Making my own door?

[John Miliunas]

LOML has decided (Dontchya' just hate it when a thread starts out like that? You can just smell "trouble ahead"!) that I will be making the new door for the bathroom, so it matches the Ambrosia Maple already in there. The door is to be a "panel" door, but only one wood panel in the bottom. Above that, will be two panes of textured and/or frosted glass. The first question is, can I use regular raised panel bit sets, like the kind you would use for cabinets? Secondly, but no less important, is the physical makeup of the material for the door. To explain, the only Ambrosia I have available is 4/4, skip planed. I think I can yield 13/16ths at about the best, after jointing and planing. The door itself is right about 1-5/16ths or so. I was kinda' thinking I could resaw what I have to about 9/16ths, times (2) and then sandwich a 1/4" piece of Luann or similar plywood in between to give me the total necessary width. Any reason something like that shouldn't work? Once done with getting things up to proper thickness, I would dado out the outside edge of the boards and inlay another piece of Ambrosia. Yes/No?...Or should I just try to talk SWMBO into going to the borg and getting a pre-made panel door? :cool:

[Jim Becker]

John, I think making a door for your beautiful bath will be a plus and the design sounds very inviting. The sandwitch for the panel shouldn't be a problem, but I'd let the two solid pieces "float" rather than laminating them to the plywood...movement might be an issue, especially with Maple. Now, if you were planning on using the luan for the frame...no way. Use regular soft maple for your laminations to insure the movment would match. It's not uncommon to laminate figured stock of the same species to plain stock of the same species...just keep the grain directions identical. This will also provide minimal evidence of the buildup when you view the edges. Remember that a bathroom door also needs to provide ventilation for makeup air when the fan is running. A little space at the bottom over the threashold will suffice or you can do a louver somewhere if you prefer.

The frosted/textured glass is a super idea, too!

[Joe Scarfo]

I have longed to build a new set of doors for the house and I've been reading everything I can on the subj.

Interior doors are not as thick as exterior doors but thicker than cabinet doors. If I remember right, they're 1 3/8 thick.

Cabinet door sets are not deigned to make the thicker doors.

I've lost my notes due to a pc crash but there are a few larger name outfits that make 1/2" shank interior doah roudah bit sets. Freud wasn't one. I'll try to get some research done and post back.

Tks and good luck w/ the pjct.

Joe

[Joe Scarfo]

My notes had the following.....

MLCS (mlcswoodworking.com) search for “interior” and you’ll get a hit for a set that does both interior and exterior doors.

Jesada (Jesada.com) model number 691-522 RAIL & STILE SET - ENTRY & PASSAGE

Good Luck w/ the pjct...

Joe in Tampa...

[Jamie Buxton]

John --
Laminating the stiles and rails of your door will work just fine. In fact, if you go buy a commercial solid wood entry door, you'll find those members are made with very thick veneer over a solid wood core made from the same species. In those commercial doors, they wrap all four sides of each rail and stile, and then treat the composite just like solid lumber.

You can use a regular raised-panel bit to make the raised panel itself. But is that what you were asking? If you're talking about the cope-and-stick bits used to make the frame parts, no, those are intended for material which is about 3/4" thick, not 1 3/8" (the usual thickness of an interior door). For a full-size door, I don't do that cope-and-stick stuff. I like making the basic frame parts from lumber which is rectangular in cross-section, and cutting nice big deep mortises in the stiles with matching tenons on the rails. Particularly with nonstructural panels, those M&T joints are the only things holding the door together. Full-size doors get slammed, and bathroom doors get exposed to high humidity, so structural integrity is a Good Thing. After you get those big members joined, you have plenty of room to add glass-stop moldings to hold the glass and the wood panels. You can glue the glass-stop moldings on the outside, and on the inside for the wood panels. For the inside moldings on the glass, I'd use pretty brass screws, or little brass nails sold as escution (sp?) pins. Drill pilot holes for them, and get the little driver push-thingy for them unless you are braver than I about swinging a hammer near glass.

Jamie

[Jamie Buxton]

John ---
..'nother thought....
In my mind's eye, making the bottom panel as one big panel doesn't look quite right. It looks too big. Have you considered making it as two panels, with a stile in between?
Jamie

[Jerry Olexa]

John With the thickness of doors usually 1 3/8 inches you need a special router bit set for both windows, inserts and panels. I'm pretty sure MLCS has them and their prices are reasonable w free shipping. I also agree breaking the door into at least 2 panels would look better. Just my opinion. Jerry:)

[John Miliunas]

As usual, fantastic info! You guys are awesome! :D After I posted, I got to thinking about it a bit more and realized that my regular raised panel/stile/rail sets wouldn't work, due to the thickness. Even though a new router bit set sounds inviting, I think Jamie's idea with M/T might be the trick. Among other things, the rest of the room has your basic Arts&Crafts feel to it and introducing an Ogee or similar into the design, may not blend nicely. Also, agree with you guys on the two panels for the bottom! :) Much better balance! Like I keep saying, this place simply *rocks*! :D Thanks gents! :cool:

