Fine Points of Architectural Door Construction
Here is a thoroughly professional discussion of the pros and cons of "engineered" door construction, along with a conversation about springing or crowning doors for a snug closure. September 7, 2013

Hinge Placement Rules and Traditions
Here's a long and thorough look at the reasons for the traditional placement of hinges on architectural doors. April 22, 2014

Door and Window Building: CNC Versus Traditional Machinery
Here's a thoughtful and sophisticated conversation about the proper place of CNC equipment and traditional shapers, mortisers, etc., in custom door and window production. October 3, 2011

Shopping for Mortising Machinery
Woodworkers discuss the practicality, cost, and operation of horizontal and vertical mortising equipment for door construction. June 2, 2009

Poplar for a Storm Door: Movement Issues
An extended discussion of the behavior of Poplar in an exterior exposure. Science says Poplar is suitable for exterior woodwork, but experience may indicate the contrary. June 3, 2007

Repairing Warped Interior Doors
The fix for some closet doors that developed a bow along a long stile could include some innovative hardware — or not. March 22, 2013

Achieving Consistent Copes
Why is it so difficult to cut copes the same every time? October 5, 2004

Labor and Cost for a Complex Wood Window
The fine woodwork for a custom decorative window can be painstaking and slow. Here are some detailed thoughts on methods and the time involved (including an interesting description of doing the work with a CNC).June 12, 2013


Custom Fabricating Louvered Shutters
A long and chatty thread about whether, why, and how to build your own louvered wood exterior window shutters. April 24, 2006

Vertical-Board Solid Wood Door Techniques
Top craftsmen chime in with a diverse set of ideas and illustrations for building solid wood doors with vertical boards, in ways that can withstand wood movement and look great. March 25, 2009

Multi-Ply Construction Details for Raised Panels on Exterior Doors
Woodworkers develop ideas for back-to-back panel construction on exterior doors. November 14, 2011

Insulated Wine Cellar Door Details
Advice on materials and techniques for a large custom door for a wine storage closet. February 13, 2013

Determining left and right hand doors
How do you keep them straight? (From WOODWEB's Architectural Woodworking Forum) March 5, 2003

Learning to Make Full Size Doors
Some detailed information and some commentary about context, for a woodworker who wants to break into wood door construction. May 15, 2014

Restoring Historic Windows
How to keep what's good, and make them work. April 11, 2005

Door Construction: Methods and Lumber Choices
A general discussion on how to build interior doors, and what kind of wood to use. May 5, 2014

Boring Machine Accuracy and Dowel Joinery
A discussion on achieving a nice joint fit when using dowels along with cope-and-stick joinery for 1-3/4"-thick door construction. May 6, 2009

Accurate End Cuts for Entry Door Parts
Advice on machinery and tooling to make highly accurate cross cuts on wide lumber for architectural door construction. April 17, 2013

Best Joinery for Passageway Door Construction
Cope-and-stick joinery is the classic "man door" method. But what's the strongest joint — dowel, mortise and tenon, or what? December 2, 2006

Ellipse jig
Making your own jig for ellipse-based arcs. (From WOODWEB's Cabinetmaking Forum) March 5, 2003

Solid Wood Passage Doors
Woodworkers scratch their heads over a challenging door construction problem. October 26, 2013

Hidden Room (Secret Door) Details
Tips on hardware and other details for concealing a door by disguising it as a bookshelf, pool-cue rack, or the like. February 8, 2008

Custom Software for Wood Man Doors
A custom builder's looking for a versatile design and drafting package for original wood door designs. But is it worth it? September 1, 2010

Wood Door Thickness and Quality
To make 1-3/8" solid wood interior doors, you usually have to start with 8/4 stock. Here, experienced pros explain their door fabrication processes in detail. February 17, 2006

Door Joinery: Haunched Tenons Versus Floating Tenons
Thoughts on the cost and performance of various entry door woodworking joints. February 23, 2010

Spiral Versus Fluted Dowels
Is either one better? The question sparks a discussion of how dowel joints work. March 20, 2007

How to Make a Full Radius Arch Top Cab Door
From laying up blanks to cutting, here are some tips on making arched top door stiles. November 2, 2010

Best Equipment for Tenoning Door Parts
Basic advice on machinery and cutters for making cope-and-stick architectural door parts. August 5, 2006

Solid Wood Door Basics
A few tips for a cabinetmaker considering whether to try building man doors. April 10, 2009

Solid Poplar Versus Laminations for Door Stiles
Solid poplar has a good track record for door construction, but LVL stave cores may have their own advantages. June 8, 2008

Entry Door Wood Choices
What's the best wood species for a custom exterior door?

