Wanting to build a door...well a special door, one with someting ornate on it, maybe a glass hole with some etching on it, maybe some carving, maybe some sandblasting, maybe some iron or brass. hmmm..
Thought about using cedar, but heard that it had to be kiln dried. (expansion)
It's not for pay, just a learning curve with a friend that needs an door!
Any insight on this?
Cher.
Posted by Dan Sawatzky (Member # 88) on :
Cheryl
We are currently in the planning stages for our new digs- both house and studio. Our front doors will reflect all the cool stuff behind it. Current plans call for a hand built cartoon house inside Giggle Ridge Mountain. All heavy timbers and trees inside- only in "giggle wood" like the rest of our park.
I've carved doors before but this time I want something much cooler. I've decided to use Precision Board - probably at least 20 lb. It will be good for all the detail work and 'cartoon' wood grain' we want to match the rest of Giggle Ridge. I'm thinking about welding up a steel inner frame to fasten hinges and hardware and then laminating the board around it before carving our signature piece.
My brother just did his front door of cedar... had a millworker do up blocks of wood and then carved a wonderful tree into it with leaded glass peeking through the branches. The difference is it is a double door with the join line between the two doors curved to match the curvature of the tree trunk. The door stops traffic... literally... so he is going to put up a big gate across the driveway now to keep folks from turning into his driveway... and that too should be a work of art when it is done.
Have fun with your project!
-dan
Posted by Rob Larkham (Member # 2105) on :
I'm going to have my Dad who is a woodworker build me a new front door for my house. It will be Mahogany. I will do some carving on it and also put the exsisting etched glass in the new door.
Posted by cheryl nordby (Member # 1100) on :
Hi Cheryl.....nope I have never built a door. But that would be a fun thing to do. What a great idea.
[ March 27, 2002, 11:18 PM: Message edited by: cheryl nordby ]
Posted by Chris Lovelady (Member # 2540) on :
say Cheryl....
I think that from your post that you want to do some carving, glass, ect. not learning to build a door all square, plumb and caseing, then hang it so that it swings straight. go to a window and door store and pick you out a wood door with the glass hole of your choice the have many choices of wood available. then plan the carving and glass to it.
this is what we are doing for our front door..oh did i tell you that i did stain glass!...a little chipping, some gold....oh my panties are getting wet...got to go...lol good luck!
say thanks for the imagination! that was an awsome meet!(spring fling)
chris
Posted by Santo (Member # 411) on :
Sorry Cheryl N. I got confused. How can the elevator go all the way to the top, when I can't even remember to push the right botton.
[ March 28, 2002, 09:42 AM: Message edited by: Santo ]
Posted by John Lennig (Member # 2455) on :
Sounds like it's time to put on Morrison Hotel.
Posted by Steve Shortreed (Member # 436) on :
Hi Cher!
Nope, I've never built a door! But I've been involved in some cool door projects before! Namely, my own!
My studio door has a stained glass panel that is a co-operative design effort between my glass artist friend Chris Uprichard and I. I chose all the glass for it, he made the panel to our design. This picture shows the door from inside my studio showroom. studio door
My kitchen door is completely my design, and Chris did the glasswork. I incorporated metal to play off the stainless steel counters in my kitchen. The yellow that shows thru in this picture is the reflection of my kitchen walls form inside. Mostly clear textured glass w/ metal and some white milk glass called "cats paw". kitchen door
Both doors were existing with the previous jaluzzie glass panels removed from them.
One neat idea is to find an interesting old door from a salvage yard (we have places down here where they have a gazillion of them) and then add your artistic touch to them somehow. Chris uses old doors to showcase his work for art shows.
Loads of cool ideas out there to follow thru on eh? Not enough hours in a day!
Nettie (Dang ... still got Steve's mug showing!!!)
[ March 28, 2002, 08:06 AM: Message edited by: Steve Shortreed ]
Posted by Arvil Shep' Shepherd (Member # 2030) on :
VERY NICE STEVE...GREAT DESIGN ON BOTH DOORS !!!!!!!!!
I haven't built a door (YET) but I have built a few Chairs, Ottomans, Lamps etc......
[ March 28, 2002, 08:48 AM: Message edited by: Arvil Shep' Shepherd ]
Posted by Janette Balogh (Member # 192) on :
testing ... OKAY! I'm back!!!!
