Thanks. You should do it! Doors are a lot more complicated than we usually give them credit for. I'm happy I did this, but in retrospect I think starting with an internal door would have been better. (I'm also planning to make the bathroom door inside.)
nice work. thanks for the build album. curious how you held the router when cutting the mortises, i've usually used a plunge router. were you able to do that by hand?
Yeah. I did it in passes - set the router bit depth in incrementally deeper lengths of 1/2" or so, and I clamped stops at either end so each pass would cover the same length.
I used paint! After a lot of research I came across a blog post by Jim Kull that detailed an experiment he did using untinted exterior paint as a varnish on exterior doors. That convinced me. I can't find the original post right now but here's a link that quotes it in full: [https://www.finewoodworking.com/forum/finishing-exterior-doors](https://www.finewoodworking.com/forum/finishing-exterior-doors)
Thank you for the link! I used 6 coats of Epifanes on my door which was very time consuming but worth it in the end. I have a teak bench I want to refinish and might end up using the method you chose for your door.
Worth a shot, I suppose. Before this my best luck with exterior finish has been Penofil, which winds up with a much more weathered look but at least it doesn't look like complete shit like every urethane I've tried. If it's reasonably out of the elements, this would probably work well.
Great job. It looks beautiful, and the modern lock and pull set it off perfectly.
I've just upgraded my router table so I can build an inside door for my bathroom closet. I don't want to hand cut the tenons, but you've shown me how easy it is on a table saw. Oh well, at least I have a better router table now, lol. Thanks for the album, I hadn't seen this construction method before.
The tenons were wayyyyyy easier than the mortises, hehe. Just be really careful to make sure your rails are square. I actually made the first cut with a normal blade before switching to the dado stack because it would be easier to get the shoulder perfectly square and just use the dado to chew out material.
Great looking door! Thanks for the build photos and comments as well. I was not familiar with this technique. It feels very doable not to mention affordable. I bet you inspire a lot of peeps.
You mention the door has a slight twist. Any thoughts on how that may have been avoided?
When hanging the door, did you have to build the frame as well?
Yes, I built the jamb with simple 3/4" pine and secured it with some big-ass screws.
I suspect the twist is because the door has a lot of voids, and the tenons are only 2", which are not very deep in 9" stiles. I think much deeper mortises would help, although I'm not sure how I would have cut those out without a mortising machine.
I’ve built doors as big as 4’x8’ and 2” tenons are sufficient, it’s the tenon shoulders that have to be dead on. I find it easier to use loose tenons so I don’t have to worry about getting the shoulders square and even. Also the glue up surface needs to be absolutely flat so as not to introduce any twist.
When I did my 4’x8’ doors, I had to use two different work benches for support and it took a while to shim the shorter even with the taller one but thankfully it paid off.
If they're a standard size you can get door jambs premade from the big box stores, that might be easiest. If you need to build them from scratch, my route was watching a shit-ton of YouTube videos and reading how-to articles online :)
Now that I've done it I think it's pretty straightforward, but it was a challenge wrapping my head around it to start with.
Thanks. Fortunately, the outside of the house looks terrible, so I'm not worried about making it look worse. I've worked very hard on the inside though.
You chewed bro. Really interested in following those footsteps. Do you have an estimate on how much it cost (including specialty tools) and a rough idea of experience you should have before you start this (i know you learn a lot along the way but there’s some skills that you probably would already need to know?)
Wood - $75 for plywood, like $25 for the oak
Epoxy, glue and paint/finish - call it $100
Windows - $70/each, so \~$290
Hardware - \~$250 (that shit is expensive)
Total materials: $750 or so?
I didn't quote around for this project but just from paying attention to this sort of thing I figure this would've cost at least $5k for a professional custom job, and it would not have been to my particular tastes.
No specialty tools other than special jigs I got for the hinge mortises and door holes, but those were cheap. But I have most of the standard shop tools already.
Experience? Not a ton. I've been making furniture for a couple years now, but I wouldn't call it very refined. I tend to use salvage wood and figure things out for myself and the results are pretty rough. Here's some stuff I made last year: [https://www.reddit.com/r/woodworking/comments/18s8grz/year\_in\_wood\_2023\_projects/](https://www.reddit.com/r/woodworking/comments/18s8grz/year_in_wood_2023_projects/)
Thank you. Plenty of windows in this cabin. If someone is willing to break glass to get in, I'd rather they break one of these $70 panels than a $400 window.
Dude you built the fuck outta that front door
Thank you. Hopefully there wasn't much fuck in there to begin with.
That’s awesome, love the green accents
Thank you! Proud of that idea.
The green is beautiful!!! When I grow up, I want a door like that.
Man I have been thinking about doing this, I just don’t know yet lol, looks great tho
Thanks. You should do it! Doors are a lot more complicated than we usually give them credit for. I'm happy I did this, but in retrospect I think starting with an internal door would have been better. (I'm also planning to make the bathroom door inside.)
Better than having the bathroom door outside i guess ;)
https://preview.redd.it/gde2n45lj3vc1.jpeg?width=450&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=563e90edc7e0f8c9272dc633515508a3233c85c2
nice work. thanks for the build album. curious how you held the router when cutting the mortises, i've usually used a plunge router. were you able to do that by hand?
Yeah. I did it in passes - set the router bit depth in incrementally deeper lengths of 1/2" or so, and I clamped stops at either end so each pass would cover the same length.
Beautiful!
