I like the design you have drawn. When I looked at the picture with the openings I thought roll-up doors would look wrong, but your design looks quite appropriate.
One thing you might consider would be bi-fold, but I don't know how you would handle the automatic opener.
Yeah, I think the roll-up is going to be easier to seal. I can sort of think of ways to seal a bi-fold (folding out) with top and bottom sealing strips inside, but roll-up would be much easier.
Can't wait to see you post pictures of a finished door.
All this talk about garage doors brings up a question that I've wondered for some time. Growing up in So. California all I can remember were one piece doors which rotated from a vertical (closed) to a horiz. position below the rafters when opened. When I moved to the east coast, FL then VA, all I see are sectional doors that roll up on a track.
Question is: Is it a geographical thing or is what I grew up with in CA just the old way?
I looked at this picture, and the openings said to me, "firehouse." I did a Yahoo search for pictures of firehouses, and sure enough that arched top door style is pretty common in firehouses. Mostly they seem to have dual swinging doors, though I found one that had bi-folds during my brief search. Of course, you probably don't have a bunch of young able-bodied fireman around to keep the snow cleared from in front of the doors, so probably means the roll-up is a better choice.
Bill Ranck Blacksburg, Va.
P.S. one of the pictures I found was of the firehouse used in the movie "Ghostbusters"
On Tue, 18 Nov 2003 07:26:44 -0500, "Austin Franklin" scribbled
I don't think sealing outside swinging doors is a problem. Around the perimeter, standard weatherstripping (the stuff that fits in a slot in the jamb). Just make sure that the rebate on the jamb is wide enough (DAMHIKT). At the joint between the doors, a batten glued on one door (inside) that overlaps the other. If you're really concerned, a strip of EDPM foam rubber. Bottom of the doors: some form of sweep (of which many kinds are available).
Like others, I think swinging doors would be more in keeping with the design of the building, and you're going to have a hard time concealing the horizontal breaks. Of course, my not so humble opinion is worth exactly what you paid for it. :-)
Luigi Replace "no" with "yk" twice in reply address for real email address
"Man is a tool-using animal. Weak in himself and of small stature, he stands on a basis of some half-square foot, has to straddle out his legs lest the very winds supplant him. Nevertheless, he can use tools, can devise tools: with these the granite mountain melts into light dust before him: seas are his smooth highway, winds and fire his unwearying steeds. Nowhere do you find him without tools. Without tools he is nothing: with tools he is all." Thomas Carlyle
What kind of wood are you planning to use? I just spent over $600 on the wood alone (160bf - just barely enough) for a new entry door for my house. Includes two 14" sidelites, though.
Yes it is mostly from experience (25+ years) & don't know the exact formula but A squared + B squared = C squared comes close. Which means the radius would be close to 21". The theory being that as the section comes out of the radius (as it is going up) the bottom of the section should be going into the radius. Therefore the top of the section shouldn't be trying to pull the bottom section away from the wall while it is still trying to go straight up.
On 7' tall carriage house doors Clopay uses (3) 28" sections w/ 18" radius track & they have track up to 32" radius. I don't know about other mfgs but they would probably also have larger radius. Of course as the radius gets bigger the more headroom you need above the opening. Also the bigger the diameter of the drum will make a difference on the headroom requirement also.
As I stated earlier & another poster also stated the weight is critical. On doors this size & weight you may also want to use 3" track & rollers instead of the standard 2". The 3" track may be more limited in what radius you can get & is not inexpensive when you buy it separately. Also you will probably want to use 5" cable drums, since many of the 4" drums are limited to 500 lbs.
I also do not recommend you to wind springs if you have never done it before. No it is not hard but one slip can be very hazardous to your health. I've seen experienced techs & installers break fingers, wrists, noses, & collar bones when being careless, in a hurry, or when the unexpected happens. Simple theory, if you have to ask how to wind springs you shouldn't being doing it.
If done right your doors will look & work great. If done wrong they may look great but will work like crap.
Well, the frame is basically hemfir or something like that...and the inside covering is an exterior grade thin plywood. The outside covering is yet to be determined, but the trim boards are cedar. We are thinking of using mahogany for the bottom frame piece.
What was the material for your entry door? I assume it was all solid wood, and was clear?
Exactly what I figured...thanks for confirming that!
Er...what about using a top track that only the top of the top door section rides in? I believe that's called a low overhead track... Why would I need more headroom if I am using the 2nd track?
These doors are large (plus, they simply can't swing out because of the arch), and it'll be tough to hold tolerance...and the bottom of them will drag on the floor in order to open them. I just see that as just asking for trouble.
Except, I can't open the doors both because of the arch...and because of 3' of snow on them ;-)
It is pretty much a geographical thing. They are still used out west in some areas, but I don't hear much about them being used elsewhere. Taylor use to have a plant in FL & they were used alot in our areas in the 60's & 70's but as the demand for them dropped the plant was closed in the 80's.
I've never investigated the gory details of such doors, but I know that on some, the doors are rectangular and the top part that fills the arch is separate. I believe it can open, but I'm not sure if or how it works.
Yeah, I thought about that...but I want the extra height that the arch offers, so we are making them part of the door. Believe me, separating them would make things a LOT easier, simply because we have very low headroom...
Yes, it is Sapele. First time I've worked with it. I was planning on mahogany, but would have had to order it sight unseen, and I hate to to that. My favorite local supplier had this stuff on hand, and I decided to give it a try.
It's harder and heavier and generally darker than both American (genuine) and African mahogany, which is not necessarily a good thing for a door. It has a similar-appearing grain, but like African mahogany, often has interlocked grain that makes planing without tearout difficult. Good thing we're going for a distressed look. (G) Whoever thought of that was a genius.
Interesting, a lot of fine entry doors are made of mahogany or Spanish cedar. This stuff looks sort of like mahogany and smells sort of like cedar.
1) Dragging: Four 3' sectioned bi-fold. I put a caster on the inner doors at the fold.
2) 9' 6" door, 8' lumber. I made a flip up section across the top. Piano hinged it to the header. Two screws hold it closed. Only needed to open it once in 3 ears.
I'm interested in this, from a theoretical point of view. How does one ever wind springs if one never does it the first time? (Or dismantle a bomb, or build an airplane, etc.) How does one go about learning to do a potentially dangerous job safely, without asking how?
I recognize that it is dangerous and should not be done without proper precautions, equipment, and perhaps training, but certainly a clear understanding of what is to be accomplished and how to do it safely. I also understand the admonishment to not take the task lightly. But to suggest never doing it a first time doesn't make sense to me.
Please don't interpret this as an attack on you. I'm really just trying to understand the mentality behind what I perceive (perhaps wrongly) as excessive caution. We hear the same warning all the time. "Don't try this at home, folks! Bill here is an expert and has been doing this for 34 years. He's only been bitten six times!" Sometimes, of course, it is something that *should* never be done, but winding heavy springs doesn't fit into that category.
This makes great sense to me. Still, one has to ask in order to reach the point that one no longer needs to ask, and can safely accomplish the task without doing so. I'd suggest the same thing for, say, ripping a timber on a tablesaw.
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