Attaching a “faux” stile to this door

[Frank Pratt]

OK, what's the cost difference in dollars between the 1 lite & 2 lite doors? $100? $150? I can see it taking 2 or 3 hours to do a good job of modifying the single lite door. What's your time worth? If it's only 1 door, you're probably better to just buy the 2 lite door. But if it's a bunch of them, then you could set up production & maybe make money by modifying them

[Jim Becker]

Frank, I think he's using a salvaged door based on context.

[Floyd Mah]

Here is a diagram on how to make the stile. I really hate glued on, fake, lites. They look cheesy and if you are going through the trouble to redo the door, you might as well do a good job instead of lousy work that passes for being acceptable by hired help. Might as well apply some fake, surface applied. stained glass treatment along with the glued on stiles. The full cheesy treatment.

On the following diagram, the side views of the new stile pieces are shown. When the two central sections are put together, you would see one piece with tenons on the ends. A solid stile like this ordinarily would be impossible to put in the opening, after the mortises are cut, but by separating the pieces and then installing the two sections separately, you get a single solid piece, once glued up. The taper at the middle ends should be gentle or can be omitted altogether. All of the strength will come from gluing the lapped surfaces. The placement of the lapped section doesn't have to be at the center of the stile, if it is less noticeable nearer one of the ends. Other fasteners like short screws (probably not needed) can be used because they will be hidden by the two thin pieces that will be applied over the stile from the front and back. You can shape the ends of the latter pieces to be "V"'s if you like to blend into the existing window frame or just use a butt joint. They are shown long, but need to be trimmed for the final fitting. It might add slightly to the strength of the union. You might want to temporarily tack the pieces together while creating the profile first on the stile, and then separate for installation.

Stile.jpg

Anyway, my suggestion for an easy, clean solution.

[johnny means]

Here is a diagram on how to make the stile. I really hate glued on, fake, lites. They look cheesy and if you are going through the trouble to redo the door, you might as well do a good job instead of lousy work that passes for being acceptable by hired help. Might as well apply some fake, surface applied. stained glass treatment along with the glued on stiles. The full cheesy treatment.

Stile.jpg NJ

Anyway, my suggestion for an easy, clean solution.

I'm guessing you do this stuff for fun. Plainly, time and budget aren't factors you need to think about.

[Frank Pratt]

Frank, I think he's using a salvaged door based on context.

But he said that he has to buy the door, it's just that the single lite is a lot cheaper.

[Floyd Mah]

"I'm guessing you do this stuff for fun. Plainly, time and budget aren't factors you need to think about."

I would guess that a reasonable percentage of those who read or post on this website are interested in woodworking as a hobby as well as problem solvers. This is clearly a problem that many probably read to offer solutions or hear about solutions. I posted a solution that is both clear and simple.

I'm retired, so time is a lesser concern, but the solution I offered wouldn't take more than a couple of hours, putting aside removing and replacing the glass. Even for a relative novice, the use of handtools or a router table are not exclusively professional skills. In the time that this subject was started, this stile could have been made and installed. If you are reading this and feel that a lot of time or skill is needed, I would guess that most of the articles on this site might seem to be impossible to grasp. It's true that I see posts that are clearly made by professionals, and my thoughts on this subject are not at that level. But if you asked a professional to do this job, I would bet they might think "Why bother?" and just glue some slats on the glass (for a cheesy result).