Scaling a miniature panel door

[U-CDK_CHARLES\Charles]

Wreckers:

I'm building a miniature sound effects door. It's a working hardwood

2-panel door, "normal" in all respects except that 1. the overall dimensions are 24" x 16" and 2. it has several extra latches for varous effects.

When I draw it with "normal sized" rails and stiles, they look horribly out of proportion.

What size rails and stiles should I use for a 24" x 16" door that will appear to have the proportions of a full-size (68" x 30" or so) door?

Oh . . .and the thing has to hold together when I slam it when an actor is supposed to "storm out"

The "look" is important 'cuz this production is a "staged radio play"--and besides, I think it'll be a fun challenge to build the thing as a panel door instead of a laminated slab of plywood.

[FEngelman]

IMHO, the rails and styles must be big enough to hold all the various locks and catches, that are to be used, so you dasn't go too small, or they won't fit onto, or into the styles....so if I were you, I'd make sure that at least the lock style was the "normal" size, and all the hardware fits it....

[Robert Bonomi]

Bzzzzt! Woops! You are -- for the door to 'sound right' when closing, _or_ to be able to 'open' it -- limited to *one* 'latch' mechanism. You _can_ have several additional 'lock'/'deadbolt' type mechanisms, but there is a limit of one 'opening' mechanism. Often, it's got a round-type knob on one side, and a 'handle' (with the thumb-press lever) on the other side.

"Looks don't count. SOUND does".

Corollaries: 1) The rails/stiles have gotta be big enough to support the 'standard sized' door hardware that you're going to hang on it. This severely limits your options. 2) you want a large 'sounding board', to maximize the effects.

I'd strongly consider a slab of ply (mebbie 2 pieces of 1/4", laminated together) that is the full dimension of the door, with 3/4" stock _surface- mounted_ on each side, around the perimeter, to simulate the rails/stiles.

If 'look' *is* important, then go for a full-size door. I _wouldn't_ go building one, but would go down to a 'construction salvage' yard, and find an _old_ solid door. You don't care (much) about the cosmetics, so it should be relatively cheap. It'll look like a real door, _and_ it'll

*sound* like a real door.

"Table-top" sound-effects doors are almost invariably solid slabs, for acoustic reasons.

Additional note: 'slamming' an under-size door has serious issues with being a 'realistic' sound. Some _fancy_ engineering is called for, to get the resonances right.

There _is_ a 'dirty pool' way around these issues if you've got 'something' at/near the "sound-effects" station, you can conceal a decent speaker in. You build the props to be _silent_, and used 'canned' audio effects. with a digital audio player, it is simple to reliably and repeatably synchronize the sound to the action, especially if you hide some 'trigger buttons' at appropriate places.

[U-CDK_CHARLES\Charles]

Well . . . look AND sound are important. It's a "Staged Radio Play" rather than a real radio play. Were it actually radio, I'd just burn everything on a CD and play it from my laptop.

Still digesting your other notes. :)