by Daniel Diehl
Assembling the Door
Lay the carrying timber and door boards in their proper positions on a level work surface. For the finished door to look right, the edges of the boards must be absolutely flush against one another. If there are slight gaps or irregularities on the joining edges of the boards, plane them until the boards fit smoothly. Once the boards have been placed in their final arrangement, lay the cross braces into position and tap the tenons into the mortises on the carrying timber. Place bar clamps across the width of the door and pull the boards together until they are snug. Pad the ends of the bar clamps with a shim of wood or cardboard so that they do not bite into the wood.
Nailing the Door
Now lay out the pilot holes for the wooden nails. Mark a line through the center of the cross braces. A nail will be located ½ inch on either side of the seam where each pair of door boards abut and in the center of each board, except at the extreme ends of the cross brace. The nail that ties the cross brace to the carrying timber is located ¾ inch from the inside edge of the carrying timber, as shown in the section A drawing. Also, the spacing of the nails on the outside door board is determined by the length of the cross brace, not by the width of the board.
With the cross braces set firmly in place, drill pilot holes for the nails that tie the cross braces to the carrying timber. If you are doubtful about the seating of the mortise and tenon joint, place an additional bar clamp across the braces and carrying timbers to hold them in place, but don’t let the clamp get in the way of drilling the pilot holes. Next, slide one end of the door beyond the edge of the bench far enough to drive a wooden nail through the pilot hole. Following the same procedure, attach the remaining cross braces to the carrying timber. It is important to have someone applying back pressure behind the pilot hole so that the nail does not splinter the door as it breaks the surface. The wooden nails will protrude beyond the surface of the door and can be trimmed off later.
Continue the nailing sequence to the door board nearest the carrying timber. Drill and nail the top and bottom cross braces to the door board. Next, attach the top and bottom cross braces to the middle door board, and finally to the outside door board. Throughout the nailing process, have someone applying back pressure on the cross braces while the nails are being driven through the door. In order for the door to fit securely, the cross braces must also be held firmly against the door boards while the pilot holes are drilled and the nails are driven. When all three door boards have been nailed to the top and bottom cross braces, attach the outside door board to the remaining cross braces, then drill and nail the middle cross braces to the interior door boards.
Slide the door back onto the work surface so that all the nail heads rest on the surface. With a mallet, gently tap around the base of each nail to pull the cross braces tightly against the surface of the door boards. You may want to take a small block of wood and drill a hole in it so that it can be placed over the nail. A firm tap on the block should seat the brace against the door board. Do not hammer too hard; you might shatter the wooden nail heads. When all the nails have been seated, saw off the ends of the nails and sand them flush with the surface of the cross braces.
Chamfering
Using a chisel or router, cut the decorative chamfer on the carrying timber, in the spaces between the cross braces, as shown in the inside face drawing. Also cut a ¼-inch chamfer along the outside edges of the carrying timber. This will reduce the clearance necessary to swing the door open and closed.
Latch
Cut the two latch supports, shown in profile in the end view drawing of the latch, and the latch bolt, shown in the straight-on view of the latch mechanism. Finally, make two doorknobs. Although the knobs appear fairly round in profile (side, cutaway view drawing), they are nearly square when viewed straight on. In the center of the face of the latch bolt, drill a ½-inch hole.
On the inside face of the door, arrange the latch supports and latch bolt in their proper position, at the height indicated on the inside face drawing of the door. Making certain that the mechanism is squared to the edge of the door, mark the position of both latch supports on the surface of the door, and also make a mark on the door through the hole in the latch bolt. Set aside the pieces of the latch.
Draw a line that passes through the mark for the hole in the latch bolt across the width of the outside door board. Make certain that this line is at a 90-degree angle to the edge of the door. This line is the center of the slot through which the doorknob shaft will pass. The slot should be 5/8 inch wide and 2½ inches long, and should begin 2½ inches from the edge of the door. Cut this slot through the door by drilling out the ends of the slot and removing the wood between the holes with a chisel or router. Keep the slot neat; it will show on the outside face of the door.
