Behind the Scenes: The Making of a Heirloom Shutter
At ANYHOO, “custom” isn’t a label we add at the end. It’s a principle woven into every step of creation, from raw wood to finished installation. While many see just a beautiful final product, the true value—and the reason our shutters last for generations—is built into the process itself.
Here is a glimpse into the meticulous journey of a single ANYHOO shutter.
Phase 1: The Frame – Engineering the Foundation
Every great structure needs a perfect frame. Ours begins not with assembly, but with precision preparation.
Precision Cutting: Each frame member is cut to its exact, unique length.
Strategic Drilling: Holes are drilled for hardware. For invisible hinges, specialized mortises are carved—a detail hidden in the final product but crucial for clean lines.
Joinery Crafting: Using tenoning machines, we cut the “male” tenons that will form the strongest part of the joint.
The First of Many Sands: Every cut end and surface is sanded smooth. This initial prep prevents future snags and ensures perfect adhesion for finishes.
Phase 2: The Louvers – The Heart of Control
The louver is where function meets form. Each one is individually crafted.
Cut to Size: Louvers are cut to match the specific window’s width.
Sanding for Sensation: Each louver is sanded to a perfectly smooth finish—the touch you feel every time you adjust the light.
Precision Holes & Pins: Holes are drilled for tilt rods, and pins are set. This is where smooth, silent operation is born.
Assembly: Louvers are carefully mounted onto their wooden tilt rods, which have themselves been shaped and sanded to a smooth, rounded profile.
Phase 3: The Stiles & Rails – The Hidden Skeleton
These components form the shutter’s internal grid, its strength hidden from view.
Cutting & Complex Joinery: After cutting, a “mouse hole” is routed for hardware, edges are chamfered, and finally, computerized tenoners craft the precise male tenons on each end.
Drilling & Refining: Pilot holes are drilled, hinge mortises are carefully enlarged with a router, and edges are softened again.
Sanding & Joinery: Every surface is sanded before female mortises are cut to receive the tenons, ensuring a flawless, tight fit.
Phase 4: Assembly & Perfection – Where It All Comes Together
This is where precision parts become a single, living object.
Dry Assembly: All components are clamped together to form the door leaf. This is a critical test fit.
The Fit Check: The assembled leaf is matched with its frame to verify perfect gaps and structure.
Sanding, Again: It’s all disassembled. Every piece is inspected, touched up, and sanded again to achieve an impossibly smooth pre-finish surface.
The Finish: Only now does it enter the spray booth for its final stain or paint—applied to a perfectly prepared surface.
Final Inspection & Hardware: After drying, the finish is inspected. Then, and only then, are hinges and hardware installed.
Final Check & Packaging: The complete shutter is given a final comprehensive check, photographed for archives, and carefully packed.
The Point of 24 Steps
Why go through this? Because a shutter isn’t just a decor item. It’s a moving part of your home, touched and used daily. Each sanding prevents a future splinter. Each precision tenon ensures it won’t sag. Each inspection guarantees what arrives at your home isn’t just a product, but a promise kept.
This is what “custom” truly means at ANYHOO. It’s the unseen discipline behind the seen beauty.