Atticposting #2: mini fake gravity registers

Due to some choices made by the previous owners, the (forced) air ducts to the attic spaces are at floor level, which means that no standard $5 at the store stamped register grate will fit in a normal way, or a way that looks good. They are also a nonstandard but modern size, which means that a replica gravity register won’t look right because the repros are way too big.

So the obvious choice is to custom make some mini gravity registers.

The design was based around a few minimum sizes:

• be at least a little thicker at the top of the baseboard than the thickness of the baseboard itself
• be bigger than the hole in the wall

and some maximum size constraints:

• stick out as little as possible
• not be more than an inch bigger than the hole in any direction so that the attachment screws will hit framing instead of being sunk into drywall
• be entirely made out of salvaged wood

and the most important constraint:

• must be cute

I spent a while thinking about how to implement louvers. Considered 3D printing something or perhaps salvaging a louver box from an old grate, but decided against adding complexity and went with a slide in panel. That does limit the air control to all or none but it can’t be beat in terms of reliability and ease.

Easy one first

I cut two identical triangle pieces for the sides routed in a slot on the long vertical edges. I also made a pretty standard mitered frame with glued corners out of some salvaged edge trim. Once the frame was dry, I routed in some Decorative Edge into the inside edge and smoothed the interior corners. Then I glued the frame to the hypotenuses of the sides and clamped it to dry.

Frame and sidepieces in the glue-up

While that was curing, I cut a piece of panel to use as the air dam. I also prepared a piece of decorative expanded aluminum for spraypainting by lightly sanding it and scrubbing it off with alcohol before standing it up in the “spray booth” box.

While that was drying, I primed and painted the woodwork.

Then I decided that the best way to attach it to the wall was to give it little tabs. I made a simple nearly-solid model and printed it off. Then I cut notches into the sides, positioned so that the tabs would just stick out above the top edge of the baseboard once it was installed. I also installed the grate by stapling it in place from the back.

Back of the frame with grate and tabs installed.

The air dam got a leather handle, about 1/2″ by 5″, also stapled on from the back.

Altogether, it looks like this.

Register installed with air dam slightly lifted.

I have to make a second one that fits into a corner. Post about that one when the wall that it’s going on is completed.