Replies

1. 
   bobwoodhead | May 03, 2003 12:16am | #1

   I prefer laminated doors because in my experiences they have been less likely to warp and react to changes in humidity levels.

2. 
   RW | May 03, 2003 12:22am | #2

   Knots might find you more door builders. If you're going to do it yourself, look into staving - making the rails & stiles out of staves of a more stable wood and laminating the oak veneer onto the face.

   "The child is grown / The dream is gone / And I have become / Comfortably numb "      lyrics by Roger Waters

3. 
   DougU | May 03, 2003 04:08am | #3

   Nadir

   I worked for a company that made custom doors from time to time and we always laminated them, if you mill some white oak, which is a great exterior wood, making three layers you will have a very strong door, use West System to glue together and the thing will last forever.

   If you need anymore tips let me know be glad to share them.

   Doug

4. 
   jocobe | May 03, 2003 04:25am | #4

   Should be solid white pine wood staved core with white oak veneer.....per the Architectural Woodworking Institute.   The only hardwood approved for a solid door, of same species, is mahogany.

   jocobe

5. 
   goldhiller | May 03, 2003 04:58am | #5

   I wouldn't recommend that you make a slab door from solid stock, but rather a frame and panel door because it will be much more stable. A solid wood slab style door will be prone to problematic dimensional changes in width as well as being considerably more prone to cupping, even at that 21" width you're talking.

   While a frame and panel door is more stable, it too is plenty prone to problems unless it is protected from direct sunlight, protected from the weather by a storm door, and is bearing several coats of an appropriate finish (3 or 4). Polyurethane is not an appropriate finish for exterior applications and won't last very long at all. If left exposed to the weather, you'll see it breaking down in as little as a year. You need a long oil varnish such as spar varnish or better yet, a high quality marine varnish. Using a decent marine varnish will probably buy you an extra year or two while using a high quality marine varnish may buy you four more years of life expectancy over using spar varnish, but these come with a bigger price on the can.

   Oil-based poly could be used on the interior surface as it would give you the ability to choose a satin sheen if you so desired. I'm recommending oil-based over water-borne because it has a higher resistance per coat to vapor exchange. You'll need to apply at least two coats, but three would definitely be better for controlling the rate of vapor exchange. The slower the rate, the more stable the door. This holds true for both sides of the door because it's the uneven exchange rate that will cause the door to cup/bow or even twist.

   Knowledge is power, but only if applied in a timely fashion.
6. 
   Nadir | May 06, 2003 01:07am | #6

   Thank you for all your very useful feedback!  Regards, Nadir

7. 
   Artisan_Construction | May 28, 2014 03:29pm | #7

   Help with similar project

   Hello:

   I was asked to bid and construct a similar door to replace two carpenter built doors dating from the early '80s.  They want the exact same pair of doors, constructed of more durable species as the old doors, built of SPF-laminated vertical car-siding has started to rot.  I would likely rehang it on the existing jamb and hinges, and weather strip the entire opening.

   I'd love to know more about the lamination process as I have concerns about it staying together and not warping/splitting with western exposure.  You mentioned your company used to expoxy oak doors together, 3 plys of 3/4" white oak I assume?  Did you mechanically fasten any of the wood (in addition to expoxying it)?  Or was epoxy the only thing holding the door together?  Were the doors able to expand/contract without splitting or warping?  Were the laminate layers resting perpendicularly to each other?

   My plan (which I'm not certain would work), was to use some sort of exterior substrate laminated with vertical white oak car-siding on either side.  I would trim the sides with solid white oak to completely encase the substrate.  My questions are:

   - what would be a suitable, highly stable, warp resistanty substrate for the core that would bond well to the white oak?  I would prefer a lightweigth core if possible.

   - what mechanical fasteners, if any, should be used?

   - what type of West Systems Epoxy did you use?  I usually use FlexTec epoxy, but I'm not sure it would be appropriate here since it doesn't tend to bond well in thin applications as would be required between laminated layers of wood.

   Thanks in advance for your help!  Any recommendations you might have would be greatly appreciated.

   T

   
1. 
   oldhand | Jun 01, 2014 02:06pm | #8

   artisan...

   The original is a poor model for stability. I wouldn't expect a door with only vertical members to stay flat enough to keep weather tight but I guess it can happen. The narrow widths are your only asset here.

   You could proceed with a  copy of the original with 5 ply 7/16" c.d. or some better grade ply  as the inner core. Offhand I think you would be better of incorporating a horizontal piece at the ends and center which you might join as simply as end matching the verticals.

   I've made lots of laminated 3 ply doors with 3 plys of solid wood but assembled like a rail and panel door.  Each ply is usually joined on the inside with pocket screws and often the plys are nailed or screwed to each other. You can hide most all of those fasteners to the inside of the glue up. It's possible to glue andclamp the whole thing together with no metal fasteners also. Titebond II is my choice of adhesive.

   If you do any of the above make sure the assembly is dead flat while the glue sets.