Fire Ratings for Historic Wood Doors
Information on how to find code-compliant fire-rated doors, and what you need to be qualified to build them yourself. March 12, 2009

Is Poplar Good for Exterior Door Cores?
Controversy over whether Poplar can perform in exterior exposures. May 11, 2008

Wood Choices for Exterior Shutters
Spanish Cedar, Redwood, Cedar, and Cypress lead the list. May 24, 2010

Steam Bending Alder
Pondering whether to steam-bend alder for a curved shutter frame, a woodworker hears that other woods, or other methods, may meet his needs better. April 21, 2011

Sound Control and Airflow for Louvered Doors
Considerations relating to sound transmission and air flow through louvers on the doors of an equipment room. April 4, 2011

Black Walnut for Windows
A discussion considering whether Black Walnut is an appropriate wood for constructing custom reproduction window sash. April 4, 2011

Rounded-Over Ends at Window Butt Joints
Practical and style considerations in window joinery: whether to round over ends. June 18, 2010

Template Material for Router Work
Pros suggest aluminum, MDF, phenolic board, or particleboard. Also here, a discussion of techniques for making templates and some tips about using them. November 22, 2005

Troubleshooting Swelling of Doors in a Humid Climate
Once the doors are fit to the opening they may perform fine for many years. September 18, 2014

Fabricating a Laminate-Over-Foam-Core Door
Cabinetmakers consider how to lay up a large door with laminate on the outside and foam on the inside. September 27, 2008

Construction Methods for Wide Wooden Gates
A discussion about building cedar outdoor gates, covering dimensions and adhesive choices. February 5, 2007

Angle for arched window casing
Methods for making the calculation. October 30, 2003

Rabbeting Exterior Doors for Compression-Bulb Weatherstripping
Advice on how to cut clean slots for weatherstripping in door jambs. May 5, 2007

Woven Cherry Door Panels
Thin slats woven together into a door panel is a cool idea, but kiln-dried wood is too brittle. Green wood may work. November 10, 2006

Attaching Screen to Doors
Advice on screen door fabrication techniques. June 11, 2010

Routing Flutes on Large Cabinet Doors
Advice on tool choice, measuring, marking, and jigs for cutting multiple flutes into a big door panel. January 18, 2007

Alternatives to Ball Catches
Ball catches don't work well when doors and jambs move from seasonal humidity changes. Here are some suggestions for other hardware. January 14, 2013

Single Versus Double Glazing
For a wood shop that makes custom windows and doors, insulated glazing is a debatable topic. September 7, 2013

Panel Spacers for Passage Door
Small spaceballs work for letting cabinet door panels move. But what do you use for thick raised panels in a 1-3/4" full size passage door? August 19, 2008

Window Part Terminology
Woodworkers try to bring order to the vocabulary universe and define "muntin," "mullion," "bar," "rail," and related window and door terminology. March 26, 2010

Eliminating Wood Problems -- An Industry Review: 10 Ways of Eliminating Wood Problems
Gene Wengert explains why eliminating wood problems begins and ends with monitoring and controlling the moisture content (MC) in wood -March 18, 2000

Gluing door veneer
Systems for gluing hardwood veneer to stave-core stile and rail doors. Illustrated.. February 6, 2002

Passage door construction
Techniques and joinery used in the construction of passage doors. January 3, 2001

Building interior room doors
Pros share their methods for constructing custom interior doors. June 6, 2001

Portes intérieures de bâtiment
Des professionnels partagent leurs méthodes de construction de portes intérieures sur mesure. 6 juin 2001

Warpage in maple door panels
Despite a careful glue-up, a woodworker gets warpage in door panels. June 14, 2000

Applied mouldings on raised-panel doors
Ideas for applying mouldings to raised panel doors without affecting panel movement. September 26, 2000

Repairing a sequenced MDF door
reverse the terminal warp of a sequenced MDF/cherry door. 1998.

Water-resistant Adhesives for Exterior Millwork
Choosing the right adhesive is really a matter of how much water resistance is required. 1998

Bonding wood to glass
Recommended glues and tapes for bonding wood to glass. January 24, 2001

Choosing Wood and Finish for Church Doors
Woodweb pros weigh in on material choice for a set of chapel doors. November 30, 2009

Moisture Issues with Exterior Screen Doors
This extensive thread examines wood choices and finishing methods for custom-made exterior screen doors. March 26, 2010

Exterior Door Finish
Finding a finish that will stand up to the elements over time. October 20, 2004

Sequencing the Work for a Stain-Grade Door and Trim Install
Woodworkers and installers discuss the timing of steps in a job that involves pre-finishing and installation of door jambs, doors, and trim. April 22, 2014

