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Can anyone give me info and/or advice on starting a custom door business? I’ve been a carpenter for 12 years and a general contractor for 5 years. I fell into an opportunity to build 16 custom interior doors for a historical restoration. They are all staved doors with poplar and white oak veneers. So far, so good. I’ve been approached by a local molding and millworks firm to provide doors for their customers. (They turn down an average of 2 door jobs a day)
I purchased the following machinery to get started:
3hp Shaper, cope and stick cutters, power feeder
15″ planer
18/36 drum sander
I have access to a 36″ wide belt sander for final sanding.
Most of my questions concern glue-up and clamping strategies. We’ve been using Titebond PVA glue and clamping the stiles/rails between 8′ x 7″ cauls with lots of clamps.
Would very much appreciate any info/advise you might be able to provide!
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Get the book by John Birchard "Make Your Own Handcrafted Doors & Windows" and any other books on door making that you can find. Do a search on Amazon. John covers workshop outfitting and layout very well and offers advice specifically for a door and window shop. Good, straightforward information with no fluff in my opinion.
I'd suggest buying a decent tablesaw and a benchtop mortising machine (or bigger), but read Birchard first. I usually do five or so doors a year and the money is almost always excellent. Over time, you can greatly enhance your income by learning some carving, marquetry, and veneering skills.
Titebond is okay, but I would be tempted to use hide glue for interior doors and West System epoxy for exterior projects.
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*A question for CStanford (only 7 months later).Have you done veneering or marquetry on exterior doors? I'd be concerned about wear and tear, glue failure, fading, etc. Thanks in advance for your comments. Frank
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