Building an entry door (work in progress...)

[mreza Salav]

Well, I have started building an entry door for a house that is to be built as well. I have plenty of time before it is to be installed.
It is out of Honduras Mahogany. The door will be 8' tall and 42" wide but with two side lites and posts the whole unit will be approximately 86". I say approximately because I haven't finalized my dimensions, as always I modify them as I go. It might sound crazy but I have an order in which I prepare the pieces and each time I find the nearest lumber that would go with what I have done so far without much change (e.g. the plan calls for a 6" wide post and I can get it with some of the lumber to be 5 7/8" it will be the new size).

Anyways, here is a rough drawing of it to see how it is supposed to look at the end:

269246269245

The door and side lites will be 2.25" thick. First order of business was to get all the hardware needed (hinges, handle set, weather stripping, threshold, etc). The threshold was for standard 1.75" thick doors so I have to modify it (as will be seen).

The order to build is to first build the frame, posts, and the jambs. Then side lites, and finally the door. The side lites will be from 3 lamination of 4/4 material. For the door I'll be doing stave core, all from Mahogany.

First started milling the pieces for the jambs and frame:

269249

Then the materials for the posts. The posts will be 6" wide and 4.5" deep plus a half cylinder column that will be attached. The posts will be made out of three 8/4 pieces.
Here I use dowels for aligning them and then use a few clamps. The column is made from two 8/4 and two 4/4:

269248269250269251


Cutting the wast of the column before starting to "turn" it:

269252

Since I don't have a lathe that could turn this 101" piece I built a box to use a router to do the work. This box was in fact built as an I beam to which I'll do my glue ups but can use this for turning this as well. One little trouble was I made it out of 4x8 material and so wasn't long enough. Had to add an extra short piece to one end to extend it.
Used 3/4" pipe flange and a short pipe to make the shafts:

269255

continue...

[mreza Salav]

After this I realized I needed to think about my indexing. So added an extra piece under the flange (as will be seen later) for indexing the piece when doing the flute work.
Added two pieces on the top of the box and the router jig has two guides that will ride on these pieces and will locked (so the jig can only move forward and backward and no other movement). This was critical to allow me to move the router with one hand and started rounding the piece with a 1/2" bit:

269257269256269259

Here the column is pretty round:

269258

Then doing the beads and other things. The 2nd last photo shows the indexing mechanism, I have it from both ends to make sure it doesn't move a bit.

269261269260269263269262

The column is now ready, a little sanding is left and then separating the two halves...

[mreza Salav]

Here is a short video showing how I started turning. It was much easier as I would simply move the router with one hand and rotate the piece with the other (if I didn't have the camera in hand):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BhQD...ature=youtu.be (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BhQDv2anFc&feature=youtu.be)

Smoothing the posts (to which the half columns will be attached):

269265269266

Then I started working on the threshold. The threshold piece I bought had a cross section shape of the following:

269269

The problem is the area on which the door shoe will sit on is omly 1.75" wide and plus I didn't like the pine and oak pieces used. So decided to replace them.
To get a beveled piece I attach a smaller piece to the one I am planing to get the result I want and then glue the new piece with construction adhesive (instead of staples that were used!):

269264269267269271269270

continue...

[mreza Salav]

resawing some veneers for the stave core construction. Here are a bunch of wood from 7-11" wide and mostly 9' long:

269273269272269275269274269277

Then send them all through the sander:

269276

Here is what you get after sanding for a while, a 50 gallon drum full of fine saw dust:

269279

Here are all the pieces sanded down:

269278

[mreza Salav]

The posts are made of three 8/4 material, I decided to put a skin over them from inside so that you don't see there are three different pieces making up the post. My wife says nobody will notice it after it's stained up but *I* know, so have two veneers for them ready and glue them both together at the same time:

269292

Sanded the columns a bit and then cut them open (it was a messing job that needed hair dryer, nail polish remover, etc).

269291

Then cut the profile of the threshold on a scrap to copy to the ends of the jambs and posts. For the jambs I cut them by hand and then smooth them using flush trim router and the profile.

269294269293269296

And then the posts and the fluted columns that go on top. These are cut on the miter saw (wasn't that easy) and then fine tuned by hand. The half columns are not glued yet as the posts are already very heavy.

269298269297

Cut all the strips (2.5" wide) for stave cores and made the first glue up (epoxy). A near disaster was happening as I was almost running out of my epoxy before the last strip...

