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Thread: Making your own interior doors

  1. #31
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Location
    Knoxville, TN
    Posts
    87
    I guess with a Kapex and an XL you dont really need anything else!

    Quote Originally Posted by Victor Robinson View Post
    $1,200 actually. I had guessed it would be a little higher.

  2. #32
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    San Francisco, CA
    Posts
    1,408
    Thanks to everyone...as always, you all provide very helpful information and insight.

    As far as having the shop to handle the project, I'm not sure. I have sufficient equipment I believe, but the point about wrangling heavy doors is a good one. That might get tiring and frustrating pretty quick...I'm not a big dude.

    Best course of action I think is to go ahead and give one a try. I can build much nicer than the basic solid doors available at the big box and cheaper than the nice options at the "door store." Doing one should give me an idea whether I can do 10. Worst case I waste some time and have to hack it up to salvage the wood.

    I'm estimating about 25-30 bdft per door (4 panel, panels are sheet good). Does that sound about right? I'll be using 4/4 stock laminated and planed to final 1-3/8" thickness.

  3. #33
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    walnut creek, california
    Posts
    2,347
    have at it, victor, and good luck! hope to see pics soon... even if you don't use an XL for joinery

  4. #34
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Chappell Hill, Texas
    Posts
    4,741
    Victor, here's where I would start.

    1) No sense ditching the doors that are still good. Sub out the stripping and get them back bare wood. Much cheaper than a new door, and no mess for you. I've used a local Guardsman Wood Pro franchise for stripping. (I know the owner - a fellow woodworker).

    2) Buy the doors that you need. Seriously, 1 million projects? Do you really need one more?

    Todd

  5. #35
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Northwestern Connecticut
    Posts
    7,149
    Quote Originally Posted by Victor Robinson View Post
    Thanks to everyone...as always, you all provide very helpful information and insight.

    As far as having the shop to handle the project, I'm not sure. I have sufficient equipment I believe, but the point about wrangling heavy doors is a good one. That might get tiring and frustrating pretty quick...I'm not a big dude.

    Best course of action I think is to go ahead and give one a try. I can build much nicer than the basic solid doors available at the big box and cheaper than the nice options at the "door store." Doing one should give me an idea whether I can do 10. Worst case I waste some time and have to hack it up to salvage the wood.

    I'm estimating about 25-30 bdft per door (4 panel, panels are sheet good). Does that sound about right? I'll be using 4/4 stock laminated and planed to final 1-3/8" thickness.

    What size are the doors? Using a standard passage door at 32X80, I get 36 BF of actual finished door if using solid wood panels, add waste to that, because you cant normally buy 80" lumber. My yard sometimes has 7' material in 4/4, but usually I'd lose a bit on the widths anyway. If the panels are man made then the numbers go down, closer to 20-25BF for the frame depending on style. I think your idea to make one is spot on. That should answer the questions for you and give you a good experience without committing too much money to lumber. I suggest getting a glue up buddy to help during assembly if possible. I sure helps to have two people when assembling/flipping/cleaning. Good luck and enjoy it!

  6. #36
    If it hasn't been mentioned already, you might want to consider urea resin glue. It has a long working time, and most importantly, no creep. Clean off squeeze out before it hardens! I found it helpful to set up a level pair of horses for the glue up. That way, you can check for twist with a level before glue sets.

    Regards

    Bob

  7. #37
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    Newburyport MA
    Posts
    293
    Look forward to seeing the photos

    Worst case I waste some time
    Is woodworking ever a waste of time? Enjoy.

    even if you don't use an XL for joinery
    Frank, do you dream of an XL when you sleep?

  8. #38
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Islesboro, Maine
    Posts
    1,268
    From what I've seen on line about the domino 700xl it does a mortise a little wider & about 1" deeper. I wouldn't use that to mortise a door. It's not big enough unless you double them up. I bought a Domino just for that reason & after spending around $1000.00 I didn't think a tenon 1"long it would do a good enough job. So I bought a mortising jig & long 1/2'' router bit. Already had the plunge router. The doors I made had 10 mortises & there were 9 doors. Worked great...This is what the jig & router did & as you can see there is plenty of tenon. IMG_7672.jpgDomino just wouldn't cut it...

  9. #39
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Three Rivers, Central Oregon
    Posts
    2,340
    I can't build a door, any style, cheaper than I can buy pre-hung, nor do I think I can match the quality of a comercially built door. I can buy a paint grade/primed solid core 26 door pre-hung for $130.
    Scott Vroom

    I started with absolutely nothing. Now, thanks to years of hard work, careful planning, and perseverance, I find I still have most of it left.

  10. #40
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    walnut creek, california
    Posts
    2,347
    prehungs are nice but i think the next time i replace my interior doors, i'll go for the split jamb.

  11. #41
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Northern Michigan
    Posts
    4,973
    Someone mentioned level sawhorses. This is important, well not so much level as on the same plane. I have a custom made bench for doormaking with a steel frame and backbone down the center, so its good lengthwise , but twist is actually more important.

    I use winding sticks to check for this and shim the wheels up until it is perfect to make up for an imperfect floor. My bench is on wheels so I have to do this.

    Winding sticks are just two straight sticks of uniform size. You can use two levels or anything that is straight and has parallel edges. They do not have to be the same size, and two different colors is a help to old eyes. You just set them on the bench, or horses, one at one end, one at the other, and parallel, and get back and sight across the pair. If the second one does not totally disappear at the same time when looking over the first one, the angled sliver that you see is how far you are off. Simple and fast. No bubbles.

    If I know how to transfer a drawing to this I could explain it better, but I am a computer illiterate.

    Frank! You are not allowed to be on a woodworking forum and use split jambs. Its just not allowed. The Festool gods would frown down apon you with disdain.

    Larry

  12. #42
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    walnut creek, california
    Posts
    2,347
    oh, alright, alright, i promise i'll guy out and buy that freud door making set...

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