Replies

1. 
   Sethbenjamin | Jun 01, 2005 04:47am | #1

   Operative word being "good"...

   I'm interested in exterior doors, but have largely put the idea of traditional construction to rest. Unless somebody REALLY wanted some custum design, I'm not sure it would ever be worth it to them, how much I'd have to charge. There are so many quality, solid wood door manufacturers.

   However, I can give you two Taunton's leads - on the Fine Homebuilding CD ROM, and so also on the web site, there was at least one article about a guy building interior doors. The only traditional difference should be stock dimension, no? And in a recent issue of FH (December '04?) there was an article about making "sandwich doors", a 3-layer process involving pocket screws. Sounds chincy, I know, but the photos looked pretty nice. The author wrote that he could'nt see building them any other way.

   Anyhow, those are my 2 Cents...

   - B

1. 
   papa | Jun 02, 2005 03:02am | #11

   The website abebooks.com has a copy of the John Birchard.

2. 
   WillGeorge | Jun 02, 2005 07:55pm | #13

   I have made a 'few' outside doors.. Just replacing some on OLDER houses.. All different sizes..

   I just use the wood and design the customer wants.. Thank God for a good wood plane!

   I have never been called back.. Good work or I annoyed them?

   EDIT: For the door that is...

   Edited 6/2/2005 12:56 pm ET by Will George

2. 
   Rickk | Jun 01, 2005 02:54pm | #2

   Hi Dale,  from time to time I build custom exterior doors,usually oversized.Some clients would go to lowes to aquire such a door except the oversized issue.Keep in mind your time in finding good flat & somewhat straight materials,oversized as well to machine to specs.I haven't found a good book on door building,I look at others work and see what has worked and what has not. Normaly I use mortise,tenon & pegs.Prices usually start at 3000.00             Good luck.....   Rick 

3. 
   Timberwerks | Jun 01, 2005 03:35pm | #3

   Has anyone paged through this book? Comments?

   http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&cat=1,46096,46108&p=45860

   Dale

4. 
   acornw | Jun 01, 2005 07:30pm | #4

   There are no good books on exterior or interior door fabrication or hanging/hardwaring.  I have looked for 25 years and have a collection of what is available, but even as a whole, they don't tell you much.  Most of them present a "my way of doin' it" that works for limited sizing, species, design or other parameter. Some books are just designs - pretty, but no technical info as to how they are built. 

   I have such a book in outline form and am continually revising and adding.  It is a large subject once you try to grasp the whole.  I belive there is a strong interest in the subject from amateur to professional.

   I also have thought about teaching a one week - build a door - class.

   Dave S

   http://www.acornwoodworks.com

5. 
   VomSorb | Jun 01, 2005 08:38pm | #5

   Search author John Birchard on Amazon.  Ditto Alan and Gill Bridgewater.

   Taunton also has an older book about door building but it is mostly how to install doors.

   Mario Rodriguez in one of his books has a chapter on building a traditional entry door.  Very good chapter IMO.

   
   

   ---

   Edited 6/1/2005 1:41 pm ET by cstan

1. 
   acornw | Jun 01, 2005 09:19pm | #6

   Birchard's book is probably the best of what is available, though it is currently not available through Amazon.  It comes up short (omits completely) on cope and stick methods as well as tooling and equipment, and spends little or no time on assembly or stock prep.  It is a book for beginners, and the stubby loose tenons are woefully short on strength and longevity when it comes to investing many hours and several hundreds of dollars in a door. 

   The Bridgewater books are all craft books written by accomplished authors, not professional woodworkers engaged in the daily pursuit of building doors.  My prejudice added.

   I would place door building in a category with boatbuilding.  Something that can be accomplished by one willing to do the research, experimentation and effort to make it succeed.  It is not for the weekend project oriented individuals.

   I not long ago completed a job of interior doors for home of the owner of a cabinet shop. He had the sense to realize he was neither experienced, tooled or patient enough to tackle the job.

   Dave S

   Edited 6/1/2005 3:38 pm ET by acornw

1. 
   VomSorb | Jun 01, 2005 10:29pm | #7

   I've built doors for years. 

   Birchard's book is by no means a step-by-step, but it's worth having nevertheless. 

   Mario Rodriguez did an outstanding job, IMO, in his chapter on building an entry door in one of his books.  The title escapes me at the moment.

   The Bridgewater book is interesting.  Far from encyclopedic but interesting from an historical perspective.  Would love it if they had included actual photographs instead of the sketches.

1. 
   acornw | Jun 01, 2005 10:46pm | #8

   Cstan - In my opinion, the perfect door book would be loaded with cross sections for all sorts of various designs, from the medieval to current.  While the basics don't differ too much, the way they can be ornamented and varied keeps it always new and challenging. 

   In what used to be a quiet and solo doormaking market, we have seen a recent explosion of doors from Asia and locally.  The Asian ones are commodity items, existing for someone's return on investment, and the local ones are copying us and a few others in what they consider a lucrative market.   The problem is that as these doors fail, wood doors will get another bad rap, and the steel and plastic ones will crowd back into the market.

   Wood doors, properly done, are high craft, and will last probably forever.  Everything else is an approximation or compromise on the real thing.

    Dave S

1. 
   Sancho | Jun 01, 2005 11:01pm | #9

   I found Birchards book at my library  

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2. 
   papa | Jun 02, 2005 03:04am | #12

   abebooks.com is also a good resource,

6. 
   Timberwerks | Jun 01, 2005 11:47pm | #10

   Thanks for all the great feedback guy's. It looks like I will be doing some more research and picking up a few books as well. I'm looking forward to getting started and learning along the way. I'll build a few doors in the learning process and pass them on to friends and family so I can keep an eye on them for any problems. I'll make a carved door for here at home so I can keep an eye on how the carved panels react with the seasons. I really like the looks of heavy Gothic doors as well so maybe I'll give one of those a try. For now I'll stick with Mahogany construction for it's ease of carving and outdoor qualities.

   Dale

7. 
   troys | Jun 02, 2005 07:59pm | #14

   I seem to remember that last year there was a article on this in Fine Wooodworking.
   Troy