I may need to build the doors 6 feet long by 18 inches wide. Rails and stiles will be 2 1/2″ wide, 3/4 ” thick. Frame is solid cherry with inset flat panel of 1/2″ cherry veneered ply. I don’t normally make doors that long and would appreciate how you would build these, or if I should not go this long. My concern here is that a door that long will tend to twist and not lay flat when closed. I don’t know if a middle rail is required. I expect that a minimum of 3 european hinges will be needed. Thanks for your help with this.
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Replies
Never built a door that big, but I would include a middle rail, or even two. Your rail & stile stock should also be 100% acclimated and dead flat.
7 ft long, 15 inches wide 3/4 maple frame with Baltic birch panels. Always been straight.
I think a middle rail would have a better appearance as long as it was not in the center. just my opinion
I suggest you use a mid rails also. I would also use a high grade plywood for the panels to keep the doors flat as possible. You can veneer each side of the ply to closely match the rails and styles. Your dimensions for the styles and rails are a little on the shy side. I suggest you use 7/8 inch thick members.
I have built numerous oversized frame and panel doors. Mostly paint-grade, which makes this process a bit easier. Those big doors will want to warp, and the culprit is the long stiles, they tend to bow over their length. What I do for paint-grade doors, made from poplar, is to make my long stiles extra wide so I can rip them down the middle. Then I flip one ripped piece end for end so the grain is inverted. That means one 'tendency to bow' works against the opposite 'tendency to bow' and the stiles are quite stable this way. Mill to final width and thickness after glue-up. Obviously, this method would be much more visible with stain grade wood, but it works perfectly with painted pieces.
The way I do them is to insert a spline. It's an adaptation of the 3 layer method to make entry door stiles.
The procedure is you deepen the groove in the stiles to within about 1/8" of the edge. Glue in a spline using a glue that dries to a hard line like epoxy or plastic resin.
Clamp to a flat surface a let it cure for at least a couple days. Then re-establish the groove depth by either remilling with a slot cutter or on the table saw..
This method will produce a stile that is rock solid and will not bend.