[Mark Singer]

John,
I made all the doors in my home and have not had any problems. Laminating with 3 layers is great and will stabilize the material from warping. You must make the 2 outside layers from the same wood. I would also make the center layer from the same wood or at least some kind of maple. You must face joint eac piece on one face before running through the planer. You can just use a doweling jig and 1/2" dowels in joining stile to rail. This will give good looking joints since you don't have to get each shoulder perfect as with mortice and tenon. Use long dowels though and Tightbond II or West Systems Epoxy. After the door frame is glued up run a router with a rabitting bit on the inside edge to make the rabit to accept the panel or glass. I just used a square profile chiseling the inside corners where the bit stopped. It takes several smaller passes with the router. Make you panels and stop moulding and apply with glue and a brad nailer. I sent my doors down to a guy with a large drum sander to sand both faces....thats it!

[Nathan Hoffman]

FWIW, John, a commercial maker of custom hardwood doors I have visited in Ohio uses poplar for the innner parts, and they haven't had any problems with them. Make sure you post pictures when you're done!

[Alan Turner]

I built 3 pair sof exterior french storm doors using the joinery method of Jamie -- M&T thoroughout. Bottom panel of each is raised panel, top 3 are tempered glass. 5 years and counting,with no problems. I used solid mahogany, but laminating maples will be fine. Most who see the house from the street think that these sotorm doors are the actual doors, since the actual entry doors are 4 lights @, and I matched the muntins (sp?) on the storms with the entries.
Let us see the result, please.

[Donnie Raines]

John,

I doubt the style will flow with what you are after here, but check out the link below for some building applications.

http://www.diynet.com/diy/ww_shelves_cabinets/article/0,2049,DIY_14444_2278834,00.html

[Tim Sproul]

John,

Another thing to think about with your door....since you'll be using largely solid wood frame and panel construction for a BATHroom door. Choose a finish for it's ability to retard water as well as the look the finish endows on the door....For a bathroom, you are likely to run into uneven moisture/warpage problems if you simply oil the door....in the winter, the door is likely to be relatively cold...some will take a hot shower...moisture will condense only on the interior side of the door...door will be opened and interior side against a wall...with little air movement...water will likely creep into only one side of the door.

[Lee Schierer]

Make sure you have a large flat area for assembly. There is nothing worse than a warped door and gluing up straight lumber on a non-flat surface is one sure way to get a warped door.

[Mark Singer]

John,
I have attached some photos of doors I made for my home. It has been about 4 years and no problem. These are mahogany. As Lee said make sure your table is flat! If you have any questions about the pics let me know. Some of these doors were 3'9" x 10"-0"!

[John Miliunas]

John,
I have attached some photos of doors I made for my home. It has been about 4 years and no problem. These are mahogany. As Lee said make sure your table is flat! If you have any questions about the pics let me know. Some of these doors were 3'9" x 10"-0"!

Holy cow, Mark! 10' interior doors! I like them...a LOT! 'Course, if I did that on the bathroom, my daughter might have something to say about it, 'cuz the door would be sticking up about halfway into her 2nd floor bathroom! :eek: But, I think you've convinced me of the most probable method of assembly! Gee, I sure am glad I've got some more clamps comin'! :D

Thanks to all for the suggestions, tips and general recommendations! As with much that I do, it's another "first" for me, so any and all guidance is greatly appreciated and proof, once again, that I've come to the right place for answers! :D As my daughter would say, "You guys are the BOMB!" :cool:

[Greg Mann]

Holy cow, Mark! 10' interior doors! I like them...a LOT! 'Course, if I did that on the bathroom, my daughter might have something to say about it, 'cuz the door would be sticking up about halfway into her 2nd floor bathroom! :eek: But, I think you've convinced me of the most probable method of assembly! Gee, I sure am glad I've got some more clamps comin'! :D

Thanks to all for the suggestions, tips and general recommendations! As with much that I do, it's another "first" for me, so any and all guidance is greatly appreciated and proof, once again, that I've come to the right place for answers! :D As my daughter would say, "You guys are the BOMB!" :cool:
I agree with your assessment on all the great advice. Keep asking good questions, John, and I'll just lurk and learn.:)

Greg

[John Weber]

John,

Here is an 80 year old white oak exterior french storm door from our house I re did a couple years ago. The jointery is M&T and I only re glued one joint, they needed paint and new window trim, but the doors were solid. I think M&T is the way to go. I would also lean toward full thinkness stock as all the doors in our house are wood and after 104 years don't give use many problems. As others pointed out several companies sell door kits for rails and stiles, but I like good old M&T - plus you won't need to buy a bit set.

John

http://www.weberwoodworking.com/pond/Shop%20-%20Storm%20Doors.jpg