Best way to repair a solid front door

[L D'Bonnie]

Can you open and close the crack by applying pressure beside or behind the crack, or by bending and twisting the door?

If the crack opens and closes, and the wood adjacent to the crack is sound you may be able to work a water resistant glue into the crack by opening and closing it, squeezing the glue as deep as possible into the crack. Also using strips of paper or pins, push the glue in as deep as possible. Get as much glue as possible into the crack. Clamp tight to squeeze the glue in. Unclamp and repeat. I've used this method a few times. If the glue isn't too thick it can be worked quite deep into the wood. Messy but could save the door for a few more years possibly longer.

LdB

[Lowell Holmes]

snip

If it is truly a slab door, I would rip a segment that encloses the crack out of the door. I would prepare a piece to replace this wood and glue the whole thing back together. You mentioned the door is not really weather tight. You could make the door a bit wider to close the gap. The main issue would be finding a piece of mahogany to match. I repaired a solid wood panel door that was rotten on the bottom portion of the door. I repaired it 8 years ago. I can post pictures of the repair on abpw if you want to see them. It is a fir door with leaded glass panels in it. I was able to buy 2X6 fir and rip it in 1 3/4" widths and glue them back together making stiles that matched the ones I was splicing.

[Lew Hodgett]

I don't know about Brian, but I think it's a sneaky solution and BTW, Mikey likes it

Lew

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[Lew Hodgett]

slightly

structure

Slip a caul in under the band on the convex side and allow it to spring back into shape.

Lew

[toolman946 via CraftKB.com]

Thank you Joe. You're very kind.

Michael

[Brian Henderson]

L D'Bonnie wrote: > Can you open and close the crack by applying pressure beside or

No, the only way I could get the crack to flex was under heavy clamping pressure.

What I ended up doing was using a razor blade and applying as much glue into the widest portions of the crack (it was wider at the bottom of the door than at the top) and coated it as well as I could, then I applied 6

36" pipe clamps and squeezed it shut for about 6 hours. I tested to make sure the door was flat on both sides while clamped and I just tested again and it seems not to have flexed back, at least not yet. I'll keep an eye on it over the next couple of days for any changes but the door closes normally now, which it didn't do before.

Thanks to everyone who had suggestions, I'll probably see if there's a better solution this summer once I pull the door down for refinishing. I know I need to get a new mortise-lock for it anyhow, so it'll be good to pull it all apart and make it like new again.

[toolman946 via CraftKB.com]

Excellent tip Joe. I've had luck with that method before.

Michael

[toolman946 via CraftKB.com]

What I ended up doing was using a razor blade and applying as much glue into the widest portions of the crack (it was wider at the bottom of the door than at the top) and coated it as well as I could, then I applied 6

36" pipe clamps and squeezed it shut for about 6 hours. I tested to make sure the door was flat on both sides while clamped and I just tested again and it seems not to have flexed back, at least not yet. I'll keep an eye on it over the next couple of days for any changes but the door closes normally now, which it didn't do before.

Thanks to everyone who had suggestions, I'll probably see if there's a better solution this summer once I pull the door down for refinishing. I know I need to get a new mortise-lock for it anyhow, so it'll be good to pull it all apart and make it like new again.

********************************************************************************* Good for you Brian. I'm glad it worked out!

Michael