making a non-standard door cheaply?

[mic-d]

How's this for an idea. I have to hang a new exterior door with an opening of 915mm but custom-made doors seem a bit expensive. I thought I would acquire a couple of smaller doors and glue and biscuit them together edge-to-edge. I think this should be fine, what do you think?

Cheers
Michael

[silentC]

I presume you'd then try to cut the door down to size to fit the opening, and that's where you might run into trouble. Depending on what sort of doors you get, the cores are usually not suitable for ripping. The stiles are an inch or two wide and then you get god knows what in the guts of the door.

[Wood Butcher]

Just check to make sure that whatever doors you get are solid core not hollow. I thought the nrom for external doors was solid core anyway (but I have been known to be wrong)

[silentC]

Yes they're solid core but you don't know what crap has been used in the guts. The rails and stiles are all you see normally but if you ripped one in half it could have cavities and god knows what else.

[mic-d]

I presume you'd then try to cut the door down to size to fit the opening, and that's where you might run into trouble. Depending on what sort of doors you get, the cores are usually not suitable for ripping. The stiles are an inch or two wide and then you get god knows what in the guts of the door.

Well, I could just leave it full size and lean it up against the opening with a rock in front of it I 'spose
Good point Silent. I could always rip half(or so) off both doors and glue the cut edges together leaving two nice edges.
Thanks
CHeers
Michael

[echnidna]

or make a door from scratch

[pawnhead]

How's this for an idea. I have to hang a new exterior door with an opening of 915mm but custom-made doors seem a bit expensive. I thought I would acquire a couple of smaller doors and glue and biscuit them together edge-to-edge. I think this should be fine, what do you think?

Cheers
Michael

It sounds to me like it may develop a bow or fall apart from weather conditions. Where are you going to get standard doors around 460 wide anyway?
You should be able to get a 900 door off the shelf or just a 900 exterior solid core blank with either plywood veneer or redicoat. Just edge strip it a bit if it's still too narrow. I think you can get blanks up to 1200 X 2400. I know you can get 900 X 2100 MDF blanks but I don't know if they're external rated. Buy some beading or profile some yourself and nail it on, or attack it with your router (or both) to spruce it up a bit if you want.
Even if you can only get an 820 that's to your taste, I'd sooner edge strip it 50mm on each side than try to whack two separate doors together since your idea won't have a continuous rail top and bottom.
If I had a couple of narrow old joinery doors to suit, then I'd rip them down to allow for at least a 50mm edge strip top and bottom to lock them together and keep them straight. I wouldn't rely on just biscuits and glue for an external door that may get slammed every now and then.

Or just move the jamb stiles in to suit an 820.

[mic-d]

Just ordering a custom door now, pays to check prices with more than one supplier


cheers
Michael

[joe greiner]

Or just move the jamb stiles in to suit an 820.

Now that could be sweet. Relocate the moulding as needed or add a narrow "feature" strip.

Joe

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

You should be able to get a 900 door off the shelf or just a 900 exterior solid core blank with either plywood veneer or redicoat. Just edge strip it a bit if it's still too narrow.

I'm not sure about 900, but I'm pretty sure 880's are readily available. I also think that 920's can be found, stock on the shelf, with some selective shopping. Of course, I may've had too many beers tonight and am just scrambling the ol' grey matter. [shrug]

But I agree with you in principle: I'd be inclined to screw some edge stripping to either side of an existing sized door, panelled or otherwise. Not only will it be more robust than having a "built-in fracture joint" down the middle but one "almost right" door would be a lot cheaper than two custom "half-sized" doors. (You will not find two 455mm or whatever doors "on the shelf.")


(Sorry. It seems I'm having a love-affair with apostrophes tonight. )

[pawnhead]

I'm not sure about 900, but I'm pretty sure 880's are readily available. I also think that 920's can be found, stock on the shelf, with some selective shopping. Of course, I may've had too many beers tonight and am just scrambling the ol' grey matter. [shrug]

I think you mean 870 there. They usually go in 50mm increments, and wide doors are quite common in commercial applications for disabled bathroom access and the like so I'd imagine you could get them water resistant and someone would stock them. I don't know about feature entrance doors though. MDF blanks are used extensively in office partition work hung on aluminium jambs. I've done a bit of that and it looks quite snazzy. I might get some 2400 X 900 blanks and aluminium jambs for my place for that matter.

[batcat]

I had the reverse problem to you.
A tiny Juliette Balcony with a narrow door.
Wishing to match existing there was no stock doors suitable.
My local timber yard sells rebated stiles and rails.
Was able to knock a door up in a couple of hours with a solid bottom half and glazed top half for a perfect fit.

[pawnhead]

Was able to knock a door up in a couple of hours with a solid bottom half and glazed top half for a perfect fit.

That's the way to do it.

Then you can look at them and say that you knocked them up yourself.

PS Pics, or it didn't happen.

[batcat]

That's the way to do it.

Then you can look at them and say that you knocked them up yourself.

PS Pics, or it didn't happen.

runs off to faq to see how to imbed pics...
will be a pretty boring pic - a door

[ex-chippie]

Most doors, internal or external are made to a standard size of 880mm wide and then increase or decrease by increments of 50mm. Ever thought of buying a 920mm door and buzzing 5mm off. Don't waste your time even trying to make a door because the materials will cost you more at retail price.And finally, dont use MDF for an external application-IT WILL SWELL!