Building a Sapele Entry Door with Glass Panels
Here's some good advice on door construction, with particular reference to a door built with Sapele and including horizontal glass panels. February 16, 2014

Putty for Nail Holes in Windows and Trim
Struggling to find a nail-hole filler that's compatible with waterborne clear finish. December 6, 2011

Shaper Advice for Euro-style Outswing & Tilt-Turn Windows
Tilt-and-turn windows in the European style require fine tolerances and call for good tooling. January 28, 2014

Veneered solid-core doors
Ideas for building exterior, teak-faced, slab doors. September 20, 2003

Exterior Door Construction for Harsh Weather Conditions
If you were building solid wood exterior doors for conditions in Bahrain, how would you go about it? Here's a discussion of the problems and possible solutions. December 27, 2008

Festool Domino XL for Entry Door?
Craftsmen discuss using Festool's loose tenon tool for building doors. January 23, 2014

Door Gap and Outdoor Humidity
A woodworker gets expert advice on predicting the moisture-related dimensional changes in a wood door, for purposes of calibrating the door gap to allow for the movement. October 11, 2007

Finishing an Exposed Exterior Door
The harsh conditions of a south-facing exterior environment can trash any finish, and the door under it. But here's a closer look at the best bets. October 3, 2011

Cutting Long Through Mortises
Advice on tools and techniques for mortise and tenon joinery for a historical shutter reproduction. June 22, 2010

Ash for Exterior Doors
Woodworkers share observations on the workability and durability of Ash wood used to make entry doors. July 27, 2008

Interior Door Construction Questions
Here's a long and detailed discussion of lumber choices and construction methods for thick custom interior doors. March 20, 2012

Preventing Cupping in a Wide Board
Woodworkers discuss the "rip and flip" method, relief cuts, and similar methods of reducing wood movement. November 19, 2005

Facing a Flush-Panel Steel Garage Door
A ton of advice on attaching paintable wood faces to an insulated steel garage door, including advice on fasteners, adhesive, and door track hardware. November 2, 2010

Solid Wood Door Construction Methods
A long discussion of various ways to construct heavy wood architectural doors. April 4, 2011

Louvered Door Assembly Techniques
Here's an extended discussion about systematizing and speeding up the fussy, complicated process of assembling big louvered doors. October 11, 2012

Door Construction and Wood Movement
Experienced pros try to educate a newcomer about the power of wood movement and the necessity of allowing for it in constructing complicated assemblies such as architectural doors. May 12, 2013

Setting Commercial Doors
Advice for experienced residential carpenters on working with steel door frames and hardware on commercial jobs. March 26, 2010

Fabricating Solid Wood Doors
A discussion of the risks involved with solid wood door construction, and some detailed advice on "plank construction" methods. January 12, 2009

Construction Details for a Large Glazed Entry Door
Door builders discuss joinery, hinging, and materials choices for a big, heavy door with five horizontal lights.November 14, 2011

Hinge Fastening for Big, Heavy Entry Doors
It takes some big, long screws to hold up a heavy door. January 20, 2010

Building Insulated-Core Carriage Doors
Detailed instruction on how to construct a custom architectural wood door with an insulating foam core. April 4, 2011

Making Arched Window Casing Trim
Steam bending is impractical — laminating small strips into an arch shape for moulding stock is the way to go. April 24, 2009

Weather-Stripping for Exterior Doors
Expert advice on keeping the weather from finding its way around an exterior door. March 22, 2013

Weather Detailing for Replacement Exterior Door Panels
Exterior doors exposed to weather take a beating. Here's an interesting discussion of how to detail wood door panels in a replacement and repair situation. October 19, 2013

Reproduction Exterior Doors with Insulated Glass
Advice about insulated, tempered, and laminated glazing for exterior doors, with some nice photo examples.October 17, 2011

Exterior Doors and Sun Exposure
Another discussion about the beating doors can take from the sun, and how to protect against it. July 13, 2011

Locust for Window Sashes?
Locust is durable and rot-resistant, but it's not stable or easy to machine — so probably not the best choice for window parts. January 23, 2014

Wood Choice for Reproduction Windows
Spanish Cedar, White Oak, and Cypress are options that come to mind for a durable exterior application. and January 23, 2014

Custom Wood Entry Door with Inlayed Stainless Steel
A customer's unusual entry door request gives rise to a discussion of wood movement and wood door construction techniques. September 23, 2008

Historic Roller Track Door Hardware
Here's some great architectural woodworking history: a look at old track-and-roller pocket door hardware with some original ads and patent documentation. November 14, 2014

