This weekend, after months and months of talking and dreaming about starting my window project, I went to Home Depot and purchased a basic but suitable router, router table, and router bits. Probably more importantly, after living here for 2.5 years, I also finally created a proper work space for myself (truck tailgate, you've done well). My latest spray paint project left what I call "racing stripes" on the back of my truck. Tonight, I set everything up.
The windows in our house were built with rounded corners but entirely without any sort of trim. Any cozy house requires some form of window sill throughout...or at least trimmed in some fashion in my opinion. I figure since our house is supposed to be old skool by design, window sills are required.
Here's the fun part. A few months back while wandering through Home Depot I stumbled across a bunch of primed MDF (medium density fibreboard). I took one look at the boards and realized that it appeared to be the perfect size and thickness for a window sill. I bought one, and sure, enough, it's perfect. Not only are these boards already primed and pre-cut, but they are also $5 per 7 foot board! I will probably be able to get 2-3 window sills out of one $5 board. Talk about dirt cheap and the perfect solution. The guys that finished our basement used this material for the sills downstairs, so I know what the finished product will look like too after it's been installed and painted.
I need to work on my technique, but these pictures will give you an idea of what it's going to look like. I will be installing a piece of trim below the sill to finish off the bottom. Also, the sill's side edges will actually wrap around the outside of the window in an arch but I didn't bother to do that yet. This first board was for practice, to make sure everything was setup correctly and that it's the right material for the job. I'm also considering running a thin piece along the inside of the window all around and routering that too (possibly with a different pattern/bit) for an even better look.
So anyway, the sky is the limit with MDF since it's so cheap. I'm really going to have fun with this project over the next few months. Of course, I'll be sure to post pictures after I finally complete my first room.
