The cutting process
The making of
the four seasons windows
Step 1:
A design is drawn up and used as a template. Each piece of glass is cut out by hand with the cutting tool shown. Sharp and jagged they will need to be ground down to shape.
Step 2:
Each Piece is ground to shape using various grits of grinding wheels. Here is where the bevels are formed. Each bevel must carefully match the last.
Step 3:
Diamond wheels on our cutting lathes help smooth the "waves" out of the bevels and prepare them for polishing.
Step 4:
Now the beveled piece of glass is on to polishing. Cork and felt wheels are used to remove the grey color left from the grinding and restore it to a beautiful shine.
Each cut and beveled piece is checked against the template and adjustments are made accordingly. We are halfway there!
Step 5:
Time to cut the patterns into the glass! Each ring of the windows holds a unique pattern inside. Each pattern must carefully be cut as any mistake or breakage would result in having to start over from the beginning.
Step 6:
The window piece goes back to the polishing wheel. This process can sometimes takes longer then the cutting as each and every cut must be polished to a brilliant finish using various brushes and wheels.
Step 7:
Each piece is checked again against the template and final examinations are made. After everything looks complete, the window is taken to get leaded together.
After some excellent work from Bigelow Glass the window is leaded together and ready to be installed!