Setting Door Jambs Without the Doors
Thoughts on getting door jambs accurately set before the doors themselves are even built. August 27, 2009

Laminating Stile and Rail Stock for Doors
Here's a long discussion on how to lay up stock for architectural door stiles and rails from multiple laminations of wood. February 10, 2009

Exterior door finishes
Products to use for protection from rain. May 22, 2002

Troubleshooting Warped Exterior Doors
Woodworkers discuss the fine points of a small warping problem in a fine custom exterior door. September 8, 2008

"Hinge-Fold" Door Details
How to double up two doors in an entry so that one hinges off the other — like a bi-fold, but different. May 26, 2008

Carriage Door Hinge Suggestions
You get what you pay for when you need a heavy-duty hinge for an exterior barn door. October 26, 2013

16'x12' Solid Wood Pocket Door
This project was mostly a pipe dream — but the discussion produced some interesting thoughts and information about honeycomb-core veneered panels as a lightweight door or moveable wall solution. April 24, 2012

Polyethylene Honeycomb Cores and Veneer for Pocket Doors
A discussion of various methods for building pocket doors, with the goal of light weight and limited warping. August 5, 2010

Price and Quality for Interior Doors
Custom woodworkers have to charge for quality that typical mass-market interior doors can't match. October 17, 2011

Machining Dadoes into Door Jambs
Ideas for high-volume production methods for cutting dadoes in door side jambs to receive the header jamb. April 30, 2006

Panels for Railroad Roundhouse Doors
A discussion of technical assembly details for some huge architectural doors to be made of sawn wood. June 28, 2013

Rain Resistance of Wood Panel Entry Doors
Woodworkers discuss the practicality of making a wood entry door leak-proof in a rainstorm. June 2, 2009

How to Make Historically Accurate Curved Window Frames
Advice on whether (and how) to steam-bend, laminate, or "brick-lay" the parts for a reproduction curved window. April 22, 2014

Machining and Tooling for Large Tenon Production
Woodworkers suggest workable setups for high-volume production of large tenons for heavy doors. April 24, 2006

Bowed, Round Top Double Hung Top Sash
Arched top windows that will fit into a curved wall. How are you going to build that? Well ... here's a book recommendation and some general ideas. November 29, 2014

Troubleshooting Warping in a Mirrored Door
Attaching a mirror to one face of a large melamine door leads to warping in the course of a year. December 1, 2013

Joinery Details for Wood Doors
Crafting wood doors is an advanced capability that has to be learned from practice. But here are a few tips. June 15, 2014

Installing an Interlocking Door Threshold
Using tail wags, ear movements, growls, and barks, an old dog describes in detail the installation process for a Pemko interlocking residential door threshold. October 19, 2014

Threaded-Rod Reinforcement for an Exterior Door
Woodworkers kick around a complex technical topic: whether and how to use steel to reinforce a wood door. (Also in this thread, a discussion of a "Copernicus" design pattern.)July 11, 2013

Oversized Pocket Door with Glass Panels
A woodworker worries about weight concerns, hardware choices, and other practical issues with an 8' by 10' pocket door. June 22, 2010

Measuring and Estimating Trim Quantities
Tips for figuring quantities and ordering lengths. March 14, 2005

Laminating a Fire Door
You can't modify a fire-rated door without voiding the rating. Here are some details about the rules. April 4, 2011

Reproducing a Period Door from a Photo
Historical reviewers tend to care a lot about appearance of building details, but less about construction. Here, a woodworker gets a leg up on the research to recreate a passage door that can pass for period. April 22, 2014

Widebelt Sanding Schedule -- for Doors
Grits and removal sequences for a smooth surface. February 28, 2004

Glass Panels in Mahogany Exterior Doors
Wood movement and weathering are the chief concerns. December 14, 2009

Door Core Alternatives
Several woodworkers explain why they use engineered lumber products for stave-core door construction. February 5, 2007

Hanging Pocket Doors in a Half-Round-Top Opening
Thoughts on an unusual door situation: a pocket door in an arched opening. April 24, 2009

Loose Tenon Size for Door Construction
Thoughts on a practical size for loose tenons and mortises in man door construction. October 13, 2009

Is Western Hemlock Suitable for Doors and Window Sash?
A discussion of the properties and best use of Hemlock. September 7, 2013

Teak Door Core Material
Well-informed opinions about whether to use engineered core, a solid Teak core with Teak veneer, or simple laminations of solid Teak when building a Teak door. February 1, 2011

Raised Panels — Rip and Re-Glue or Not?
Is it worth ripping, flipping, and re-gluing boards for exterior door raised panels, if the rough stock is wide enough to make a full panel? Opinion and discussion. June 4, 2012

