Building my own front door

[Robhartley]

Hi All,

 

i am building my own external door. i want to build it out of Douglas fir as that will match the current doors and windows we have from Anderson. I've included an image of a door design we like. my issue is with wood movement. does anyone have a good resource or advice on building doors. i am worried about expansion and contraction as it is fitting into an existing door frame. What construction methods/joints should i use to keep this modern flat face look but not have an issue with wood movement? I once made a table top with an outer edge frame. the wood shrunk and i was left with gaps in between each piece. Beginner error but i am trying to learn ;-)

 

fyi, i found an excellent glass company online that do dual panel in any size and seem very reasonable.

 

https://www.onedayglass.com/products/sealed-window-units/

[Dave H]

I think I would go with a cross laminated core solid wood stiles for hardware installation and, a doug fir veneer. That would give you a stable door and give you the clean modern look you could probably use baltic birch ply for the core I think I would tongue and groove the stiles into the core. 

[wdwerker]

Door glass needs to be tempered. Modern flush door needs to be laminated , veneer press would be a good idea. Wood frame around the perimeter , ply core, veneer sheet face on both sides. Most of the faces are actually something like 1/8 ply.

[Brendon_t]

As a guy who built a solid front door, I'd definitely recommend taking notice of the above.

In temperate California, which does not have big weather swings, I have already had to shave a bit of frame to maintain a proper fit.

The right glass also gets pretty expensive, pretty quickly. My two 3/8 rain glass 13"x13" pieces cost me $300.

[twodeuce]

This is my wheelhouse. I would do Stave cores for your stiles. Resaw your good pieces of fir and glue on with unibond 800 or some other veneer glue. Frame and panel any large areas. Definitely agree with tempered glass.

You using existing jamb?

[Robhartley]

Thanks for the feedback. great advice. i will do the tempered glass and do the veneer. i think this will give me the look i want. i would buy the thing as i have other projects but I've been quoted $2000 from 2 places and home depot only do a cheap looking one and won't use clear glass. oh well, should be a fun project. yes, I'm going to keep using the current door jam, make it an easier project. i also bought this book, just waiting for it to be delivered. has some great reviews. 

 

http://amzn.com/1626548773    

Doormaking: A Do-It-Yourself Guide

[wdwerker]

Make the door a bit oversized then trim to fit the opening. Don't be surprised if the opening is not square. If you have the interior door casing off for any reason adding a few shims behind each hinge location.

[Brendon_t]

Thanks for the feedback. great advice. i will do the tempered glass and do the veneer. i think this will give me the look i want. i would buy the thing as i have other projects but I've been quoted $2000 from 2 places and home depot only do a cheap looking one and won't use clear glass. oh well, should be a fun project. yes, I'm going to keep using the current door jam, make it an easier project. i also bought this book, just waiting for it to be delivered. has some great reviews.

http://amzn.com/1626548773

Doormaking: A Do-It-Yourself Guide

Robert, I don't know your shop layout, level of skill or expertise so tale it with a grain of salt.

I absolutely would not make my own door if it came down to that again. It was a huge time commitment that I just do not think balanced out. I could conservatively guess that I had over a hundred Hours into mine before it hung.

A couple hundred for glass, a few more hundreds for Wood. Lots and lots and lots of time. Just think about your time and if it's really worth it to you before starting.

[Foo]

Haven't read the book you're getting, but, for additional info, if needed, FWW did an article on front door construction in the June 2012 issue.  Hardly encyclopedic, but may be worth a look to you.

[Robhartley]

Hi All,

Just an update. I finished my door. Looking back at the comments i have to agree with Brendon on the time ;-) it felt like a never ending project, probably a good 3 weekends. However, i am looking at it now and I'm blown away with how good it looks. Also knowing the materials cost be about $600 (including glass) and i was quotes $1800 from the store, i feel fairly happy. Im sure it worked out that i was on about 50 cents an hr, but who cares ;-) i get to look at something i made for the next 10-15 years. i have just to put the trim around the door and then i'll add some pics. i ended up using a solid core marine plywood (as it's external and the guys where i bought the wood recommended this) and douglas fir vertical grain to make my own veneer 1/4 inch thick. so far so good. I'm eventually going to stain it to match our windows. 

[shaneymack]

Look forward to seeing the pics.

[Andy Wright]

Robert, I don't know your shop layout, level of skill or expertise so tale it with a grain of salt.

I absolutely would not make my own door if it came down to that again. It was a huge time commitment that I just do not think balanced out. I could conservatively guess that I had over a hundred Hours into mine before it hung.

A couple hundred for glass, a few more hundreds for Wood. Lots and lots and lots of time. Just think about your time and if it's really worth it to you before starting.

i built a pair of 24x96" doors with tempered glass windows from solid hardwood for our old house 10 years ago and it was a lot more work than I expected. The hardest tasks in my small shop were

1) creating a large enough "flat" surface to assemble the doors (I had to build a 30" x 97" torsion box from MDF to put on top of my bench)

2) getting all of the stock flat and (the rails were 1.75" x6" x 8' solid ash and exceeded the capacity of my jointer - I had to pay to have them milled)

3) getting the profile routed on the rails - those larger parts were a pain, and with a rail and stile router bit there is no margin for error

I dont want to scare you away, but net-net is that it was a surprisingly challenging project, and fairly expensive by the time I bought the beveled tepered glass panels. Doing a veneered door may actually help simplify the process , but getting it dead flat will be a challenge.