Drill holes 1 inch deep into the flat end of the doorknobs into which the ½-inch shaft can be driven. Tap the shaft into one of the knobs, then tap the shaft-and-knob unit through the hole in the latch bolt. Two inches of shaft should protrude through the opposite side of the latch bolt.
Mounting the Latch
Mark and drill pilot holes in the ends of the latch supports. Replace the latch supports on the door in the locations previously marked and continue the pilot holes through the door board. Now remove the latch supports and set the latch bolt into place with the shaft through the slot in the door. Allow the edge of the door to hang over the side of the bench so that the shaft can fall through. Replace the latch supports and nail them to the door, driving the nails through from the back surface of the door. Cut and sand the ends of the nails, then attach the remaining knob. Do not force the knob against the face of the door or the bolt will not move smoothly.
Finish
Sand the door, then give it a natural oil finish as described on page 7.
Hanging the Door
The door as originally constructed was hung at the same time the frame around it was installed. The upright posts on either side of the door were mortised into the sill plate, and the lintel above the door was mortised into the upright posts. The swing pin on the bottom of the door was set into a receiving hole in the sill plate, and the post and lintel assembly dropped into place from above. As the tenons on the door posts dropped into the mortises in the sill plate, the swing pin on top of the door fitted into a receiving hole in the lintel.
The receiving holes must be slightly larger than the swing pins to allow the door to move easily, but not so large that the door wobbles. A hole 1/16 inch larger than the swing pin should provide easy operation. The receiving holes must be centered 1¾ inches from the inner face of the door jamb to allow the corners of the door to pass between the swing pin and jamb. The swing pin on the bottom of the door must be about ¼ inch longer than the depth of the receiving hole into which it fits. This will raise the door off the floor and allow it to swing freely. Conversely, the swing pin on the top of the door should be slightly shorter than the depth of the receiving hole.
In a modern application, the door could be mounted against a flush floor (without an exposed sill plate) as long as there is a float joist beneath the threshold into which the receiving hole can be drilled. Drop a small washer or disk of nylon bushing material into the receiving hole to provide a pad on which the swing pin can rest. This will provide long years of operation without the bottom of the swing pin wearing down from the friction of rubbing against the bottom of the hole. Whether the bottom of the door is mounted on a sill plate or smooth floor, the lintel must be set in place after the door so that the top receiving hole fits over the swing pin on top of the door.
PROJECT 36
Fifteenth-Century Exterior Door
Exterior Door, French, fifteenth century. Oak and wrought iron hardware, 771/8 x 403/8 x 23/8 inches. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, gift of George Blumenthal, 1935 (35.35.19). Image ©The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Image source, Art Resource, New York.
Ever since humans first organized into towns, the security offered by stout door
s has been a necessary component of structures of all types. This particular door, made in France during the fifteenth century, tells us several things about the medieval concept of security and decoration. More than 2 inches thick, this door reminds us just how dangerous the medieval world was. The decoratively carved panels on the outside face indicate the owner’s desire to display his wealth to all who came seeking entrance, while the plain boards on the inside show that no matter how rich the owner was, security and keeping out the elements were the door’s most practical and important functions.
Construction Notes
This door is constructed in two layers. The 1½-inch-thick outer layer is composed of a sturdy frame, not unlike that on a nineteenth-or early-twentieth century paneled door, and six carved panels. The interior layer consists of random-width boards used to reinforce the door’s strength and hold the panels in place in the outer frame. Cutting and constructing the frame may seem confusing at first, but if you follow the directions step by step, the component pieces will fall together as they should. Note that this door is 41 inches in width, much wider than any standard modern door opening. A little careful planning and some creative mathematics should allow you to rescale the door for a standard exterior door opening of 32, 34, or 36 inches.