Making Custom Storm Doors Fit
Lessons learned as a craftsman recovers from a dimensional mis-step on a custom wood storm door project. June 8, 2008

Casing a Double-Curved Door Arch
How do you make and install moldings for an arched doorway set into a curved wall? Very, very carefully. April 24, 2006

Hinge Hardware for a Pivoting Round Window
A discussion on finding replacement mounting hardware for a restored round window that has to pivot in at the top, out at the bottom. November 2, 2010

Best Tenon Length for a Large Door
Here's a good discussion of joinery for frame-and-panel entry doors. April 4, 2011

Exterior Door Construction Alternatives
Craftsmen discuss various ways of building wood exterior doors, including a foam-core panel method with interior and exterior wood elements isolated from each other. June 29, 2008

Inserting Glass into a Wood Entry Door
Woodworkers describe techniques they've used to put glazing into entry doors. April 3, 2012

Fabricating a Curved Jamb
Laminating, piecing together, or sawing out of large stock: there's more than one way to build an arched door jamb. April 18, 2015

Heavy Duty Hinge Selection
A discussion of hinge choices for a large, flush-mounted mirrored door. February 13, 2013

Glass Stops for Window Sashes — Inside or Outside?
Here's a discussion of how to hold the glass in on custom windows built using modern insulated glass. March 4, 2007

Fabricating Solid Wood Panel Entry Doors
Should the center panel be glued up, or built of tongue and groove pieces that allow movement? Pros share ideas and techniques. November 19, 2005

Storm Door over Wood Entry Door
Will a glass storm door installed over a wood entry door increase the risk of damage from the sun? November 14, 2014

Construction of Exterior Doors
Woodworkers discuss stave-core and ladder-core methods for building a veneered exterior door. June 24, 2007

Mixed Wood Species in an Exterior Door
A woodworker describes a failure in an exterior door built out of Walnut and Oak on two different faces. But was it the wood, or the construction method, that caused the problem? August 15, 2012

Choosing Wood for an Exterior Door
What species will provide good looks and durability? Craftsman trade opinions. July 2, 2005

Custom Wood Garage Doors
Tips on how to create overhead garage door using real wood. December 26, 2006

Extra-Large Exterior Plank Entry Doors
Some suggested methods for making large plank doors. October 11, 2007

Simulated Divided-Light Door Details
How to apply false windowpane dividers to large panes of insulated glass. June 26, 2009

A Small Power Feeder for a Router?
It can improve control and precision, especially for climb-cutting. February 25, 2005

Crossbuck X Braces for a Door
Alternative methods for constructing a door with x-shaped cross braces. June 4, 2012

"Fire Rated" Door Mysteries
Woodworkers discuss the issues around passage door fire ratings, and whether field modification of labeled doors is allowed. March 3, 2009

Replicating Historic Wood Window Sash
Reproducing true double hung windows from an old house is tricky, but it's a worthwhile challenge for a devoted woodworker. Here are tips on the methods and the pitfalls. August 15, 2012

Solid Wood Exterior Doors
Tips on building an exterior door with solid wood. September 7, 2011

Interior and Exterior Wood Door Construction Specs
Door makers discuss what is adequate thickness for large interior or exterior doors, and whether to laminate or use solid wood for stiles, rails, and panels. October 2, 2007

Ideas for an Extra-Large Wood Entry Door
An order for double 5'-wide entry doors poses challenges for hardware and construction details. February 19, 2008

Finishing Doors
Finishers discuss ways to efficiently spray large quantities of interior doors. September 11, 2006

Fire-Rated Garage Door Issues
Putting a pretty face on a fire-rated door is not as simple as it sounds. September 23, 2008

MDF for Door Panels
Woodworkers discuss the suitability of MDF for the raised panels in interior house doors. April 24, 2006

Double Doors, Flush Bolts, and Door Seals
The quest for a double door bottom which incorporates a flush bolt and door seal that aren't visible when the door is closed. May 15, 2014

Plank Entry Door Construction
A discussion of joinery and wood movement for solid wood full-size man doors. August 11, 2009

French Door Hardware
A quick but thorough round-up of French door hardware options, past and present. May 26, 2008

Passage and entry door construction
Step-by-step descriptions and photos of the process. August 9, 2001

Wood Choice for Interior Doors
Pros discuss materials options for custom built pass-through doors. September 3, 2005

Casement Window Repair Problem
Woodworkers discuss the difficulty of replacing or repairing damaged windows. February 6, 2007

Stripping Old Windows
How to get old paint off historic window sashes without damaging the wood. March 18, 2006

