Orbb Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 I am going to build a door to fit a 48 inch opening. Given the width, I am going to make it a bi-fold door, in a frame and panel format. I want the door to appear to have three equal stiles, although the one in the middle will be split and hinged. My question is whether it is better to build the door with all the stiles equal and then rip the middle stile down the middle, or build it as two separate doors with the inside stiles being 1/2 the width of the outside stiles (accommodating for hinges). I plan on using a Domino to attach the rails and stiles. Any thoughts or opinions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 Height? Use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orbb Posted January 29, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 80 Inches and as an entrance to a storage/work place. Rails and Stiles will be 1 1/2 inches thick; bottom panel will be 1/2 inch plywood, top panel will be an insulated glass plane. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 I would build and rip if I was building a door like that. I think I would make it hinged on both sides. Bi-fold hardware might not behave well on a big wood door. 10mm dominos or maybe 8mm dominos double stacked should work. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 What are you building it out of? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 Supported or not? Meaning track or roller on upper jamb or floor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orbb Posted January 29, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 What are you building it out of? Doug Fir unless my efforts to carefully pick through the 1 x 12s at the big box stores yields sufficient boards which can be ripped to obtain the quartersawn vertical grain sections. Supported or not? Meaning track or roller on upper jamb or floor. As of now, no track. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 I think you will need to build it as two full sized doors and have full sized mortise and tenons no little dominos. My calculator shows 1/2 dowels are acceptable drilled 3.5" into the stiles and rails thats 7" dowels. 1 3/8 for an interior door with stave stiles with 1/4" veneer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byrdie Posted February 9, 2015 Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 I would agree with Wdwerker (not picking sides) - that just how I thought I'd do it myself. 48" is not overly wide to get on the saw and rip. I'd make the center stile a hair wider though, by the width of the kerf of my saw. I just think it'll come out looking more even. You can mortise for hinges and hardware after it's ripped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-astragal Posted February 9, 2015 Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 Build two doors not one wide one. Why complicate it? I see nothing to gain by ripping a larger door into two. I'd want a little more tenon as well. Look at the Hawa Bifold 30 system. It's a high quality interior system. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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