SEBTS: Repairing windows

This post is for our good friends James Hill and Jim Bedenbaugh in Laurens, SC, who have commented about my work posts. Here's an update and a shout out to the two of them.

I work at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Facilities. My main job is to clean the shop every day, but I also work as an apprentice in carpentry. Most days I get to work with William Warren. He is a student in the college, almost ten years younger than I, and a real craftsman.

Previously I have written about our work repairing column bases at Stephens-Mackie Hall, building a 4' X 8' outside door for Adams Hall's east entrance, and building a window for the Adams Hall's west side second floor classroom. We have been inspecting the other windows in Adams and have repaired several windows as well. The ones which need some wood work have usually needed a bottom piece. Pretty good for windows that were first installed about 1927, over 80 years ago.

William usually runs the fir stick through the shaper to get the top ready, then drills the square holes and cuts the bottom at a 5 degree angle while I try to take the rotten or damaged bottom piece off the window without damaging the stiles or breaking any panes. So far we've not broken one because we take it slow and easy.

Below are two pictures from yesterday when we were fixing the window in the first floor window in the west stairwell. Here is William fitting the bottom piece back into the window.


Here is the fixed window, primed, with its hardware on, back in place in the west stairwell.