Thin Louvered Closet Doors
Ideas for an unusual door project. February 16, 2006

Sealing Door Bottoms
Painters on site typically don't take care of door bottoms, so door makers recommend priming with shellac or epoxy. October 19, 2013

Building Large Exterior Doors
Advice on joinery and lumber choice for oversize exterior doors (5 out of 5 doctors agree: no Poplar!)October 17, 2011

Plank Style Entry Door
Advice on managing wood movement in a solid wood plank entry door. May 20, 2006

Caulking Interactions with Insulated Glass Units
Questions exist about whether silicone caulking can degrade the sealing material in some insulated glass products. January 20, 2011

Alder for Exterior Doors
Soft and unstable, Alder wood is not well suited for building entry doors. August 23, 2006

Tooling Up for Efficient Custom Wood Window Production
Advice on tooling and construction methods for speeding up the process of setting up to build custom windows in small quantities. July 15, 2012

Reinforcing Door Stiles with Steel
Is steel reinforcement a practical idea to prevent a wood door from warping? Here's a discussion. August 22, 2014

Sanding Defects on Doors with a Wide-Belt Sander
"Dips" from the sander where door stiles meet rails are probably an adjustment problem. May 11, 2008

Window Sash Joinery Details
Information on meeting rail and parting bead configurations for custom window sash. April 24, 2009

Joinery and Hardware for Narrow-Stile Architectural Doors
Construction and hardware suggestions for doors with narrow vertical pieces, such as traditional French doors. September 15, 2011

Exterior Bi-Fold Door Details
Advice on how to retrofit 3-foot-wide doors into an existing garage door opening, bi-fold style. July 13, 2010

End Gap Specs for a Solid-Surface Windowsill
An unusual application for solid surfacing leads to a discussion about movement joints and tolerances. May 23, 2007

Sunlight and a Cherry Entry Door
Cherry is a problematic wood for any exterior use, because it is known to first darken, then bleach, from exposure to sunlight. April 24, 2006

Insulated Core Entry Door Construction
Discussion and debate about how to build an insulated-core exterior door using wood. December 27, 2008

Screen Door Corner Joinery
Advice on wood choice and joinery for a custom wood screen door replacement. August 15, 2011

Modifying Fire-Rated Doors
Doors with official fire resistance ratings need to be manufactured by qualified companies, and modifying the doors voids the ratings. November 3, 2010

Tenoning Shutter Slats
Advice on joinery for old-style storm shutters. December 19, 2009

Moisture Protection for a Wood Door in a Stone Threshold
A church door replacement job raises questions of protecting wood from moisture in contact with stone.September 25, 2014

Elliptical Jamb Extensions
Pros puzzle out how to make extension jambs for elliptical windows. January 9, 2008

Shoji Screen Ideas
Basic tips for a first-timer on fabricating shoji screens. September 10, 2007

Fixing Manufactured Windows
A few tips on pulling apart and repairing window sash that have failed prematurely from rot. May 20, 2011

Counterweights for a Folding Door
Thoughts on how to balance the weight of a heavy folding door with vertical action. October 2, 2010

Fabricating Radius Jambs
An architectural millwork pro outlines his process for making radius-curve door jambs. December 26, 2006

Metal Edging for Oak Doors
Pros discuss the options for metal edge trim on sawn wood doors. July 3, 2006

Interior Barn-Style Doors
Tips for building board-and-batten doors mounted on slider or roller tracks. April 6, 2011

Exterior Door Core Material and Moisture
Which will handle moisture changes better, LVL or solid wood door cores? February 8, 2008

Raised Panel Barrel Arch Doorway
Advice on grain direction, panel construction, and more for a custom door arch. December 14, 2009

Flexible Door Stop Stock for Curves
Plastic moulding or bending plywood are suggested solutions. July 25, 2010

Applying Divided Lights to Insulated Windows
Some woodworkers have learned to piggyback original divided-light window glazing on the interior of modern insulated sash. June 17, 2012

"Crosette Corner" Period Door Casing
An example with some discussion of a wide-shoulder door casing from the Georgian period in American architecture. January 19, 2011

Custom Mouldings for Arched Window Tops
Manufactured windows may not have regular, true, or consistent dimensions. The safest bet is to make a template from the actual window. October 13, 2005

Black Locust for Window Sash
Black Locust wood is naturally durable, but unstable and prone to movement and cracking. April 13, 2010

Shutter Louver End Detailing
Plastic hardware for louver ends is the norm, but tenoning the ends is a classier way to go. July 12, 2008

Hardware for Heavy Bifold Doors
Advice on hinge and track choices for an extra-beefy bifold door, with discussion of a few fine points. February 27, 2013