269295

[mreza Salav]

Built all the stave cores and the veneers. Here are the 2" thick cores ready to apply the 1/8" veneers on:

269643269642

[mreza Salav]

All the stave cores are done; all rails/stiles pieces are ready for cutting to size and routing the profile, making the M/T and finally make the panels. The ends that don't have a skin over will be thinner anyway to form the tenons.
Mahogany fairly soft and splinters/chips easily (like cedar). Have to be do some extra step while routing to minimize tear out...

270307270306270309270308

[mreza Salav]

More progress (in case anybody is following):
Made the profiles at the ends of the rails as well as the tenons, and then the stiles and the rest of pieces:

270531270530270533

Have to trim the tenons to size, and make the mortises. At least most of the pieces are ready. Hopefully I've passed the half way mark now:

270532

[Mel Fulks]

Mreza, I remember the admonitions to you about how much work you were taking on,doesn't seem to be a problem for you at all ! Looks good ,keep posting.

[mreza Salav]

Thanks Mel. I am hoping to be done with this door by the end of this month and we are planned to start digging the ground next week, so I'll have plenty of time :D

[Tony Rodoracio]

Very nice work Mreza. Thanks for taking the time to post the pictures on your progress.

[Patrick McCarthy]

Mreza, nice work. I am impressed that you still had some clamps left during the glue-up! Please keep posting. Thank you, Patrick

[Peter Quinn]

Looks great Mreza, exciting to see you process unfold.

[mreza Salav]

Thanks everybody. I'm also glad that it is getting somewhere now. For a while I was just planing and planing and glueing. I think I emptied upwards of 400 gallons of
shavings from my dust collector....

[Gary Muto]

Mreza,
Your doors are coming along great.


Thanks everybody. I'm also glad that it is getting somewhere now. For a while I was just planing and planing and glueing. I think I emptied upwards of 400 gallons of
shavings from my dust collector....
So, how many board feet are in garbage bags? ;)

[brett gallmeyer]

looking good! I used to do this on a daily basis. I used to build custom interior and exterior doors andentryways for a local shop.

[mreza Salav]

Cut all the mortises and the tenons. Fine tuned two of them (hand planes) as well to get a snug and nice fit. The rest have to be fine tuned to fit.
Initially I was hoping to make 4.5" deep tenons but cutting mortises that deep turned out difficult. So I guess 3.5" deep would be OK. They are 3.5"x4.5" (at the top), 3.5"x5" (middle), and two 3.5"x3" at the bottom.

270873270872270875270874

[Charles Musgrave]

I just popped into this thread and looked through your pictures. Wow! I'm impressed and excited to see what great work you're producing. I'm a novice, but I can recognize that this is excellent work. Good luck finishing it all up (take that meaning both ways!).

best,
Charles

[mreza Salav]

Here is a dry fit of the door and one of the side-lites. Have to make the panels and cut the jambs for weather-seals. Now I can see the light at the end of the tunnel...

270971270970270973270972

[Peter Quinn]

Here is a dry fit of the door and one of the side-lites. Have to make the panels and cut the jambs for weather-seals. Now I can see the light at the end of the tunnel...



Beautiful work. Last time I saw that light so early in the trip it turned out to be a train......:rolleyes:

[mreza Salav]

Beautiful work. Last time I saw that light so early in the trip it turned out to be a train......:rolleyes:

LOL you are probably right, though I like to think I have passed the half way mark or more. My goal is to get it done by the end of this month which might turn difficult with only weekends and an hour or two each evening that I put into this.

[Glenn Bird]

Beautiful job! Thanks for posting your progress as it is amazing to watch with all the work you are doing. The door is definitely going to be a piece of art.

[mreza Salav]

Thank you for all the comments.

The side lites rails and stiles didn't have those long M/T. Probably I didn't need any as they will be fixed and guled between the large posts and the jambs but I decided to add a bunch of 1/2" dowels at those joints just for the sake of it. Will post progress pics later...

