Blind Stile Morticer: My Dad Makes Shutters, in Case You Were Wondering.

This is my Dad. He's great, and one of the smartest people I know.

My Dad has a shop where he does all sorts of fun things.

Recently, my Dad purchased a machine called a Blind Stile Morticer.

Actually, I think he bought two and merged the parts together so that one will work properly. The machine is about 100 years old or so, and is used to make shutters!

It looks complicated to me, but my Dad has done a lot of reasearch, and on his own, has figured out how to operate and repair this machine all on his own.

He's a really smart guy, and the machine is really cool to watch.

Don't stick your fingers in there when it's on.

This machine makes shutters the old fashioned way, out of solid wood, without nails.

It's great if you're doing a restoration project (like our entire town) and want authentic, beautiful, quality shutters.

And I thought this spring looked neat.

This is the machine in action, drilling the slat holes in the stiles. There's a drill bit on either side, and a little belt that moves it up and down on a slant. You'll understand with the video later.

Here's a close up of the drill bit.

Once all the pieces are cut, it's time to assemble them!

The pieces. (This is for multiple shutters)

It takes a skilled craftsman.

They are assembled with dowels and glue instead of nails. This is better than using nails, and my Dad can tell you why :)

After he trims the dowels, he sands it to make sure everything is perfectly smooth.

I didn't take a picture of a big finished shutter, but here's a little one he made for our summer kitchen. He needed to replace the window anyway, and now it will match the house. Can you believe he made that? And I think the hardware is really neat.

Need any screw/nails/washers/pins/etc.? I'm sure it's in there somewhere. He bought this at an auction as well.

A three car garage didn't hold all of his tools and supplies, so he rents the garage to a house next door to us. He has quite the supply of wood.

Here's a video they made of the process. It's pretty sweet!

All in all, my Dad is super talented, and I'm really proud of him for starting this hobby! If you need any shutters or custom windows, let him know!