1) Will the 3/4″ MDO base be stiff enough to support itself in the open position(9 foot wide doors) or do I need to go to two thin skins in a torsion box type construction? If so, any material recommendations for the skins? Maybe some sort of lightweight metal channel attached to the back for stiffness?
2) The faux rails and stiles in the pictures are only 3″ wide and I haven’t had any problems with the differing expansion rates of the solid wood and plywood separating the two. I picture the wider faux stiles and rails on a garage door moving enough the paint would crack at the seam, leading to water infiltration and rot. Is there such a thing as an exterior 3/8″ MDF type material I could use to make these pieces?
3) Does anyone have any better solutions?
thanks,
Mark
Replies
Whoops, forgot the pictures
Is there such a thing as an exterior 3/8" MDF type material I could use to make these pieces?
There is an exterior mdf product, Medite? Medex?, cant remember but I've bought it in 3/4" I assume you can get it in other thicknesses.
For garage doors, with the large horizontal cracks, I would wrap the edges in solid wood also instead of just relying on the paint to seal the edges.
You pictured a man door, are you also considering an overhead garage door? If so I've done several using nothing more then exterior ply with applied wood and sealed the edges without any problems with delaminating or anything else. You can buy strongbacks for the slabs from a garage door place. That will keep your doors strait/rigid.
Here are a few that are nothing more then applied cedar to plywood. I build them as one big piece and then make my horizontal cuts in them when they are all fabricated, keeps the wood all lined up nicely.
View Image
Doug
Edited 8/6/2008 9:34 pm ET by DougU
Thanks Doug. You assumed right-- I was wondering if the method I used for the man-door would work for overhead garage doors. Yours look very nice, thanks for the pictures.
I'm impressed, nice work.
Doug,I've been planning to build a set of overheads for awhile now. My plan called for a core frame of 1" planed pine (built like a rectange around an upsidedown V; biscuited, glued, and pocket screwed, then in-filled with 1" rigid insulation) , 1/8" luan glued and stapled inside, and 1/2" cdx glued and stapled outside, then 1/2" and 3/4" cedear applied decoratively similar to your archtop door. I thought of going for all ply like you but was concerned with keeping it straight. You say that's not a problem though? Also, how are they weather-sealed at the horizontal joints? I bought a large "reversible glue joint" router bit that I thought would keep the wind and rain out.Do you have any better/detail photos or drawings? Did your panels each have strongbacks?Would love to know more....as far as my estimates go, I can build an install a cedar garage door for under $300 while the cheapest comparable I have seen is about $2500. Seems like a good racket. What did you charge for yours?Thanks
gk
gk
I've built about 6 or 7 overhead garage doors and I pretty much did them all the same way(no other pics, damn computer crashes!)
I take plywood(I've used exterior ply, MDO, T-111, all have served me well) in 9' or 10' lengths(been lucky, never had to do any 16' doors but I'm sure I could come up with an acceptable way to do them), lay it out on sawhorses, two sheets make the door 8' high. I then cut them down to the length/height that I need. I make my joint land on a panel split. Sometimes that means taking some off of each sheet of ply. Remember, garage doors do not have to have 4 panels to make it work, some I've done with just three, cuts down on the horizontal joints. I think its about even the number of 3 panel doors to 4 panel, think I did a 5 panel once.
I haven't done any insulated doors but I think I would do them like a torsion box.
When I have my ply made up with the height and width the way I need it I lay out my pattern/style of the door on the ply. Once I have that all figured out/cut to fit I start applying the pieces with exterior glue/construction adhesive/gorilla glue/what ever is needed to stick it together, using nails to hold it in place while the adhesive does its thing.
When this is all nailed and glued together I have one big door! I make my cuts/joints where they need to be cutting on a bevel(the beveled lap keeps the water and air from blowing in), maybe 5 to 10 degrees, don't really matter but I wouldn't want to make to sharp an angle so as not to have sharp edges on the beveled pieces. I have played around with a rubber V strip to keep the elements out but I have just had wood to wood and that has worked surprisingly well. I make sure I treat all these joints with a good exterior sealer to prevent rot/warping.......
On all the doors that I have built I did all the hardware as well, just install it like you see it on a regular store bought door.
The strongbacks I've used where ever I thought they needed to be, seams like the one on the door that I built at my house I have two, one on the top panel and one on the bottom, its a three panel door. The door has been there for about 7 or 8 years and I haven't noticed any sag yet.
I don't have any better pictures of the construction but I could get some. I had a big time computer virus that cost me about 400 pictures so a lot of stuff is gone for good! I can take some pictures of the door that I have on my own garage if you think that will help.
I'm guessing,money wise, that I didn't have anywhere near $500 in any door that I built, time of course depends on the details of the door. All of the doors I either built for myself or for someone that I was working for so I don't have a hard number to give you, sorry.
One other thing that you need to consider is the weight of the door, for instance those doors that Frenhcy is talking about are going to weigh in at half a ton! most of the ones that I have done are in the 200 to 300 pounds for the total door, gotta get the springs to accommodate that weight.
Let me know if there is anything else, I tend to leave out details that pertinent.
Doug
Just further thought on the weight of garage doors. To buy USE time from old doors at my home I covered the squares with 3/8 plywood screwed from the back side and caulked in place. Added alot of weight to the 9' high doors. I have the door spring on the door head, all that being said my installer of the new springs said they are (can) be adjusted to a lift weight of 28-35 lbs. by code, so they can be lifted non-mechanically by anyone. That lift weight is for ANY size door. Again CODE.
Check out these and see if this is what you're looking for. These are great doors, not like the cloplay #### from HD. They are already insulated and will last forever with no maintenance. They have some styles that you seem to be look for. The north hatley is nice too, with or with out the hinges, those are just for looks.
The say the widths available but I've bought 5 ft wides ones so I don't know if that has not been updated. Also, I believe windows can be excluded in most if not all those designs.
http://www.garaga.com/specs-garage-door-eastmanestatevintage_95.aspx
Edited 8/7/2008 10:11 am ET by DDay
MarkR
I'm currantly building carriage doors for my lakeside entry.
I started with a core of solid black walnut 2inches thick (actual) 8 inches wide.
Then I clad it with more black walnut planks screwed in from the back with 2 1/2 inch long stainless steel screws and titebond111 glue.
The inside I'm clading in Hard maple. The window is double paned 1/4 inch glass and I'll eventually install a piece of stained glass on the inside of all that.
These will be massively heavy doors so I'm putting six big hinges on each door that have ball bearings. Because the doors swing out the hinges need to be outside and to prevent crooks from tapping out the pins and simply lifting the door off I'm mounting the second hinge too close to the first hinge (pairing them up as it were)
To ensure I don't screw up and misalign all those hinges I'm using a jig to cut all the hinge plate recesses and I have one long rod to align each hinge so it won't be in bind and cause the door to work stiffly. Once correctly aligned I'll pull out the rod and install the top set of hinges, using short rods to ensure these too line up with everything else.. As heavy as these doors will be I sure don't want any misalignment to cause binding.