Building a Circular Window Jamb
Constructing the circle from overlapping half-circle segments promotes stability and accuracy. December 24, 2012

Exterior Door Joinery
Ideas for detailing the joints on frame-and-panel doors for weather resistance. June 8, 2008

Cupping Door Stile
A moisture-related wood movement problem leads to a discussion of LVL versus solid wood core material for veneered exterior doors. August 6, 2008

Door Panel and Moulding Assembly Methods
Advice on constructing a door with floating panels and applied mouldings. July 12, 2012

Grit Progression for Sanding Doors on the Widebelt
Which grits to use depends on how much thickness you need to remove. July 9, 2009

Pulling Casing Tight to the Wall
Stiff hardwood casing is hard to get tight. Here are a handful of tips and tricks. November 11, 2005

Weatherstripping for an Arched Bead-Board Door
Bead-board lets air bypass the air seal at the grooves between the beads. Here are suggested solutions. March 3, 2009

Door and Home Construction Equipment
A brief introduction to specialized machinery designed for door manufacturing. September 20, 2008

Hidden Door Hardware
Advice on how to hinge a heavy door disguised as a hanging mirror on a wall. May 11, 2011

Stable Construction for a Slat Door
For an unusual door design, woodworkers suggest methods that won't risk excessive movement of the pieces. August 5, 2006

Handles for Sliding Glass Office Windows
June 4, 2009

Battened Plank Door Detail
Here's a way to kerf the boards in a solid wood door to help absorb wood movement. February 5, 2007

Louvered Shutter Specs
Quick advice on dimensions and assembly details for custom-built louvered window shutters. March 4, 2007

Flipper Door Hardware for Passage Door
Advice on choosing hardware for built-in doors that open and slide back into a recess. December 28, 2014

Boring Long Holes in Doors
Here's how a pro lines up a bore hole the whole length of a man-door's strike rail. January 18, 2007

Under Mount Door Sweep for Exterior Door?
Where to find entry door sweep hardware that attaches to the underside of the door instead of to the face. March 20, 2012

Steel-Rod Reinforced Brace for an Outdoor Gate
Advice on the joinery for burying a steel reinforcing rod within the curved wooden brace in a custom outdoor wooden gate. July 11, 2013

MDF Panel Door Warping Issues
How to anticipate and minimize warping in a large MDF frame-and-panel door. July 12, 2008

How to Retrofit Weatherstripping on Arched Doors
You can use traditional metal V-fold weatherstripping, or the appropriate router jig for modern synthetic weatherstripping. May 12, 2008

Sourcing Large Dowels for Door Construction
Suppliers typically have minimum order quantity requirements. March 22, 2013

Door Rail Attachments and Wood Movement
Advice on gluing large-dimension door rails so as to allow for expansion and contraction of the lumber. October 27, 2009

Arched Jambs for Circle-Top Doors
Quick tips on fabricating arched door jambs. May 16, 2008

Building Shutters out of Ash
Brief advice on the characteristics of Ash wood when used to construct custom window shutters. August 15, 2012

Gap Between Exterior Wood Double Doors
but given the variability of wood, it's a judgement call. December 26, 2007

Veneering an Exterior Door
Can you use veneer on a solid-core slab door that's exposed to the outdoors? October 19, 2013

Building Traditional Double-Hung Windows
Information and hardware sources for constructing windows the old-fashioned way.

Louvering an Arched-Top Door
Fitting louver ends to an arched door shape is tricky. May 21, 2007

Peg Joinery for Window Sash
How to make square pegs fit into round holes. July 23, 2014

Good Books about Historic Windows
Trying to learn some architectural woodworking history about windows? Here's a short list of valuable reference books. April 21, 2011

Traditional Double-Hung Window Plans
Here's a good source for drawings and instructions if you're looking to re-create a historic old double-hung window sash and frame (or just about any other old-time wood component). June 22, 2012

Weatherstripping Pocket Doors
A quick tip on how to draft-stop an interior architectural pocket door. November 14, 2014

Heavy Solid-Wood Gate Details
Hinges are the easy part. April 24, 2012

Making Soundproof Studio Doors
Quick tips on making a door that will keep sound in (or out). September 7, 2013

Shutter Manufacturing
Be a fly on the wall as a CNC router cuts out parts for louvered arched wood shutters. (Leave the sound turned off for this one.)July 12, 2007

Biscuit Casing and Jointing
Tweaking a biscuit jointer, and slotting casing for biscuits. January 28, 2007

Solid Wood Entry Door Construction
An extended technical discussion of proven methods for constructing large, heavy, durable custom doors using solid sawn lumber. January 18, 2007