Materials
This door is made entirely of oak with forged iron hardware.
Laying out the Frame
The outer frame of the door is made from three main components with a total of nine pieces: two main outside side stiles, four small divider stiles placed between the carved panels, and three rails, one each at the top and bottom and a slightly narrower one running across the center of the door. Each component part of the frame has been channeled out on the back to accept the carved panels. To understand how the pieces of the frame fit together, lay them out on the floor in their proper positions as shown in the drawing of the exterior face.
Note in the exterior drawing that a decorative bead molding runs around the top and sides of all six carved panels; there is no bead across the bottom edge of either the top or bottom row of panels. With a pencil, mark the edges of the frame components that will receive this decorative bead. The bead runs continuously along the length of the panel divider stiles, but it occurs only intermittently along the outside stiles and top and center rails, and there is no bead on the bottom rail.
Cutting the Decorative Bead
The first step in preparing these boards for assembly is to cut the decorative bead. The decorative beading is illustrated in cross section A. The panelstile detail drawing shows how the bead runs intermittently across the top rail. The bead is ¾ inch in depth and 7/8 inch in width and is cut in a Roman ogee shape. The bead can be cut with a table saw using molding cutter blades or a decorative molding plane, but whichever approach you take, be careful not to run the bead the full length of the outside stiles or the top and middle rails. If you are cutting the bead with a table saw, extra care must be taken when the board is lowered into and lifted from its position on the saw table. However you choose to cut the bead, you will have to carve it by hand with small, sharp carving knives at any points where it makes a rightangle turn, as it does at the top and side corners of each outside panel and the two top corners of the center panels. This carving will require patience so that the hand-carved work matches the rest of the beading.
Rabbeting the Frame
The next step is to cut a running rabbet channel on the reverse sides of the boards, directly behind the location of the beading. As shown in cross section A, these rabbets are all ¾ inch deep and ½ inch in width. The rabbets running along the length of the divider stiles are continuous, but they run only intermittently along the outside stiles and all three rails, in the locations where a panel will be set into place. When measuring for the rabbets on the rails, take into account the 2-inch-long tenons that will connect the rails to the left and right outside stiles; these tenons are shown in the panel assembly back view drawing. When cutting the rabbets along the outside stiles, the cut can run continuously except for the final 1½ inches at each end of the stiles; the space between the panels will be cut away further when mortises for the rails are cut into the stiles. Details of how the rails and stiles will fit around the panels, and the points at which the rails mortise into the stiles, are shown in the panel assembly back view. The rabbets can also be cut with a table saw, but take extra care when the board is lowered into and lifted from the bed of the saw table. Again, you will have to use small, sharp carving knives at any points where the rabbets make a rightangle turn to accommodate the panels, as they do at various points along the rails.
Joining the Frame
Now you need to cut a total of fourteen tenons on the ends of the four divider stiles and three horizontal rails, as shown in the panel assembly back view and cross section C drawings. The tenons on the ends of the panel divider stiles are the full 2¾-inch width of the stiles, 1¾ inches in length, and ¾ inch thick. These tenons must be on the back of the stiles, the same side on which you cut the rabbets. The tenons on the ends of the 7-inch-wide top and bottom horizontal rails are 5 inches in width, but as shown in the panel assembly back view, they are offset 1½ inches below the outside edge of the board. The ½-inch-wide rabbet on the inner edge of the board will account for the odd ½-inch discrepancy between the 7-inch width of the board and the 6½-inch width shown in the drawing. The tenons on the horizontal rails are 2 inches long and ¾ inch thick.
Mark the positions of the six corresponding mortises on the main left and right side stiles and the eight mortises on the horizontal rails. These mortises are open on the back, so they should be much easier to cut than the enclosed mortises used in most of the other projects. Excess wood can be cut away with the aid of a router, but the sides of the mortises should be finished with a sharp chisel. Make certain that the tenons fit snugly into the mortises, requiring only a light tap from a mallet or a few raps with the palm of your hand.