We are replacing our door right now (different home - the one i built is still installed at our old house), and I ordered it from a shop that makes custom doors if that tells you anything

 

Edited November 18, 2015 by Andy Wright

[Coop]

Rob, you know darn well, if we can't see pics, we can't agree with ya!

[Brendon_t]

Hi All,

Just an update. I finished my door. Looking back at the comments i have to agree with Brendon on the time ;-) it felt like a never ending project, probably a good 3 weekends. However, i am looking at it now and I'm blown away with how good it looks. Also knowing the materials cost be about $600 (including glass) and i was quotes $1800 from the store, i feel fairly happy. Im sure it worked out that i was on about 50 cents an hr, but who cares ;-) i get to look at something i made for the next 10-15 years. i have just to put the trim around the door and then i'll add some pics. i ended up using a solid core marine plywood (as it's external and the guys where i bought the wood recommended this) and douglas fir vertical grain to make my own veneer 1/4 inch thick. so far so good. I'm eventually going to stain it to match our windows. 

if you consider it a labor of love sort of thing, then awesome.  I remember feeling the same thing.  If you only had 3 weekends into it, you blew my time out of the water. I spent a month just doing the finish. 

with that said, And something I neglected in my first response is how good I feel every time I see it.  I have been working in my patents the yard and had complete strangers come up and compliment the door. A ups driver delivering a box walked up the drive, I got off the ladder from hanging gutters, accepted the box and he asked if he could go look at the door.  

It feels great knowing that yes, I have a few more greys because of it, I hurt my hams if I knock too hard,  but yes,  I built that. 

[Robhartley]

if you consider it a labor of love sort of thing, then awesome.  I remember feeling the same thing.  If you only had 3 weekends into it, you blew my time out of the water. I spent a month just doing the finish. 

with that said, And something I neglected in my first response is how good I feel every time I see it.  I have been working in my patents the yard and had complete strangers come up and compliment the door. A ups driver delivering a box walked up the drive, I got off the ladder from hanging gutters, accepted the box and he asked if he could go look at the door.  

It feels great knowing that yes, I have a few more greys because of it, I hurt my hams if I knock too hard,  but yes,  I built that. 

looks awesome Brendon. i'm glad hear you get a great feeling when you look at it each day... you should :-)

 

i think my door went a bit quicker because in reality it was simply a 3/4 inch plywood core and then 1/4 inch veneer on both sides. i quickly knocked up a bench outside under my porch and was able to leave it there the whole project. i also had someone else do the cutting of the veneer as i don't own a bandsaw, but got a great price on it.

[bgreenb]

 

I absolutely would not make my own door if it came down to that again. It was a huge time commitment that I just do not think balanced out. I could conservatively guess that I had over a hundred Hours into mine before it hung.

 

Can you summarize what took so long?  I have high hopes to build my own front door someday.  I'm sure I'm being naive, but it seems like a fairly straightforward build - M&T, frame and panel, etc.  Obviously with some extra measures taken to deal with water tightness.  

Norm built a beautiful mahogany door in 24 minutes - how hard could it be

[Robhartley]

 

 

Rob, you know darn well, if we can't see pics, we can't agree with ya!

Okay K Cooper :-) , here are a couple of shots, during the build. i am finishing off the trim this weekend and will post the final shots. As you can see, i made a temporary bench. it was a pain as i dont have any ground that is truly flat. the concrete is old and cracked in many places. so i had to level the bench first on 2 workhorses. it all worked out well although i do have a slight bend in the finished door, although its not enough to cause me problems. it also could be due to the wood movement after laminating. you never truly know what the wood is going to do. the 3/4 inch core plywood helped a lot! 

 

Edited November 18, 2015 by Robhartley
large picture added by accident

[Coop]

OK, Now you're confirmed . Looking really good

[Robhartley]

Thanks K Cooper. As promised, here are the finished (nearly - have to stain to match windows) pictures of the door. Just got the trim up today. Thanks to everyone for the much needed advice. It really helped me go in the right direction and I'm really pleased with the finished result. also included is the before shots of old door. 

[Tpt life]

Nice door! Looks very well executed. Can you walk us through the decision to place the light on the hinge side?

[Robhartley]

Nice door! Looks very well executed. Can you walk us through the decision to place the light on the hinge side?

sure. By light I'm guessing you mean window. 

We looked at many designed through Pinterest, houzz and stores and there didn't seem to be any rules to what side you put the window on. In the end it came down to personal preference. My wife and i liked the look nearer to the hinge side. But I can imagine some would prefer it nearer the handle. Each to their own ;-). Also that's the beauty of making things yourself, you get exactly what you want.

 

 

[wdwerker]

Looks very mid century modern.  I like the clean simplicity .

[Tpt life]

sure. By light I'm guessing you mean window. 

We looked at many designed through Pinterest, houzz and stores and there didn't seem to be any rules to what side you put the window on. In the end it came down to personal preference. My wife and i liked the look nearer to the hinge side. But I can imagine some would prefer it nearer the handle. Each to their own ;-). Also that's the beauty of making things yourself, you get exactly what you want.

 

 

Thanks for that. That was all I was after. I know of no rules.