Building Heavy Barn Doors
Can you make those barn doors stable? Here's a discussion of how to anticipate and deal with the inevitable movement of wood components. March 18, 2006

Entry Door Materials
Pros discuss wood choice, finishing, and construction methods for a durable exterior door. October 4, 2005

Plank Doors with Stave Cores
Advice on stave-core construction for a plank door. March 26, 2010

Exterior Door Construction Details
A discussion of the relative merits of mortise and tenon versus dowel construction. July 3, 2006

Window Hinge Mortising Retrofit Techniques
Detailed advice for cutting new Soss hinge mortises on custom replacement windows to match already-mortised existing window jambs. June 3, 2007

Labor Charge to Hang Doors
Millwork installers discuss the steps, labor time and cost for installing interior pass-through doors. October 4, 2005

Entry Door Ideas for a Jacuzzi Building
Thoughts on building a durable exterior door able to withstand the steamy environment of a room housing a hot tub. December 14, 2009

Attaching Jamb Extensions
Fine points, tips, and tricks for window and door jamb extension installation. August 31, 2009

Veneer Over LVL for Door-Building
Issues of moisture content, wood movement, and splitting when veneering over LVL for custom door construction. April 5, 2007

Troubleshooting a Bowed Slab Door
Cedar slats on one face, Oak slats on the other face, bowing about a quarter inch ... what went wrong? November 5, 2013

Stave Core Veneer Door Layup
A discussion of vacuum-bag veneering and other construction tips for veneered stave-core doors. July 13, 2010

Repairing an Old Wood Door
Tips on replacing the bottom portion of a Cypress exterior door, with structurally strong joinery and a passable visual blend. November 2, 2010

Templating Systems for Production Door Installation
Advice on choosing jigs for hanging residential doors on site, in quantity. July 30, 2009

Arched Door Jamb Joinery
Tips on building and installing round-top door jambs. July 25, 2010

Stave-Core Door Methods
A discussion of construction details and materials choices for fabricating stave-core solid wood doors. February 5, 2007

Sandwich-Style Interior Door Assembly Tricks
it works. June 28, 2007

Stave-Core Door Skin Thickness?
Quick tips on applying and planing down the veneer skin on a stave-core door. October 11, 2007

CNC Versus Conventional Equipment for Entry Door Construction
Woodworkers wax poetic as they discuss the practical considerations, the historical ramifications, and the spiritual significance of evolving technology in the field of door construction. January 23, 2014

Window Beading and Water Drainage Issues
An extended discussion of window construction wood joinery and water management. June 18, 2010

Machining MDF Raised Panels
Four out of four doctors agree: you can run MDF door panels in one pass on the shaper, if your cutters are sharp.January 2, 2014

Window Sash Shaper Cutters for Outswing Casement Windows
Outswing windows are a challenge for toolmakers and woodworkers. Here is some info. January 2, 2012

Building an Entry Door
Here's a boatload of advice and commentary for a woodworker contemplating his first entry door. August 29, 2014

Glue Choice for Oak Exterior Doors
Epoxy with fiber filler should work well. April 4, 2011

Building Plantation Shutters
Solutions for building custom shutters, including hardware choices. February 12, 2009

- Spreadsheet Calculation Program -- for Curves, Angles, Compound Miters and Springback
Free downloadable program(s) in both Excel and MS Works, including illustrations that support the formulas.. August 6, 2002

Assorted Videos for Millwork Installers and Cabinetmakers
January 25, 2007

How much pressure?
A few gluing tips as well as a demonstration of the pressure that Clam Clamps exert on miters. January 28, 2007

Laying Up a Laminated Door Arch
An extended discussion with pictures goes into depth about various ways to make a laminated wood arch for a doorway. September 5, 2006

How to Make an Elliptical Jamb
Advice on various approaches to laying up and gluing an elliptical door jamb. December 9, 2013

Troubleshooting and Repair of Glue Failure in an Exterior Door
A raised-panel Hickory exterior door behind a glass storm door is coming apart from the effects of solar heat and moisture condensation. What can be learned (or done) in this situation? June 3, 2007

Glue Choice for Cypress Shutters
A shutter specialist advises on adhesive selection for exterior shutter fabrication. October 16, 2013

Constructing large passage doors
Using the right materials, glues and assembly methods. September 2, 2002

Adhesive for Exterior Doors
Dark-stained wood exterior doors can get very hot in service. Here, woodworkers discuss choices for glues that will perform under those tough conditions. September 6, 2007

Tooling for Cope-and-Stick Doors
Pros describe machinery and cutterheads for coped mortise and tenon door part machining. August 23, 2005

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