter from the past would refuse modern carpentry power tools. I myself started carpentry in 1985 with ordinary hand tools. And when normal tools appeared on sale at an affordable price, I gladly switched from hand tools to electric ones.

Final finishing of details

The final finishing of the socket parts is two-stage grinding. The first sanding is done using an angle grinder with a Velcro sandpaper attachment.

First grinding

Using the first sanding, we remove the marks left by the movers' feet. We remove traces of careless unloading and transportation - these include traces of small pebbles and other dents. The first grinding also removes the marks left by planing on the machine.

It is very difficult to set the knives in a plane to the same height and therefore small ripples can be seen on the boards. Also, this mark may be due to the wear of the tool - the shaft hits. Coniferous species are soft wood and therefore planing with dull knives leads to scoring on knots and the formation of a rough surface. This is also removed by first sanding.

Second grinding

The second grinding is performed with an orbital (eccentric) sander using finer-grain sandpaper. The purpose of the second sanding is to remove marks from the first sanding.

Using an eccentric sander, using sandpaper with fine abrasive grain, you can completely smooth out all the irregularities from the first sanding.

The wood becomes silky to the touch, and there is simply nothing for the eye to catch on. The final finishing of the rounded parts of the window sill is done manually using fine sandpaper, attached to the platform with a soft sole with clamps.

Locks in details

I developed the locks for connecting the parts of the pigtail myself, taking into account both ease of manufacture and practical meaning. Each node has a labyrinth - there is no direct connection between external and internal air.

Useful SketchUp program

The pictures show drawings made in SketchUp. A very useful program. With its help, it turned out to be possible to make 3D models of the pigtail. These models make it very easy to explain the inexplicable to inquisitive clients - how do you make locks?

After studying this program, I am happy to show you how I make them. In this program I developed the latest version of the locks. It is much more convenient to design locks in a program visually than in your head mentally.

What are self-tapping screws for?

Self-tapping screws are required for assembling a workbench and benches, for working with both parts and openings. Usually, when installing a frame, there is still no floor in the house (only beams) or there are rough floors that you don’t dare walk on even after crossing yourself. So I use screws instead of nails. They can then be easily unscrewed without leaving marks from the nail puller.

And the hole from a self-tapping screw is much smaller and less noticeable than from a nail. I also use self-tapping screws to fasten the parts of the frame together. Everything is done secretly. So you won't even see where they were used. This is done to give greater strength to the structure. The design of the pigtail allows you not to use them at all. But I hold it together - the usual protection against a fool.

Sealing the shrinkage gap

A moisture-vapor insulating film is used to seal the required shrinkage gap above the top part of the frame. A film is attached to the outside and inside, and the insulation inside is roquewall or any other soft insulation such as roquewall.

Follow-up work

A frame created from timber or boards to strengthen the window and door base of an opening is called a frame or casing. The fact is that wood is a fickle material; houses made from it can “play,” that is, shrink or swell at high humidity.

Window frames in a wooden house are needed to prevent the frames from moving during shrinkage. In essence, casing is an additional frame that is not directly attached to the wall. Due to this, a slight adjustment of the opening is possible if the wall moves to the side.

Despite its simplicity, the installation of such a design is truly effective.

Types and features of pigtails

The casing in a wooden house can be one of three types, depending on the material and method of manufacture:

• adhesive The structure is created from glued boards, carefully processed to remove knots and errors in the structure of the wood. Behaves well under high compressive strains;
• from a whole solid tree. For such a frame, a timber or regular board is used. It looks the most attractive, maintaining the overall texture of the wood;
• combined. In production, solid wood elements and adhesive parts are used.

The frame of the windows is selected depending on what type of work will be carried out during finishing.

For rough work, adhesive or combined types are quite suitable. They will be invisible the next time the house is finished with siding or other materials.

Before you begin assembling the casing and installing the window or door structure, consider the following points.

Installation of the frame is carried out until the house is completely insulated. The blocks are installed taking into account the carriages “sliding” along the casing guides.

The material from which the door or window is made (metal, plastic, glass, etc.) is taken into account. For custom-made windows or doors, dimensions are calculated only after the casing is completely installed.

Installation Methods

You can install a pigtail in a wooden house using different technologies.

The first is the use of a T-shaped connection. It's called spike technology. Grooves for vertical elements are cut out in the side walls, which are inserted into the window openings together with the insulation. In the upper and lower parts there are boards attached with self-tapping screws to the posts of the frame.