[mreza Salav]

Cut all the jamb/post rabbets and weahterstrip kerf cuts. But it didn't go without a screw up (explained below).
This is a combination of 3 different cuts to get the shape required (at different faces of the posts):

271418271417

For one of the cuts I made a mistake and started the 1/2" deep cut on the wrong face of the post http://forum.canadianwoodworking.com/images/smilies/1eek.gif

271420

Fortunately I noticed early in the cut and stopped. The fix was easy, a small piece of inlay glued in place. Is barely visible even if you look closely and look for it:

271425271426

Here is how the posts look now:

271423

[mreza Salav]

The difficult one was to cut this at the header as it will have to be cut only at the middle of the header where the door is and not to the sides (where the side lites will be).
To make these cuts safely built a jig; a tall fence that rides on the fence of the table saw, the piece to be cut is then clamped to this, and the saw is started. Then you have to raise the blade to exactly 3", push the piece to exactly where the cut has to be and stop.

271428271429
Repeat this for the 2 5/8" deep cut as well. To find exactly how many rotations you have to make to the handwheel to raise it exactly 3" you mark it:


271427

And here is the cut made:

271431

Then you clean the rest of material with a router and chisel:

271430271432

[mreza Salav]

Next was making the panels. The panels are made of a single 13"x13' two inch thick board (resawn) plus another 4/4 that was 14" wide.


271931

Panels are almost 7/8" thick (maybe 1/32" thinner) and there will be a rigid 1/2" foam in between. Also, there will be a 1.125" wide and 1/4" thick
closed cell foam tape that will be wrapped around the 3-ply of panel/foam that will make the whole thing air tight even with seasonal expansion/contraction.
That foam is not shown in this dry fit test:

271930271933271932271935271934271937271936



These are all dry fit. The final glue-up will be done on-site as it is much easier to transport these pieces.

[mreza Salav]

Cut the jambs, header, and fitted all including the threshold. As I don't have enough room in my shop moved them to garage to do a dry fit test.

Here is the tricky cut that would be fitted into a stopped rabbeted area in the header (that too was tricky to make):

272410272412272409272414272413

And here is where the threshold would be attached. Dowels are for alignment only.

272411272416272415

All pieces are almost ready. There are a few brick mould to make and then keep all of them until the time comes (in spring) where they will be glued and the door installed (all onsite).

I can now put this project aside and move on to the next...

[mreza Salav]

I have come back to this project to put it in its final place. I am posting progress pics in the following thread:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?220868-Building-a-new-house-from-foundation-to-finishing-and-all-the-woodworking&highlight=

[rudy de haas]

Sometime this fall (Nov, I think) I'll be in Edmt. Can I come and admire this up close and personal?

[mreza Salav]

Rudy, you are welcome to see.

[John Piwaron]

Last time I saw that light it turned out to be a train......:rolleyes:

Amen. I've had that experience.

[mreza Salav]

A few weeks ago we finally installed the entry door (it was a very difficult job for two, I figure the entry unit weighs easily around 4-500lb). It is stained, the weather strips installed and it is fully functional. It opens/closes beautifully with a nice tight gap all around. I just have to make some casings for the inside. There are a few pieces of stone that are to be installed by the installers.
I'm quite happy with the final result of this project.

297509297508297510

[Peter Quinn]

Truly Magnificent!

[mreza Salav]

Thank you Peter and all others who helped me with my questions along the way. That has been the most challenging project I have taken so far but it might last long as I've started curved railing for stairs!!

[Bruce Page]

What Peter said!

WOW!

[Chris Fairbanks]

Could you please share some details on how you finished the door and what products you used? Thanks

[mreza Salav]

It is General Finishes exterior stain (Red Mahogany) and their 450 top coat. All sprayed. Multiple coats of their top coat.
Panels were finished before glue-up.

[Todd Burch]

Very nice Mreza! Congratulations for a job well done!

[rudy de haas]

Looks very nice!

FYI: the front door of our house was custom made by Peter Gillighan back in about 1991 for the previous owners. It's red honduran mahogany - real for the frame etc, and veneer over MDF for the panels. It is beautiful - the outside is largely protected from the weather, but still looks pretty good. See photos..

The renel art is from Woodwards - I got it from an edmonton estate sale - and the cravings are by a Haida guy in Victoria. Floors on both sides are mine.

One concern: mahogany is very soft. Our Alaskan Malamure very rarely scratches at the door, but my mother brings him cheese so when he hears her car we get scratches on the inside of the panel beside the door. Jatoba (with a little light oil) has different grain but much the same color, and can't be scratched by a mere 120 pound dog.

[mreza Salav]

Yes, mine is also Hunduras Mahogany and indeed it is very soft (first time for me working with it). But it machines nicely and has a warm tone to it.
Given your door history, I hope mine lasts long enough too.