Custom Sliding Bi-Pass Doors

[Rob Sack]

I've been asked to build several large (up to 36 by 80) by-pass doors for a custom, high end garage/mancave. The doors will be covered with 1 x 6 t & g clear, all heart, kiln dried cedar with a square edge detail. The doors can't be any thicker than 1 3/4 in. including the 1 x 6 (3/4 x5 1/2 net) cedar in order to accommodate the sliding door hardware. Any suggestions? I can't think of any way of building a balanced panel totaling 1 3/4 in. thick unless I mill down the cedar. The last time I had to do anything like this, we glued and nailed 5/8 in. distressed redwood onto both sides of a 1/2 in piece of either baltic birch or mdf, I can't remember. It worked with the distressed redwood because the 23 gauge pins disappeared. That won't be the case this time. The pins will show.

[Jamie Buxton]

Yeah, a balanced panel is important. I'd be resawing and planing the cedar to something like 3/8 thick. I'd rabbet the long edges of the boards, and gap them a thirtysecond as I glue them on to the core. The rabbet is so you can gap the boards, but still not see through the gap to the core. The core is likely 3/4" plywood.

A convenient gapping tool is any old credit card. They're all a thirtysecond thick.