I have an old house with low ceilings which means that the exterior door frames are non-standard. I want an exterior combination door and have had to cut down the next larger standard door to fit. This means I cut through the dowels holding the door together and then have to reinforce the corners with steel angles.
My wife wants a door with a large, open, glass area; the bigger then better without and mullons, etc. so that we can see the old-fashioned inside door.
Glass is heavy so what dimensions would make sense for the side pieces? Also would mortise and tenon joints be the strongest rather than doweled?
Replies
Nick,
I suggest you post this question on "Breaktime" as professional homebuilders are better equipped to answer this kind of question than a simple furniture maker like me.
Good luck,
-Jazzdogg-
Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right.
Nick:
You don't say how wide your door is, but if it's a standard entry I'll assume that it's no more than 36". If you're just going to use a single piece of glass (as opposed to a sealed unit), you could probably get away with 4" wide stiles (the vertical members), unless you're going to put hardware on the door, in which case the hardware backset will determine the final width. The top rail could be the same width as the stiles, but I would make the bottom rail about 10" wide. Mortise & tenon is the best way to go for the joints.Good luck.
Nick-
In addition to the other suggestions, I once saw decorative wrought-iron style diadonal braces over the corners of a large plate glass window. Possibly this would work for your door to add rigidity.
HarryD
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