Sorry folks ... Steve and Barb are here visiting me, (they are still in their camper sleeping) and I had a heck of a time trying to get myself back here to post "as ME" after Steve had logged onto my computer with his info.
Hey ... but I got it figured back out!
[ March 28, 2002, 08:24 AM: Message edited by: Janette Balogh ]
Posted by Rick Sacks (Member # 379) on :
When you build the door, the frame gets well pinned together(dowels or countersunk and plugged bolts) and glued. The panels need to be able to float a tiny bit. You shouldn't feel movement, but there needs to be expansion room. Grain direction is more important if it's exterior and in the sun. Any shrinkage of the frame should be covered by the trim stops. Dry wood is always best to start with.
Posted by Amy Brown (Member # 1963) on :
Nettie,
I thought that picture on the wall was one of your projects! HE HE!
Cheryl, I'll ask Robert for you. Of course you know how wonderful my memory is so don't hold your breath!! Still working on those video tapes for ya!
Posted by Arvil Shep' Shepherd (Member # 2030) on :
OK NOW you have me confused. Who does the doors belong to ???????
Shep'
Posted by David Fisher (Member # 107) on :
From my one and only experience building a door:
1: Disect the construction of a well made door 2: Get the door made by a professional joiner to your design after some consultation. Unless you have a spindle moulder, morticer and various other bits of equipment. 3: Use Urea Formaldehyde (sp?) glue 4: Decorate to your specifications. 5: Enjoy the fruits of your labour, for maximum satisfaction show as many people as possible.
Alternatives: 1: A door that will sag and bind. 2: Hours of satisfying but ultimately wasted time trying to hand cut a timber joint that will not suffice unless you have some very practical joinery training. 3: Glue joins that will separate.
Altogether a very satisfying project, but one that should be well thought out and designed before hand. David
Posted by Janette Balogh (Member # 192) on :
hahaha .... that was me talking in the first post using my best Steve Shortreed disguise!
Dem doors are here! Posted by Cheryl Lucas (Member # 1656) on :
We've found a door frame like the ones in Nettie's photo's. Nice work Nettie, them doors are awesome looking!
The area where this door will be located is in a garden patio, keystone, orchids, coy pond with a water fall coming out of a trumpet. Gonna design around this theme.
Having trouble getting Shep's site to load, will go back to that later.
HaHa Chris, I'm gonna have to use some of that 'imagination' to pull this one off!
Dan, ya have a pic of yer Brother's door, sounds like something to drool over...
Keep the ideas coming, sounds like the opportunities are endless...
Cher.
Posted by Arvil Shep' Shepherd (Member # 2030) on :
Janette, You may have missed your "Calling" That is one of the best impersonations that I have ever seen........Did you once work for "Mission Impossible " ??????
Shep'
Posted by Cam Bortz (Member # 55) on :
We built new shop doors last year, big suckers. The original building plans were for overhead doors, so the framed opening is 10' wide x 8' high. The original owner installed double doors, each 3' wide by 7' high, and put a glass transom window and two side windows around them.
We tore all that out and built two doors, one 4' x 8 and the other 6'x8' The doors are framed up with 2x4s; the small (4x8) door with a 3'x3' window and the bigger door with 3x4. The inside of the doors is 1/2" plywood, and the outside is 1"x6" tongue & groove cedar, set on a 45 degree angle, with the angles going opposite directions on each door to create a herringbone effect. The cedar is stained with a natural wood-finish stain. They are hung with ten-inch strap hinges, and we made our own wrought-iron handle and locking bar.
The reason the two door are different sizes is that they are massive and heavy. The big door stays closed most of the time and we use the smaller one for daily in-and-out. We rigged a weight/pulley set-up to keep the door closed in cold weather; in summer it stands wide open most of the time.
The advantage of big doors is to easily move big signs in and out of the front room painting area of the shop. (The back room, which is for cutting, material storage and the iron works, has an overhead door). When we open both our doors we have a 10'x 8' opening - very convenient!
The trick with these doors was to build them first, then rip out the old door/windows/framing and know the new doors would fit properly! We have received a lot of compliments on the doors, from neighbors and clients, currently the window openings have plex, but we are having stained-glass windows built to fit, if I ever get around to designing them.
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