Dimensions for External Timber Bi-folds or Patio Doors

**tombbeechmont** · 24th November 2017, 04:24 PM

I have dithered on this for a while. I was going to make folding hinged bifolds. However price of hardware for a 3 metre opening is horrendous(1000s for quality hardware).
I've researched alot and come up with a design where I'll have 2 fixed panels on either side(around 620mm each in width), a 45mm jamb on the inside of this and then two hinged doors(3 hinges per door) in the centre(same width 620mm). All doors/panels will look the same to give the effect of bi-folds.

The doors will open and give 1.2mm opening which is plenty for us.

Far cheaper

I have good quality 40-45mm old seasoned hardwood and want to put in double glazing (total 18mm thick) which will work out at 30kgs a panel

The views are fantastic and I do not want to get away with the minimum stile/rail widths. I was looking at 90mm for the stiles and 120mm for bottom rail and 110 for top rail.

I am confident that the two side fixed panels would be adequate but I'm worried about the hinged doors.I'll be using mortice and tennon with maybe pins to further strengthen it.

Any ideas? More width on the hinged side? Can I get away with 90mm top and bottom rails. 15mm rebate enough.

I haven't been able to find any plans/working drawings on-line.

**ian** · 24th November 2017, 05:59 PM

there are plans on line, search for "cassells carpentry and joinery" it's a 600 page PDF of a text written around 1907. From memory it's part of the Google commons.
There's around 100 pages on doors and door frames, plus another 60 odd on windows. The text will set you right on construction details, all you will need to do is draw up a set of plans for your opening.

**Midnight Man** · 25th November 2017, 04:13 PM

Wanted to follow through on Ian's post - whilst I wasn't looking for door plans or suchlike, this looks to be a fantastic reference, thank you for posting about it.

I found a download for it here: https://archive.org/details/cassellscarpentr00hasl - this does indeed seem to be out of copyright and thus freely available. Download options are in the box on the right hand side of the page.

**ian** · 25th November 2017, 04:51 PM

There's another extremely good reference book -- Modern Practical Joinery by George Ellis. "Modern" in this case is relative as the book was first published around 1903!
believe it or not, the book is still in print and is also available on Kindle https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Practi.../dp/0941936082

a link to wet your appetite https://books.google.ca/books/about/...page&q&f=false

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