Casing in a embedded block. The structure is assembled from edged boards and timber. A vertical opening is made in the side walls for a square-shaped block, then installed in the groove. The next step is to create a box, which is attached first to the block, then to the bottom of the frame. Fiber insulation is placed between the gaps.

U-shaped, another name is “in the deck.” The simplest method for assembling a pigtail. Tenons are cut into the logs of the wall of the building, and grooves are cut into the frame. During installation, the elements are connected, and insulation is added to the studs. The structure is secured with self-tapping screws to the posts of the frame.

Clean. A similar method to the embedded block technology, but here the block is rectangular in shape. Thus, part of it extends beyond the frame and serves as a support for the window frame.

Do-it-yourself installation of a pigtail

Before installing the structure, you need to know what it consists of. Regardless of the materials and manufacturing techniques, the pigtail has three main parts:

• top Necessary to hold the side parts in a vertical position, while simultaneously providing clearance for the insulation;
• threshold The lower horizontal side of the structure. It has the same function as that of the apex, while in the window opening it is a window sill, and in the door opening it is a threshold. Most of the load is projected onto it, so its strength is very important;
• carriages. Lateral vertical elements provide connection to the house and the ability to adjust for shrinkage.

Having understood all the design features of the casing, you can begin installing it in the opening.

Make an opening at a distance of 80 cm from the floor. Depending on the type of connection, a groove or tenon is cut into the wall. Wooden elements are treated with protective antiseptic agents. Using thermal insulation, the space between the wall and the frame is sealed.

Features of installing PVC window boxes in a wooden house

It is worth understanding that the installation of casing for wooden windows differs from PVC windows. When installing plastic windows, a more complex casing installation option will be required.

The structure is assembled from a solid log with cut grooves for the ridge. A ridge is cut into the wall for connection. The size of the tongue and groove is made so that when the house shrinks, the frame easily slides along the guides.

Important! Plastic windows cannot be installed in a wooden house without a frame. It will protect the frame from excessive loads and deformation.

The work on installing the window frame begins with making two guide cutouts measuring 5 x 5 cm in the wall of the window opening. The work can be done with a chainsaw or an ordinary chisel.

A beam of the same size as the guides, with a pre-attached seal, is inserted into specially prepared grooves. The linen batting should be located between the wall and the timber so that part of it faces the wall.

The board is fixed flush to the embedded block with self-tapping screws. If the oscillator is installed using the tenon-monolith technology, the T-shaped part is inserted into the groove and secured. The carriages should not fit end to end; it is necessary to leave at least 3 cm to the edge of the wall beam. Such a gap is necessary when calculating the shrinkage of the house.

The top is placed on the vertical elements and pressed so that the groove fits into the guides. The gap left is filled with insulation and closed on the outside with a windproof membrane.

Installation of casing of an adjacent window opening with a balcony door

If the house is supposed to have access to a balcony combined with a window, you should take into account some subtleties when installing such a structure.

With this arrangement of the opening, the casing cannot be made common; they should be separated by a T-shaped sidewall. The combined side of the door will have a U-shape, which will allow the overall structure to slide parallel to each other without deforming the opening.

The gap left above the window opening should be smaller, and above the door larger. After final shrinkage, the gaps will become equal.

Installation of casing for doorways

The process of installing a door in a house made of logs or timber is carried out after complete completion of construction. Installation does not occur immediately, it must take at least 6 months. During this time, the house will shrink slightly.

Most often, the installation of a door frame is carried out using the tongue-and-groove technology. First, using a router, a 50 x 50 groove is made at the end of the opening. A block with a cross section of the same size is installed in it. It is important to take into account the size of the bar; if the house is newly built, then its length should be 5 cm less.

To increase the reliability of the casing, it is necessary to add a 50 mm wide board to the block; you can use a metal channel. After the vertical bars are fixed, a timber threshold is attached below. When installing the door casing, the size of the opening is taken into account. It must be 15 cm higher so that a 150 x 50 board can be installed at the top of the post.

To prevent the penetration of cold, the gaps are insulated. To do this, you can use tow or mounting wool.

Installing a door frame in a wooden house is an important undertaking. It is necessary not only to follow the technology, but also to choose the right material.

The main quality of a board for making a structure is its ability to maintain strength for a long time. The best board for this purpose is a board of category “A”, made from wood species with high performance characteristics (oak, hornbeam, larch).

Unfortunately, this is an expensive material. To find a worthy replacement, they began to use laminated veneer lumber. It has a high level of reliability and performs well as the main material for casing production.

