I'm getting ready to make my front doors out of Teak. Quantity of wood is not a problem.
Need help on what sort of glue/epoxy to use, and some ideas about construction, and some ideas on finish. Have already puchased a couple of books on the subject, just wanted to ask the real world folks what they've found work best.
Standard door size, 30x7' or so tall. Live near Tampa, FL, front door faces north.
epoxy: use System 3. Get a pint of #1 and #3 hardeners, so you can dial in the cure time. (#2 can be made from 1 & 3, so you don't need any of that). Go with epoxy. You really want to be able to control the set time.
construction: mortise and loose tenons. Be sure your material is flat before assembly. Replace any pieces that warp after sizing; don't try to "fix" them.
finish: Use Hydrocote as the final step. The Polyseal is good for exterior applications, and will keep Teak from graying for a long time. If you want a warmer look, use an oil finish (e.g., tung) first. (Marine varnish is also supposed to be an option, but I haven't used it in this application, and suspect the durability wouldn't be as good. Anybody else? Feel free to correct me on this.)
It's a pair of doors? Otherwise, 30" is a bit narrow. Should be 36" if only one.
One final suggestion: making the sill from the same wood really finishes out the entry nicely.
Here's a short web page on an entry door I made last winter. It's basically a reprint of a message I posted here recently, with a couple pictures embedded.
Jim
For the adhesive, dare I suggest "Teak-y Tacky"?
For finish, there's always paint. BUT, assuming you want to show off the natural wood, use a good U.V. resistant marine spar varnish. Lots of thin coats.
I go along with Jim on this I haven't used system 3 but I have used West, due to the oily nature of teak I rubbed the joint areas with alchol before applying adhesive. Don't know for System 3 but with West you apply a wetting coat to both surfaces first and let it dry, as Teak is quite absorbant this is to ensure that that the wood doesn't absorbe all the glue and leave you with a glue starved joint.
Also I presume you will be making through tenons and these I would wedge.
Most of the teak work I did was for boat work where exterior work is left untreated, except for a scrub with salt water, bright work was finished with exterior spar varnish.
Bernard R
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