A Do-It-Yourself Window Screen

Saw 45-degree angles on each end of the 1-by-2-by-23 3/4-inch and 1-by-2-by-27 3/4-inch boards using a miter saw. The angles should be directed inward on one side of the board so that one side still measures 23 3/4-inches and 27 3/4-inches, respectively. The opposite side will be shorter. The boards will go together to form a rectangular frame similar to a picture frame.

Cut a biscuit on each mitered end of the 1-by-2-by-23 3/4-inch and 1-by-2-by-27 3/4-inch boards. Center the biscuit joiner against the mitered end and operate the joiner to make the cuts. Biscuits are semi-circular cuts made in wood joints. An oval shaped piece of wood called a biscuit is inserted into the biscuit cuts on two wood parts to reinforce the joint.

Apply wood glue the ends of all of the boards. Run a bead of glue in each biscuit cut.

Insert a biscuit into the ends of the 1-by-2-by-23 3/4-inch boards. These are the top and bottom boards or rails of the screen frame. Place them oriented horizontally and parallel to each other on a work surface spaced 27 3/4-inches apart.

Join each end of the top and bottom rails with a 1-by-2-by-27 3/4-inch board to form a rectangular frame. These are the side boards or stiles. Insert the biscuits into the biscuit cuts on the mitered ends of the stiles to connect the joints of the frame together.

Wrap a frame clamp around the perimeter of the screen frame and tighten it. Measure from corner to corner of the frame. The measurement will be the same if the screen frame is in square. Adjust the squareness by loosening the clamp and shifting the corners. Retighten the clamp. Allow the glue to dry for 24 hours and remove the clamp.

Sand the screen frame with 120-grit sandpaper in the same direction as the grain of the wood.

Apply an even coat of primer and paint to the screen frame and screen molding strip using a paintbrush. Allow the finish to dry four hours between primer and the top coat of paint. Allow the paint to dry for 24 hours.

Roll the fiberglass screening across one side of the screen frame. Hold one edge of the screening approximately 1/4-inch in from the edge of the inside opening on one side of the screen. Staple that edge every 2 inches along the length of the side using a staple gun equipped with 3/8-inch staples.

Pull the screen tight while applying pressure to the center of the screen and staple the opposite side approximately 1/4-inch in from the inside edge. Staple the screening to the top and bottom inside edges in the same manner.

Trim off the excess screening from the screen frame with a utility knife.

Measure the inside opening dimensions of the screen frame. Cut the screen molding to fit around the inside edge of the screen frame so that it will cover up the stapled edge of the screening using a miter saw. Cut 45-degree angles on the ends. The shorter side of the molding will be equal to the inside measurements of the screen frame.

Lay out the molding along the inside edge of the screen frame. Hammer the molding in place every 2 to 3 inches using 1/2-inch finish nails.