How Do You Make Louvered Doors & Window Shutters?

Louvers, in installations such as louvered doors or window shutters, are an attractive way to provide privacy and security while allowing for the free-flow of air on both sides of the louvers. Many people will buy louvered bi-fold doors for closets or position them as a screen for a dressing area. What many woodworkers don't realize is just how easy it is to make louvers. The key is in a jig for use with your router, as a proper router jig will make it quite simple to align your louvers evenly. In this set of free woodworking plans, we build a shutter for a window that is inconveniently positioned in a shower enclosure. However, the same principle is easily adapted for any interior door or exterior wood shutter, using the same mortise and tenon joinery for the rails and stiles. Download the <a href="/library/WoodworkingProjects/Louvers.pdf">Free Woodworking Plans</a> to build a set of Louvers (PDF). Please note that these plans are more of a guideline on how to build louvers that ...  more

The key to making louvers is in the grooves for the slats in the stiles. If the grooves aren't properly spaced or parallel, the louvers will look odd. There is a simple solution to this potential problem: a louver jig for your <a href="/od/handpowertools/p/router.htm">plunge router</a>. that can be built out of scrap stock, and will ensure every groove will be perfect. If you check back to the plans you downloaded in step 1, you'll find a four-view measured drawing of the router jig. To begin, you'll need two long (at least 24") boards that are a bit thicker than the width of the stile that you'll be routing. These don't have to be solid boards; you could use a couple of pieces of scrap 3/4" plywood and shim some other scrap stock beneath the two boards to raise them to the proper height. Just make sure that the channel between the two long boards is clear. Next, position one piece of 1x2 in a 45-degree angle (using a <a href="/od/glossarytermsjm/g/LayoutSquare.htm">layout square</a>) ...  more