Garage - making a double width door

[Paul]

I am building quite a large garage and I've had a 14ft wide Henderson door (unused) that i bought a while ago intending to use it on the much delayed garage.

Unfortunately, it blew over onto a garden bench and received a hole peirced in the skin.

I'm also starting to desire a 16ft wide door.

Budgets are getting tight now - as always...

So, I could repair the piercing and mount the door. Or, I could try to build a 16ft door (brickwork's not started yet).

Does anyone have any experience of building a wooden up and over door of this size? Would I be able to use the spring, etc from the 14ft door (adjusted for the extra weight)?

Or, is it just too hard and too heavy? I was thinking of tongue and groove floorboards on a wooden or metal frame.

Thoughts?

Thanks in advance Paul

[Grunff]

I think it would be very heavy, which would make it [a] difficult to build and [b] difficult to install once built.

There's a big diffenence in weight between 1mm steel sheet and

12mm timber.

If you do do it, you'll definitely need a steel frame - a timber frame will just flex too much at that size (unless you use massive timbers, which will make it even heavier).

[Niel A. Farrow]

Look in loot.com or on ebay.co.uk Neil

[usenet]

I think a 16ft wide wooden door would be *very* heavy, not a good idea I don't think.

[Ed Sirett]

At first I thought you are right, but then I start to think about it.

Relative densitites of wood are say 0.9 and steel 7.8 (IIRC).

0.9 *12mm =9.6 and steel 1.0mm* 7.8= 7.8

It depends on what you mean by "big" in this context I would have though that would mean at least double?

[Grunff]

Hmm...That's completely correct of course, but totally counter intuitive.

[Michael Mcneil]

Put that thing on for now but make allowances for future extension with some sort of sub-frame. Patch the door with a stick on pattern or picture of some sort if it is still OK on the edges and hasn't lost its stressing.

If you assemble the amount of timber you would need to make a wooden door and test the weight you will be able to compare the weight of the finished product against the weight of the metal door you have. 14 foot of floorboard say 7 ft long plus frame, will weigh you down G&P.

Not a problem if you make a 16 foot pair of side openers on castors with each pair made of hinged four foots. Remember that gaps are not improtant on a garage. You could quite nicely get away with the garage open 3" on the top and 6" on the bottom with an inch or so on the sides. It will show the prospective burglar the car is available. Is that a problem?

Make sure your garage's threshold is flat and level then. What you really need to do is make sure the doors fully clear the opening and won't blow closed as you park.

Most people would use stable door hinges. Try rising hinges if the floor is not level.

[Toby]

My brother in the US had a 2.5 car garage with a single wooden faced door made in a similar way to how you describe. This worked but had been retro-fitted with what resembled the strutwork from a biplane on the inside.... and it still sagged in the middle when raised. The opener was a very hefty winch, the sort that made the lights go dim when operating. Real timber will be v.heavy, thin timber facing on a conventional steel door may be an idea?

As MMcN sugests, side openers may be the way to go for a wide opening. Henderson do tracks & hangers for either Z-fold doors or alternatively tracks that can be formed into an 'L'. Not too expensive at all, and 33" FLB doors are only £45 each which is not bad compared to making them.

33" x 6 =198" __/\/\/ \__ or __/\/ \/\__

[Paul]

It may be worth me considering a metal frame as light and rigid as i can get, sheeted with relatively thin (1/2") tongue & groove.

Problem then is matching up spring gear, etc.

thanks for the feedback paul

[Paul]

thanks, was considering that - bordering the extra foot either side with framing and ply.

G&P? please help my ignorance....

i'll give that a go - although proportionately - i.e. i'll calc the number of floorboards needed and weigh a proportion of them.

i'd consider this, but i don't have the space - it's hard to explain, but the garage is at the very bottom of the back garden with driveway access to the side into the garden effectively entering a new courtyard where space is at a premium. this won't allow the space for gates opening as well as "turn-in" so i'm stuffed for that.

however, for the driveway entrance i mentioned, i do need to build something like this. i was considering 2 X 6ft gates with an angle iron frame and T&G planks with electric openers.

is this ascii picture any use?

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