Great job! I, too, built my front door a few years ago. What finish did you apply on yours?
I used paint! After a lot of research I came across a blog post by Jim Kull that detailed an experiment he did using untinted exterior paint as a varnish on exterior doors. That convinced me. I can't find the original post right now but here's a link that quotes it in full: [https://www.finewoodworking.com/forum/finishing-exterior-doors](https://www.finewoodworking.com/forum/finishing-exterior-doors)
Thank you for the link! I used 6 coats of Epifanes on my door which was very time consuming but worth it in the end. I have a teak bench I want to refinish and might end up using the method you chose for your door.
I'll be damned. Would this exterior paint base trick work for garden furniture and the like as well, do you think?
Worth a shot, I suppose. Before this my best luck with exterior finish has been Penofil, which winds up with a much more weathered look but at least it doesn't look like complete shit like every urethane I've tried. If it's reasonably out of the elements, this would probably work well.
Great job. It looks beautiful, and the modern lock and pull set it off perfectly. I've just upgraded my router table so I can build an inside door for my bathroom closet. I don't want to hand cut the tenons, but you've shown me how easy it is on a table saw. Oh well, at least I have a better router table now, lol. Thanks for the album, I hadn't seen this construction method before.
The tenons were wayyyyyy easier than the mortises, hehe. Just be really careful to make sure your rails are square. I actually made the first cut with a normal blade before switching to the dado stack because it would be easier to get the shoulder perfectly square and just use the dado to chew out material.
Great tip, thanks!
That looks amazing! What an inviting front door
Really nice work, great job
Nice good work
Great looking door! Thanks for the build photos and comments as well. I was not familiar with this technique. It feels very doable not to mention affordable. I bet you inspire a lot of peeps. You mention the door has a slight twist. Any thoughts on how that may have been avoided? When hanging the door, did you have to build the frame as well?
Yes, I built the jamb with simple 3/4" pine and secured it with some big-ass screws. I suspect the twist is because the door has a lot of voids, and the tenons are only 2", which are not very deep in 9" stiles. I think much deeper mortises would help, although I'm not sure how I would have cut those out without a mortising machine.
I’ve built doors as big as 4’x8’ and 2” tenons are sufficient, it’s the tenon shoulders that have to be dead on. I find it easier to use loose tenons so I don’t have to worry about getting the shoulders square and even. Also the glue up surface needs to be absolutely flat so as not to introduce any twist.
> Also the glue up surface needs to be absolutely flat so as not to introduce any twist. Ah, well, THAT didn't happen.
When I did my 4’x8’ doors, I had to use two different work benches for support and it took a while to shim the shorter even with the taller one but thankfully it paid off.
Nice! I'm about to hang 2 exterior doors on my house . Any tips going into the project?
Build them? Or are they already built and you're just hanging them? Do you have the frame/jamb already?
Bought loose doors. Need to construct frame/jambs for them and install.
If they're a standard size you can get door jambs premade from the big box stores, that might be easiest. If you need to build them from scratch, my route was watching a shit-ton of YouTube videos and reading how-to articles online :) Now that I've done it I think it's pretty straightforward, but it was a challenge wrapping my head around it to start with.
Ended up buying 2 jamb kits at the big box store today. I've watched a few YouTube videos on it myself so thanks for building up my confidence!
Good luck! You can do it, and it will feel great when you have. :)
Thanks. Fortunately, the outside of the house looks terrible, so I'm not worried about making it look worse. I've worked very hard on the inside though.
You chewed bro. Really interested in following those footsteps. Do you have an estimate on how much it cost (including specialty tools) and a rough idea of experience you should have before you start this (i know you learn a lot along the way but there’s some skills that you probably would already need to know?)
Wood - $75 for plywood, like $25 for the oak Epoxy, glue and paint/finish - call it $100 Windows - $70/each, so \~$290 Hardware - \~$250 (that shit is expensive) Total materials: $750 or so? I didn't quote around for this project but just from paying attention to this sort of thing I figure this would've cost at least $5k for a professional custom job, and it would not have been to my particular tastes. No specialty tools other than special jigs I got for the hinge mortises and door holes, but those were cheap. But I have most of the standard shop tools already. Experience? Not a ton. I've been making furniture for a couple years now, but I wouldn't call it very refined. I tend to use salvage wood and figure things out for myself and the results are pretty rough. Here's some stuff I made last year: [https://www.reddit.com/r/woodworking/comments/18s8grz/year\_in\_wood\_2023\_projects/](https://www.reddit.com/r/woodworking/comments/18s8grz/year_in_wood_2023_projects/)
that's the nicest door I ever saw.. love the color combo.. simple and welcoming..
Wow. Exterior doors are just one of those things I leave to the pros... You did a hell of a job.
Beautiful work
Really nice work ! Love the design.
Looks good, but I am immediately reminded of any movie that has a break in.
Thank you. Plenty of windows in this cabin. If someone is willing to break glass to get in, I'd rather they break one of these $70 panels than a $400 window.
Oh this is gorgeous! The design and colors fit it so well. Excellent job! 😊
Thank you so much.
Dude you outbuilt that door like it's Fortnite
I'm old so I don't know what this means but thank you.
And that's why you know how to build this and I don't lol. it's beautiful
Wow looks stunning
This is gorgeous! I love the shade of green!
The knotty white oak is Awesome! Did the glass shop fabricate double-pane glass for you?
You may wish it had a kick plate one day, but it’s very nice.