Making a full size door

[Salmo]

I want to build a full size raised panel door (I'm using pine). Search as I might I haven't found a site that could offer step by step instructions, nor have I seen it in any magazine. Seems like everything about building doors focuses on cabinet or cupboard doors!

Unlike a raised panel cabinet door the full sized door would be raised on both sides. So - here's what I've been told...

- "Thickness plane the wood to 1 3/8"" (done and all the pieces are the sane thickness and width for the rails)

I assume that I was told 1 3/8th because a.) it seems to be a standard size and b.) because if the rails are routed from both sides and the bit is the right depth the middle will be just right to accept the raised panels.

Am I on the right track??

Any help appreciated...

Thanks Keeter P.

[stormy2084]

You might want to check out the four-panel door that David Marks did on Wood Works available at DIYNet:

did this in jarrah with loose mortise construction if I recall. Also, I think he did his in 1 3/4" construction, but 1 3/8" is very common.

-Stormy.

[no(SPAM)vasys]

For the rails and stiles see:

[dadiOH]

You make a passage door just like you make a cabinet door. Only difference is that the dimensions are bigger. ________________

Maybe, maybe not. You'll need a bit for the panels that will raise them as you want leaving a tongue of the proper thickness to fit in the dado in the rails/stiles left by their profile bit. That is easy to do if your stock is 1 1/2" because there are lots of cabinet making bits meant for 3/4" stock. Using one of those rather inexpensive bits on *both* sides of the rails/stiles lcan leave a 1/2" mortice. My panels were

3/4"...raised a 1/8" panel on each side leaving the 1/2" tongue I wanted.

In your case - with 1 3/8" stock - you may have to settle for a thinner tongue - that or buy bits meant for passage doors...and they cost 3 - 5X what a cabinet door bit costs.

It's all in figuring out what the geometry of the bits will give you with a given thickness of wood.

-- dadiOH ____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06... ...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that. Get it at

[John Girouard]

in NH

[Dave Hinz]

months.

[Salmo]

Thanks everyone..

Well - I have a set of Freud cabinet door rail/style bits ...Will have to experiment on some scrap and learn a few things. That's what it's all about any way....Learning and satisfaction.

Really don't want to lay out more bucks for something I'll use a few times (Come to think of it - that didn't stop me buying a lot of other things :O)

Keeter P.

[Jim]

The latest version of IE blocks popups. Jim

[John Girouard]

That's cool. Adblock can also block images, flash stuff, and even entire frames. Pretty slick stuff. Does neat wildcard blocking, too. For instance, here's some of what I block:

http://*.doubleclick.net/*http://*/ad/*http://banners.*Also, IE isn't available for Linux, which puts a bit of a damper on my trying it out. :)

To get back on topic, I made my first full size door semi-recently, and though it sounds like the OP is already on the right track here, it might be worth mentioning that there is such a thing as a minimum door thickness. I was a touch foolish and just measured off the old door in my old house. I guess doors were thinner back around the Civil War. When I went to install the new doorknob I bought, I'll tell you I had a heck of a time drilling a

7/8" hole in a door that is less than 1" thick. As it was, 7/8" is not quite enough...

-John in NH

[Guess who]

advertising that is. Otherwise take a look through "Fine Woodworking" magazines. I don't want a trip out ot the shop jsut now, but they have a really decent example with explanation, and plans.