How to make a DOOR
By Andy the stuff doer
Making a Door isn’t the average DIY job but with the right woodworking tools and the right information its not too difficult. I’ve made my own timber front door and recorded how I’ve done it.
Have a look to see if it’s something you fancy tackling. I’ve included all the design and dimensions for making the door. Written and videoed the processes for a step by step, how to make a door guide.
Follow these plans for victorian style door and the ‘how to make a door guide’ to end up with a door like this.
If it’s been a lack a available traditional style door plans that has put you off in the past, my appologies, now you have no excuse not to make you own door.
DIY External Door Design and Proportions
Door Mortise Marking and Cutting
Timber Door Fox Wedging mortise and tenon joints
How to make the raised panels with basic router cutters
Router cutting custom timber mouldings, again with basic router bits
Please let me know in the comments if you know of better/easier ways of making a similar door. Or if I’ve not included enough detail.
Gracias rafael
Hello Andy,
Great job on the job. I am trying to figure out in more detail, in you can, explain how you raised your panels? I can understand the roughing out, but how did you finish them off to get the crisp details such as the small 90 degree angle on the very top to where the angle starts? Did you have to reset your table saw and get this cuts spot on for each panel for both depth and in and out? Please walk us through that process as this is very important to these panels looking like you did without a standardized cutter to do it for you. This must have been very time consuming to get these perfect like you did.
thanks and great job.
greg
Great job on the door. My apologies.
Hi Greg,
I can see I could have been a bit clearer on the website, I’ll add a bit when I get chance.
The roughing out on the table saw is just a quick way of getting rid of the bulk of the material, rather than taking it all off with the router. Yes the saw depth and fence needs adjusting for each cut but its the same for all edges and both sides of each panel so doing two panel so every adjustment does 16 cuts and they don’t have to accurate.
I hope you can see now the accuracy comes in on the router table with the angle jig, removing the last of the material to the dimension required. If the roughing out is close to the final size it only takes one cut with router to get the finished surface, and only the router fence has to be adjusted for each cut but its the same adjustment for 16. If it hasn’t been roughed out first on the table saw all the material can be taken off in stages by raising the router cutter.
When the angle is complete you are left with an angled rebate right at the top. It’s easy to square this off by removing jig and routing with panel flat on the table.
It’s not as time consuming as you might initially think but certainly commercial work, when you need lots of similar panels, would be best done with a spindle moulder and custom ground bits. It’s the labour cost v investment in tooling equation. For a just a few panels this technique is well worth it.
Hope this helps
Andy
Hi Andy
I’m assuming that you cut to square the extended wood from the top and bottom once the glue dried?
Hi Andy,
Great series of vids! I’ve watched them several times now, and am about to use your idea for an internal panel door. One thing I’ve not seen is the door in situ… Your rails were over-long – how did your top and bottom tenon joins look once it was all cut down to size?
Rob.
Hi Rob, At some point I’ll have to post pics of the finished door. The over long tenons are just cut off and then planed along with the side of the door so all you see is a long rectangle of end grain.
Cheers
Andy
Yes.
I would like to know how or where I can get the
plans for the raised panel jig, I’am a door make
and I think this is the simplest way to make raised panel.
Hi Emmanuel, I’ve not done any specific plans for jig, it would depend on the size of panels and angles you what to use. Hopefully their is enough information on this page to see what I came up with, essentially it’s just an angled sled.
thanks Neil for taking the time to show this work to us all
I love woodwork although I’m not a woodworker but I love router table and you have shown how versatile router cutters are when used together in different ways there must be a million combinations of cutter mixes for patterns.
I also love the the festool domino xl
Oh well dream on
Once again thanks for taking the time TIm hayes
Hi Andy,
An absolutely splendid series of films. My initial search on the internet was regarding glue types, etc to use in exterior door manufacture – especially useful in a very wet Gartmore, Scotland. I spotted Geocel in your films but thought a small bit of chat about which glues to use or a short film on adhesives might be a good one. So now to the workshop, to no doubt make a mess of everything!
Cheers Andy and thanks for so much an easily digestible masterclass.
Paul
Cheers Paul, I’v’e had a few comments asking about the adhesive. Ill add it to the list.
Andy
Hi Andy
I think this is brilliant a few years ago I wanted some panel internal doors and had to have then made. The 2 cost over £900 Now my Youngest wants a large mirror frame making from an old wardrobe door so I thought this was a good start for inspiration. What I wondered was how you made the glazing beads was this done on a single router pass or did you need to use a numebr of routers as with the panels. Also what type of wood did you use for the door i.e can you get at a local timber merchant e.g. Jewson / travis Perkins
Hi Jim, Good questions, for the mouldings and for the timber and where to buy it, try here.
Hope that helps and all the best with your project.
Andy
Hi there love the site it is absolutely fantastic. I’m a time served carpenter and joiner and have done mainly carpentry for 25 years but always loved joinery and am currently making some casement windows for someone which are coming along nicely, I also have a job to price and that’s to make a 4’wide door with top and bottom glazed and frame, for wheelchair access, would I make my door the same way as the one shown on this site, with planted on beads both sides?
Hi Graeme, It sounds like your door plan should be fine.
Hi Andy, Just to say I found your video excellent and has given me a lot more confidence in attempting to make replacement storm doors using my limited tools and experience. I have just been quoted £3000+ for two storm doors in meranti finished and fitted so making them myself is a no brainer. Thanks a million.
Hi Andy
really useful and well explained, I particularly liked the crafty use of the router cutters for a complex moulding. I’m going to be making a pair of garage doors using these techniques. However, do you know of any sites with good pointers on hanging the doors so they close together nicely. I was thinking of making them slightly oversize and planing the lock stiles until they get a good fit.Though that would require them to put up and taken down.
Cheers Chris
I love this guy!! these videos will give loads of people the confidence to make awesome joinery. I’m well impressed, top bloke.
Downkloaded the plans and videos – very professional approach to passing on your plans and techniques – well done!
Hi Chris,
Apologies for the late response. The best way is, yes make them slightly oversize, then offer them up (you don’t need fit hinges), then take off what you need from the hinge stiles. Overlapping rebates on the meeting styles with a few mm clearance will ensure a good face to face fit whislt allowing for any swelling or contraction.
Cheers
Andy
Really useful and some great closeups so I can see whats happening
Thank you The lesson was valuable and appreciated.The design is a traditional door which people have been using for centuries.Loved by many. Please continue to share your talent and to inspire mere mortals such as I. Thank you once again.
A beautiful design! I love it.
Your article is superb!
JIM
Hi, I liked your door style. Planning to start one such manufacturing setup. Can you guide me with the 1) list of equipment and tools needed for such manufacturing? 2) space required
Hope to hear from you
I found this to be VERY informative. Your finished door is not only gorgeous, it’s also very strong. Cheers!