Replies

1. 
   doorboy | Jun 20, 2007 06:03pm | #1

   Nope.
   It's particle board more than likely. It would need to be re-stiled and re-railed.

   "Roger Staubach for President"

2. 
   KiddervilleAcres | Jun 20, 2007 06:24pm | #2

   Pat,

   I have 6 solid core doors in my shop and not one is particle board.  Also, if you see finger joints after cutting into it, that tells me it's more than likely solid wood.  Of course Homely & Decrepit doors might be made of cheaper material!

   Is there any way of identifying the manufacturer?  If so, you should be able to track them down and find out from them.

   Based on your signting of the finger joints, I think you're ok.

   Regards,

   Bob @ Kidderville Acres

    

   A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!

1. 
   doorboy | Jun 20, 2007 06:37pm | #3

   Commodity doors from the big boxes are particle board core or hollow core. To properly identify them, look for a stamp on the top of the door. It should read: "PBC", "Particleboard", "HC" or somesuch. Lumber core doors will be stamped "SLC", "SCL", "Solid wood core", or something to that effect.
   If they are NOT special ordered doors, then the Home Depot solid core door WILL be a particleboard core.
   Why not get the HD to special order that door for you--or better yet, a locally owned lumberyard will be happy to get it."Roger Staubach for President"

1. 
   KiddervilleAcres | Jun 20, 2007 07:00pm | #5

   doorboy,

   Guess I got lucky!  Mine are all solid wood inside and 3/16" veneered sides, 2 are maple and the other 4 are birch.

   As to the p-board ones I'm not sure that presents a major problem as to a material for a benchtop.  Dogholes might be an issue, but if round they are easily reinfoeced with sleaves.

   Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres

    

   A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!

3. 
   YesMaam27577 | Jun 20, 2007 06:37pm | #4

   I'm siding with doorboy -- bout a 90% chance that your solid door is solidly filled with particleboard.

    

    

    

   Support our Troops. Bring them home. Now.  And pray that at least some of the buildings in the green zone have flat roofs, with a stairway.

4. 
   JohnWW | Jun 20, 2007 07:45pm | #6

   Look at the top and bottom edges of the door.  If those edges show end grain, then the door is probably all wood. 

   If the ends look like the longer side edges, long grain with visible finger joints, except possibly at the corners, then the core is most likely something like particle board with just a finger jointed frame around the edges.

   John White, Shop Manager, Fine Woodworking Magazine 

5. 
   xmike | Jun 21, 2007 02:19am | #7

   One clue will be the weight of the door.

   If it seems incredibly heavy for its size, then it most likely has a particle board or Masonite core.

   I just received a door from Lowe's that I specially ordered, and, based on the weight, I'm pretty sure that my solid core wood door has a Masonite core.

   Oh, well - got to learn to specify what I want better.

   Mike D

1. 
   PatCap | Jun 21, 2007 03:02am | #8

   I just cut into mine, and it's looks like particle board. I'm planning on edge banning the whole bench with maple. I will glue and nail the edge band on. Then I will top it off with a piece of 1/4" masonite, then drill 3/4" dog holes.

1. 
   Jfrostjr | Jun 21, 2007 04:16pm | #9

   I've had a very bad experience with masonite as a bench top covering - mine expanded and buckled in the higher humidity of summer. You could go to something like 1/2" particleboard, which I think is fairly immune to dimensional change.Frosty

1. 
   highfigh | Jun 21, 2007 04:25pm | #10

   Unsealed particle board is more unstable than Masonite. It's more like a saltine cracker than wood. The guy who sharpens for me called it "the hotdog of lumber". Both also expand more in thickness than length or width.Either masonite or particle board can be sealed and that will make it more stable. Preferably on both sides but assuming the bottom is tight to the door surface and the edge banding is tight to the edge of the top, it shouldn't be too bad. I used polyester resin to seal the large bench in my garage and I'm pretty sure it doesn't move at all. It is MDF but if it got longer or wider, I would see cracks in the resin. I have spilled everything from water to acetone on it and nothing has affected it at all. Plus, it can be sanded flat, painted, re-sanded, re-coated, filled with Bondo, etc.
   "I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."

1. 
   Jfrostjr | Jun 21, 2007 04:41pm | #11

   I understand. It was 50 years ago and I did not seal the masonite. In later years, when I used particleboard, I did seal it. Frosty

2. 
   highfigh | Jun 21, 2007 04:49pm | #12

   Understandable and if the masonite was "untempered", it's even more unstable. "Tempered hardboard" has a darker color and is definitely harder, with a very smooth surface on one side- smoother than untempered. If masonite is used, I think tempered would be preferred.
   "I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."

6. 
   jackplane | Jun 21, 2007 05:59pm | #13

   You bought a 32" wide door to cut down to 28". Why? I'd return it and buy a 28-30" door and go from there. Also if you trim 1" or more on the hinge side, you'll then need extra long screws(to not rely on glue alone).

   You don't state if this is paint or stain grade, which makes a difference in approach.

   Expert since 10 am.

1. 
   PatCap | Jun 21, 2007 06:12pm | #14

   This is for a workbench top, they didn't have a 30" door in stock and the impatience man I am I bought the 32", it was only a dollar more. I will edge band with maple glue and nail, just concerned about the dog holes in particle board.

1. 
   KiddervilleAcres | Jun 21, 2007 08:25pm | #15

   Pat,

   As I said in an earlier post to doorboy, couldn't the dogholes be reinforced with sleaves of some kind.  I'm assuming that the dogs are round.

   Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres

    

   A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!

1. 
   doorboy | Jun 21, 2007 11:57pm | #16

   Bob has a point about the sleeves. The particle board used for door cores is NOTHING like particleboard sheet goods. It's not very dense at all. In fact, you could crumble it in your hands without much effort. So maybe a grommet or a sleeve of some sort would be a good idea for a workbench.
   "Roger Staubach for President"

2. 
   Napie | Jun 22, 2007 01:09am | #18

   After going through all of this, why not just glue up a real bench to out of some nice maple????

1. 
   KiddervilleAcres | Jun 22, 2007 03:16am | #19

   Napie,

   In my case anyway it's a matter of economics in terms of both time & money.

   My 2 1/8" birch solid core door lagbolted (3) on top of a bench made of double layers of 3/4" plywood, 6" birch apron on three sides with the whole affair lagged to the wall studs.  Large LV front vise and their Twin Screw on the end, all jaws lined with cherry.

   Bench is ROCK solid and doesn't flinch, even during hard planing.

   I would venture to guess I have less than 24 hours time invested, including vise installations.  Sure, I'd love to have a Lon Schleining type bench repleat with 3" solid laminated maple top, but so far this bench has served me quite well.

   Regards,

   Bob @ Kidderville Acres

    

   A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!

   Edited 6/22/2007 6:46 am ET by KiddervilleAcres

2. 
   [email protected] | Jun 22, 2007 12:21am | #17

   Put threaded inserts in from the bottom instead of dog holes.  Look for the ones with integral flanges, and don't countersink them, just set them tight to the surface. 

   You can then make stop blocks, hold downs, etc. to hold work pieces steady, and readily attach jigs, fixtures, and portable tools to the bench as needed. 

   After you gain more experience and skill, if you decide to build a "real bench", from solid wood, then worry about dog holes.   Work with the material you have to exploit it's strong points.  A particle board core door has a core that is not stable in anything but compression.  Put it in compression and it will function well for years.