Now you should be able to assemble the complete door frame. Do the assembly on a level floor. We recommend assembling the four outer framing pieces of the door first. Make certain that all four pieces of the frame are in square, and then run a bead of glue into each mortise and tap the tenons into place. Repeat the process with the middle rail. Clamp all five pieces into place. When the glue is dry, attach the four panel divider stiles to the door frame in the same way. Because it will be nearly impossible to clamp the divider stiles to the middle rail, we recommend using weights to hold the stiles in place while the glue dries.
When the frame is dry, it is ready for doweling. Each mortise and tenon joint receives two ¼-inch dowels. With the door lying face up on a level floor, place small blocks of scrap wood beneath each mortise and tenon joint. Drill a ¼-inch hole for each of the twenty-eight dowels, the relative position of which is shown in the panelstile detail drawing. Drop a bead of glue into each dowel hole and tap the dowel into place. Cut the dowels slightly above the surface of the wood. When the glue is dry, sand the dowels flush with the surface.
Carving the Panels
Each of the six carved panels is 1 inch thick, 7½ inches wide, and 30¼inches long. As shown in the exterior, panelstile detail, and cross section A drawings, the panels are carved in the traditional medieval style known as linenfold. Carve the linenfold designs following the instructions given on page 6. The top and bottom ends of the linenfold panels on this door are identical. The outer edges of the panels should be carved away to a depth of ½ inch, half of the original 1-inch thickness of the board. This allows the panels to fit flush against the back of the door when dropped into place in the frame. The finished panels should set easily into the openings in the frame of the door.
Hinges
The three hinges shown in the drawing of the interior face of the door are composed of two distinctly different components. The top half, which is attached to the door, is shown in the hinge top half profile and face illustrations. This portion of each hinge is bent from a piece of flat stock
that is 2 inches wide, 5/32 inch thick, and 14 inches long. Using a mandrel and following the instructions on page 10, shape one end of the flat stock into a circular shape that will fit neatly around a ½-inch-diameter length of round stock. The fit should be loose enough that the hinge swings easily around the round stock. You may wish to run a bead of weld along the seam to ensure that the end of the hinge will not twist out of shape, but this is purely optional, as the original hinge has not been welded.
Now make two bends in the remaining flat stock. The first is a 110- degree bend at a point 4¼inches from the shaped end. This will make the arm of the hinge jut out at a 20-degree angle from the surface of the door. The second bend is made 1 inch farther along the hinge and should be a full 90-degree bend. The resulting hinge section should look like the hinge top half profile drawing. Note: It is important that all three hinges have identical top halves in order for the door to swing properly and without binding. When you have completed three identical hinge tops, drill five holes in each as shown in the hinge top half face drawing. As these will be hidden inside the door, we recommend using a countersink drill to allow the hinges to be attached to the door with wood screws. The diameter of the holes should be large enough to accept 1-inch-long screws.
Before making the bottom portions of the hinges, the top halves are mounted on the door. Lay the paneled door on its face on a level floor, and mark the positions of the hinges as shown in the drawing of the interior face of the door. The top hinge should be 8 inches from the top of the door, the middle hinge 30 inches below the bottom line of the top hinge, and the bottom hinge 12 inches above the bottom edge of the door. Using a sharp chisel, cut a mortise for each hinge just deep enough to allow the 5/32-inch thickness of the hinge to lie flush with the surface of the door. Drill small pilot holes to a depth of ¾ inch and screw the hinges to the door. Alternatively, you may choose to mount the hinges on the surface of the door and cut the mortises into the inner faces of the boards that will cover the hinge. It may prove slightly more work to locate the positions of the hinges, but this will allow you to use longer, 1¼-inch screws. Considering the weight of the finished door, the extra support from the longer screws is well worth the extra effort.