For an all-massive structure, the thickness of the log should not be less than 50 mm. It is important to use high-quality insulation in the form of flax or jute.

To maintain reliability, wood must be treated with antiseptics. This will protect the structure from rotting and delamination.

How to determine the cost of a casing box

When there is an opportunity to save the family budget and not lose on quality, it is worth taking advantage of it. To do this, you need to understand what the cost of a joint is made up of. The price is affected by:

• opening size. Accordingly, the larger it is, the more difficult the installation work and the higher the cost of purchasing the required volume of materials;
• house wall thickness. The width of the parts of the frame and window sill, and therefore its cost, depends on the size of the width of the log;
• material for making. A box made from solid wood is more reliable, but also more expensive compared to other materials.

We can conclude that assembling and installing a pigtail with your own hands is not a difficult task. It is necessary to carefully select the material, focusing on the methods of further finishing of the house, and also pay careful attention to the observance of technology when installing the box, taking into account the design features of the house.

Jigsaw, casing of window and door openings

What is a socket or casing? Why is it being done?

Over time, wooden houses experience significant shrinkage due to the fact that the wood dries out. Wood twists and bends, which can cause warping and damage to windows and doors. To prevent shrinkage of the house from leading to deformation of window structures and doors, you need to make a frame or casing.

The cap protects the openings from pressure from above and creates the gap necessary for shrinkage. The side parts of the pigtail have poses that create vertical sliding. Most often, the pigtail is made from coniferous wood. It consists of a top, sides and a window sill (threshold).

Important! The casing must be installed before caulking works.

Types of casing (casing)

U-shaped pigtail (in a deck)

Classic pigtail. To perform this, a tenon is cut out at the end of the wall, a vertical part of the casing with a groove is installed on it, along which the frame moves vertically due to shrinkage. Thanks to this, no pressure is placed on the door and window structure, which guarantees their correct functioning and durability. The casing is treated with an antiseptic, and soft insulation is placed between the tenon and groove. A wind lock provides protection against blowing under the window sill. The gaps above the top of the pigtail are closed with soft insulating material.

T-shaped socket (in a spike)

The T-shaped frame is made as follows: a groove is cut at the end of the opening, and the side parts of the casing have T-shaped profiles. Bars are glued into the grooves on the risers of the frame, which act as stiffeners; they guarantee the stability of the shape of the casing and uniform shrinkage of the walls.

When installing a T-type pigtail, strict adherence to technology is required. For example, if you secure a block with nails or self-tapping screws, there is a possibility of freezing or blowing through the window and door opening. An important role in casing is played by antiseptic treatment and insulation of seams with compressible material.

A U- or T-shaped pigtail is selected depending on the house. When visiting the site, the surveyor will tell you the most suitable type of casing. Our craftsmen professionally perform the full range of work on the manufacture and installation of casing in wooden houses.

Stages of installing a casing (casing)

1. Opening cutout is done at a distance of 80-90 cm from the floor; when determining this distance, the person’s height is taken into account. Between the opening and the window or door structure, you need to make a shrinkage gap of 35-60 mm.

2. Preparing the opening. Using a chainsaw, depending on the type of socket, a groove or ridge is cut in the opening.

3. Processing and insulation. After installing the frame, its surfaces are treated with an antiseptic, and insulation is placed in the gaps. When installing the frame, you cannot use foam, since the window structure must move freely vertically.

4. Installation of wooden elements. At the end, the installation of wooden elements is carried out, namely the window sill, sidewalls and top.

Prices for casing, pigtail

We install casing boxes using high-quality materials. Carrying out work on the installation of casing boxes, the Department guarantees quality that meets European standards.

LIST AND TYPES OF WORK FOR INSTALLATION OF CASING BOXES		Cost of work with material (rub.)	Cost of work, including customer’s materials (RUB)
INSTALLATION OF RAW CASING BOXES ACCORDING TO TECHNOLOGIES
In the embedded block
In the thorn-monolith
In the embedded block
To the deck (complex configuration, trapezoid)
In the thorn-monolith (complex configuration, trapezoid)
INSTALLATION OF FINISHING CASING BOXES ACCORDING TO TECHNOLOGIES
In a tenon with a finished slope (class “A”) (complex configuration, trapezoid)
In a tenon with a ready-made slope ("Extra" class) (complex configuration, trapezoid)
INSTALLATION OF CABINETS
Installation of external/internal trims (complex configuration, trapezoid)
ADDITIONAL WORK
Window sill installation
Using an electric generator
Assembly of tours (customer's material)
Removal of old casing and glazing

What affects the price of casing?

