Wide Rails for Solid Wood Doors
#8
I am planning out the lumber needed for a solid wood (white oak) door and the bottom rail comes out to approx. 10" wide. I can buy rough lumber that width, but it's quite expensive compared to say 6" wide boards. I don't really want to, but is it bad practice to glue-up a wide rail from multiple narrower pieces? I've never seen it done, and I don't think it would look as good since the door will have a fumed or mission finish.
" The democracy will cease to exist when it becomes possible to take from those who work and give to those who would not." -Thomas Jefferson
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#9
make a core resaw some stock, bookmatch it and veneer it 

John T and I have two different threads on building doors recently they will show you how 

If you are set on solid stock ( I would not be) I cannot recall ever using stock wider then 6" to build rails I have always glued them and they are fine.

Joe
Let us not seek the Republican Answer , or the Democratic answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future  John F. Kennedy 



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#10
I'm just beginning an exterior door project and will use an LVL core with 3/16" thick veneer.  You can see the whole process in the threads Joe and I posted, as he said.  My Sapele is only 6 or 7" wide and the bottom rail is almost 12", so I will book match the veneer for that.  I think it will look fine.  If you don't have a vacuum bag or just don't want to go the composite construction route, then just glue up book matched solid stock and it will be fine.  Make sure you use TB III or better for your glue. 

John
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#11
Sure, glue ups are fine.  The issue is grain matching.  It can be the "fun" part especially with a wood like quarter sawn white oak. ;-)

But its at the bottom so it won't be as noticeable. 
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#12
I'm not sure I have the set-up to do a LVL core and veneer door - looks like specialized clamp-up rig and of course the vacuum system for veneer, and the additional planning for the glue-ups with the solids and the core and veneer. Beginning to sound like the solid route may work best for me right now, but I can be convinced otherwise if it turns out different. I was mainly following the FWW article from a few years back (#226 May/June 2012) and some other sources - I want to give it a try but seeing all of the options first to make sure I don't waste materials by changing my plan after starting.

I am particularly interested in the insulated window unit installations since the doors my wife wants will each have some. I have  local source for the units and the FWW article has a short explanation, but not a lot of detail on different window configurations such as what if the door was an 8-lite window that extended 3/4 down to the floor (2x4 lites) instead of two at the top (structurally, etc)?
" The democracy will cease to exist when it becomes possible to take from those who work and give to those who would not." -Thomas Jefferson
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#13
(04-25-2017, 11:11 AM)knight82 Wrote: I'm not sure I have the set-up to do a LVL core and veneer door - looks like specialized clamp-up rig and of course the vacuum system for veneer, and the additional planning for the glue-ups with the solids and the core and veneer. Beginning to sound like the solid route may work best for me right now, but I can be convinced otherwise if it turns out different. I was mainly following the FWW article from a few years back (#226 May/June 2012) and some other sources - I want to give it a try but seeing all of the options first to make sure I don't waste materials by changing my plan after starting.

I am particularly interested in the insulated window unit installations since the doors my wife wants will each have some. I have  local source for the units and the FWW article has a short explanation, but not a lot of detail on different window configurations such as what if the door was an 8-lite window that extended 3/4 down to the floor (2x4 lites) instead of two at the top (structurally, etc)?

 Well here is an alternative to solid stock: laminate 4/4 rough stock together sized to 7/8" thick . It solves a multitude of issues ( you can use lesser stock and hide defects as long as the faces are good) I literally have hundreds of doors out that use this simple solution. you can use your wider stock if you want and no one will be wiser.  if you come up to thin once milled you can throw a piece of 1/4" thick stock in the center ( or use a piece of ply to bring it back to 1 3/4") standard clamps do the duty of laminating just fine. a caul or two helps with the center lamination but if your stock is well flattened you may not even need more than one or two deeper reach clamps

The location of the lock rail is of no consequence to a door you can put it high for quarter lite doors mid high 36" OC  for half lite  3/4 for longer units and leave it out for full lite doors. it just does not matter 

On Glass you can also design around existing unit glass by finding a unit you like, then ordering it as a replacement unit for the door design you choose. You may have to modify the door stile widths to accomplish this but it is only a matter of sizing. Besides custom glass is not cheap and units have to be tempered and if insulated doubled. Why bother if you can find something you like already made? 

Link to doors I have done.   As you can see there is little that constrains me in building a door 

Joe
Let us not seek the Republican Answer , or the Democratic answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future  John F. Kennedy 



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#14
"...10" wide. I can buy rough lumber that width, but it's quite expensive compared to say 6" wide boards..."

Buy the right material to begin with. Save a lot of work and have the job turn out much nicer.
Wood is good. 
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