Pics of new plexiglass windows

Neat thing about this design are the hinges. They're cabinet hinges that have a nylon insert. They will stay at any position from closed to fully opened, and they make ZERO noise to open and close. Plus they open up and out of the way.
I used a fine tooth table saw blade to cut the 1/8" plexiglass, and 5/32 rivets to connect the hinges to the plexiglass. About $10 per window was the final cost. I also have exterior plywood windows for the offseason, so the plexiglass doesn't get scratched up by the elements.
Oh, by the way....the exterior windows had not been cut out yet when I took these pics.

So THAT's how you do it... you know how many pieces of plexiglass I destroyed trying to mount hinges directly to the plastic?

Yep, rivets are the key there. I build these to sell, but not in mass production. I'm not trying to keep any secrets. I just know there are tons of folks that like to build their own, so I'm just sharing my successful ideas.
Pretty soon, I'm going to post the whole process I use to build one. I took lots of pics thru the build this time.

Do you recall the "type" of cabinet hinge, self-closing? Thx.

Nice job!

nice design!

I like your pop rivet handle. I also like the hinges. Wish I had thought of those when I was building my windows. I used thinner plex and built window frames out of screen window frame kit. I too used pop rivets and plastic washers and only cracked the plex one time. I believe the trick to not breaking the plex is to drill the hole a little larger than you would if you were putting the rivet in metal and that lets the hinge on one side and the washer on the other side put even preasure on the plex and the swelling of the rivet expanding does not crack the plex.

Next time you rivet hinges to the plexiglas, don't squeeze it down all the way. Just do it enough to hold tight. With 3 rivets in that small area, they don't need to be crimped all the way down. Crimping them down all the way will crack the plexiglas every time. I would not drill the holes bigger, because that will allow it to get loose over time.

Great Thread

Nice

Where did you buy the hinges at? I've built a few with plexiglass and used small bolts/nuts and never had an issue with one cracking. I love those hinges though.

You can get them anywhere really...Home Depot, Lowes, etc.

ttt....for inquiring minds.

great info, thanks for sharing

Do you have any problem with rain leaking between the window and shooting ledge? I have similar windows but rain seeps between the window. Also, how does your hook keep the window from blowing open?

Can you provide more information on the hinges? I was at HD today and didn't see anything like what you used.

Thanks in advance.

It's just a standard spring loaded cabinet door hinge.
Probably have the same design on the cabinets in your house somewhere.
They come in straight and offset - looks like the straight ones in the pictures.

I also like having the plywood doors on outside to protect the plexiglass in off season.

Questions for OP:
Do you keep wood doors open during season or just open while in the stand?
Do you have a latch on the inside window?

The reason I ask is it would be pretty easy for the wind to blow them open or a Barn Owl to push open.
Believe me, you don't want barn owls in your stand!!!

Nicely done though!

I build mine just like this, almost. I use 1/8" lexan and only one rivet. Lexan is a lot better than plexiglass. Lexan will not crack and break like the plexiglass does, but is a little more $. I pay $120 for a 4x8 sheet of lexan. If you use plexiglass put a thin washer on the glass then rivet and most of the time it will not crack.

I used to work with plexiglass a lot in my previous job. Not always, but a lot of the time, the damage to plexiglass is done while drilling the hole. If you have a high speed drill press you won't see breakage often but by using a drill it can create hairline stress cracks that will break when pressure is applied. Try starting your hole in reverse until you get past the top edge of the plexiglass and the switch over to forward. It was a trick that we used that worked. Also, start with a tiny bit and work your way up to your desired size going bit by bit.

Hope these tips help.

Check out http://deerviewwindows.com/
These windows are the bomb. We have used them on three home made blinds now.

^^ what he said. Just got my windows in from deerview.com and IMHO, they are the cat's meow! My order was a total of $152 including shipping and sales tax for three 36"x10" windows and one 24"x10" (for the side where the door goes in).

EDIT: actually the windows were $117 total, so if you live in the DFW area (Mansfield) you could pick them up and save shipping.

Are these the hinges? I like the way it stays open.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000C11NB2...g+cabinet+hinge

Good looking windows





www.chaddavidoutdoors.com
Building God's Kingdom, one stand at a time.

Very nice job