1. Wall thickness: wooden houses are built from logs and timber, so the wall thickness can be from 140 to 300 mm. The dimensions of the parts of the frame correspond in width to the walls of the house, or slightly exceed it. You also need to consider the width of the window sill.

2. Opening size: The larger the opening, the more material will be required to make the frame and the time it will take to work. The shape of the opening also affects the price of the casing: a standard rectangular design or a complex polygonal one.

3. Quality of a wooden house: if the walls are assembled without connecting elements, the curvature of the walls occurs in the cut out openings. Then you have to additionally straighten the walls, which leads to additional costs. Houses made of timber are assembled using nails that meet at 300 mm. Because of this, additional money and time are required to sharpen chainsaw chains or purchase new ones.

Photos of our projects. Casing (frame) of door and window openings

The first thing to do when glazing a wooden house is to choose the desired window sizes. If you have a house project, these dimensions are taken from the “Specifications for filling window and door openings,” but no one can stop you from changing these dimensions in the direction you desire.

At this stage, we recommend that you pay attention to. Due to standardization, these designs are approximately 20% cheaper than. If you have a large number of windows, you can save significantly on glazing a wooden house without losing any quality.

• The lower edge of the opening is usually located so that the height of the window sill from the finished floor is 900-1100 mm.
• There should be at least one log or timber left from the top edge of the opening to the floor beams.
• There should be a minimum of 150-200 mm from the left and right edges of the opening to the corners of the room, the recommended distance is 500 mm.

For example, let's calculate the required size of the opening for a window width 800 mm and height 1000 mm.

Please note that OSB windows, if it is necessary to install a window sill, are equipped with a support profile 30 mm high, which is not included in the height of the window. Thus, the total height of the OSB window with the stand profile in our example will be 1030 mm. The groove for the window sill is made by milling the bottom beam of the window frame and its height does not need to be taken into account the height of the euro window will remain equal 1000 mm.

First, we need to determine the size of the shrinkage gap between the upper edge of the frame and the wall. If the house was built less than five years ago, the size of the shrinkage gap will be:

• For a log house: 120 mm.
• For a house made of solid timber: 80 mm.
• For a house made of laminated veneer lumber: 50 mm.

If windows are installed in a house that is more than five years old, then the size of the shrinkage gap can be taken equal to 50 mm. We also determine the sizes of other gaps:

• The installation gaps between the window and the frame, both in height and width, are assumed to be 15 mm per side.
• The installation gaps between the frame and the wall below, on the left and on the right are also taken to be 15 mm per side.
• Let us take the shrinkage gap between the frame and the wall above to be 50 mm.

Opening width for our example it will be 800 (window) + 30 (window-window-window installation gaps) + 60 (window-window) + 30 (window-window installation gaps) = 920 mm.

Opening height for OSB window with stand profile will be 1030 (window + stand) + 30 (window-frame installation gaps) + 60 (framework) + 15 (window-frame installation gap-wall below) + 50 (window-frame-wall shrinkage gap at the top) = 1185 mm.

Opening height for an OSB window without a support profile or for a Eurowindow will be 1000 (window) + 30 (window-window installation gaps) + 60 (window frame) + 15 (installation gap frame-wall below) + 50 (shrinkage gap frame-wall top) = 1155 mm.

The dimensions of the gaps are highlighted in red, and the gaps in blue.

With this installation option, the seams between the window and the frame on the left, right and top are closed with fillets, and the seams between the frame and the wall are closed with platbands, usually 120 mm wide. The platband under the window sill can be of a different width at your request, for example, 70 or 90 mm. In this case, the ebb is attached to the stand profile and its edge on top covers the window, which prevents water from flowing under the ebb.

In this option, the lower seam between the window and the jamb is also closed with a fillet. The platband at the bottom is usually set to the same width as the rest 120 mm. The disadvantage of this method is that the ebb is attached to the window, which does not prevent water from getting into the joint between it and the window. To prevent leakage, we recommend using colorless silicone sealant in this area. You should also pay attention to ensure that the ebb does not block the drainage holes in the bottom beam of the OSB window frame.

Installation is carried out similarly to that shown in Drawing 1, except that the groove for the window sill is made by milling in the lower beam of the window. In the same beam on the street side there is also a groove for the ebb, so in the case of Eurowindows there will be no flow of water under the ebb.

Installation is carried out similarly to that shown in Drawing 2, except that the groove under the window sill will not be milled; do not forget to indicate this when ordering euro-windows.