Building An Entry Door

Re: Building An Entry Door

Tom Norton

Ken take a look at the website Wood Web. Look at the forum Architectural Woodworking.

I have built a number of exterior and interior doors out of solid wood. I am considering a new front door also but I am considering a stave core construction.

Re: Building An Entry Door

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

This is a three part project. The woodworking part is easy. Simple frame and panel construction with mortise and tenon joinery. The scale will add difficulty. Can you straighten 7' lumber perfectly, for example?

How are you going to seal it? It may be a challenge figuring out how to use replacement parts for factory doors to seal this custom door. Then there is the finish question. Unless protected by a porch weathering on a wood door is difficult to design for and maintain. The best solution is to paint it. But if you are going to paint it why make a wood door?

Re: Building An Entry Door

Joe Fleming

Years ago, I replaced my exterior front doors (opposing pair). They were a frame and 6-panel construction. The panels were very loose and water was coming in during rains. We replaced them with fiberglass doors with stained, simulated wood grain. The inside looks great, but the outside looks terrible. The provided stain is not durable and I have had to reapply three times in 15 years. I'm about ready to paint them with an epoxy-type paint for better durability to the sun.

When they were installed, they were hung on the existing casing. The installer used a power plane to fit the doors to the opening.

You will need to install the vertical up/down deadbolts for the secondary door. This will require drilling and/or mortising in the top and bottom edges. You will also need the overlapping door trim for where the two doors come together.

If you are used to using the sidelights for checking who's there before opening, you might want to consider doors with windows at the top.

Joe

Re: Building An Entry Door

Ken Krawford

Thanks Tom, Bill and Joe for your feedback. I'm really teetering on this one. If it were a single door I'd be a bit more inclined to proceed but the prospect of getting 2 doors to fit perfectly leaves a lot of room for error (at least in my hands).

For stave construction is vacuum bagging a must or will clamps and cauls do the job?

What type of wood is typically used for the core?

Re: Building An Entry Door

John in NM

Double doors are more difficult to hang if you don't have experience with doors. There are two ways to go about any door hang - get the jamb square and plumb, then hang the doors, or approach it like installing a prehung system where the doors are already assembled in the jamb and the jamb is tweaked until they hang well.

I've done it both ways and each has its advantages. The main thing with either one is to accept that you're going to have to keep fiddling with things to get it all right and derive patience from that knowledge.

Can't help with laminating, cores, and all that. I've only built frame and panel doors from solid wood. I have built arched jambs by laminating 1/16" veneer on a form with clamps. It works as well as a bag - if you do it right. Got to build both sides of the form to distribute clamping force as evenly as possible.

Exterior doors are tricky to get right, and paint is probably the best solution for the outside - anything else is more of a maintenance headache than is simply repainting as needed. You can enjoy the varnished wood on the inside where it doesn't start looking like crap within a couple years.

Re: Building An Entry Door

Brad Chenoweth

Ken,

I have been considering a similar project, except mine is a single door with 2 sidelites. I've just about decided to just go with a fiberglass pre-hung unit, instead, I think. I've never built a door, and it seems a bit overwhelming. However, my research has indicated that the best method is indeed stave core construction. There are at least a couple of companies out there who will build the stave-core rails and stiles to you specs, complete with veneer. Then you cut the parts to length, mill the profiles and assemble. If you google " stave core door parts" , you'll see at least a couple suppliers.

Brad

Have you considered what the doors will weigh?

Jerry Nicholson

Those suckers are likely to be heavy!

Re: Building An Entry Door

Pete in Holland MI

How exposed will the door to the elements? Rain, sun, high moisture wreak havoc on any finish. Although a true wood door looks great, the maintenance of stripping & re-varnishing every few years ruins the thrill of having one for me.

Expanding and contracting panels also don't do well for sealing the elements out either.

Re: Building An Entry Door

Ken Krawford

Brad - great idea about buying the rail/stile staves. I found a company about 45 minutes from me. I just wonder if I'll have "sticker shock" when requesting a quote.

The door we have now is mahogany with a stained interior, painted exterior and face east. It's lasted 30 yrs. so if this one lasts 15 I'll have a lifetime warranty !