
This is the final D-I-Y doors post for 2017. Regular readers know that this post has been coming because my buddy was picking on me about making these doors when we were at the bar a couple of weeks ago. These doors had to be pressed into service sooner rather than later, because the snow blower is in that shed, and the shed’s doors were failing. They were hard to open, hard to close and they weren’t doing the best job of keeping the weather out.
When you have to kick a door to open it, you’re in trouble. When you’re afraid that kicking the door will break it, you’re in deep trouble.
The main doors (the ones I had to kick) also had two design flaws that had recently become very annoying. First, they didn’t stay open in the wind. That means that when I was trying to get the snow blower in or out, I had to either prop the doors open or do the awkward reach from behind the storm cab to give them a push. The second problem is that the header is too low for the snow blower’s cab to easily fit through the door. That requires me to put the snow blower at its lowest to-the-ground setting and tip it just a bit.
One of these problems was solved by replacing the hinged doors with a sliding door. Sliding doors tend to stay wherever you put them. And because sliding doors hang from a track that is independent of the header, I can relocate the header later, without having to alter or even remove the door. Actually, since I was also able to remove the stop molding (the strip hinged doors close against), the doorway might be tall enough now.
As with previous D-I-Y projects, I’ve included most of the play-by-play in the captions to the photos. If you’re interested, click on the upper left photo to start a slide show that is roughly in the order of the production process.
Of all the doors I’ve built and featured here, these are the simplest. The design was based on the pile of leftover lumber that I was otherwise going to have to find a place for in my garage. This was kind of like those cooking reality shows where contestants are given a few ingredients and have to make something amazing. I was given 65′ of five-quarter pine stock and not quite two sheets of ½” plywood.
The five-quarter pine is the same stock I used to make the doors on the hanging shed and the garage attic. The difference is that with those earlier doors, the pine ended-up behind the scenes. On these doors, the pine frame is exposed and the plywood panels rest inside a slot (dado) that is cut into the edge of the pine. The pine boards are held together with tongue and groove joints, pocket screws and exterior glue. Because there’s very little movement on the boards and plywood (due to temperature and humidity) the panels are also glued into place.
This post is part of the wonderfully fun and addictive blog-hop, Thursday Doors, organized by the world-famous producer, Norm Frampton. Each week, Norm opens the stage doors to a band of walk-ons and extras as he carefully displays their doors for all to see. The door remains open for roughly 55 hours. As you enter, look for the blue frog – that’s the Director. He’ll show you to your dressing room. Be sure to check out Norm’s doors while you’re getting ready.
Well done Dan! So does the snowblower fit now? :-)
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Thanks Ruth. I think it might, I haven’t dug it out yet (still dealing with leaves) but the upper stop rail was actually doubled-up. I think I added a strip as the original doors sagged a bit. If not, I can move the header up about 6″ without much trouble.
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You make it look easy.
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Thanks! These were the easiest of the three sets of doors. Having the right tools makes a difference. My wife bought me those “Helping Hands” for my birthday several years ago. They are so handy. I love having all the time I need, as opposed to trying to get something secured so someone can let go.
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Thank would make the world of difference!
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As you lose the ability to simply “muscle things into place” you turn to tools. It works.
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And it looks great!
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Thanks Pam.
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I’m always impressed with your projects. These look great.
Upon first sight, I thought they were screens, and I thought, “Oh no, poor Dan, traveled his brain too far, plumb lost his mind!” But I see they only look like screens from a distance. Very nice — well done!
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Thanks! That’s so funny that you say that. After I hung the first one, I brought my wife out to see. She took one look and said “it looks like a screen door.” And, of course, like someone else we know, she wants a screen door.
But a sliding screen door wouldn’t ever slam, so…
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Hah :)
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You make leftover lumber look so sexy! Beautiful doors.
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Thanks Ally. This is step-1. Hopefully, next year the shed and the garage will get a fresh layer of siding and both buildings will look good.
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Nicely done, Dan. The squirrels won’t mistaken these doors for where the nuts live, will they? Haha! And I mean that in the nicest way!
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Thanks Lois. The squirrels find whatever door the nuts (the adults) come out of. I have lots of pictures of the squirrels coming up to the open garage door and doing that cute little (I’m so hungry” routine. Even though I can see their bellies ;)
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Picturing this just cracks me up. Your squirrels are way more friendly than the FL squirrels, for sure!
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The really bold one is one of the orphans. My wife discovered them next to their mom’s body. (Many tears). She was determined to help them. One moved on after they grew up, but the one we call Sammy has stayed here.
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First, I love the light from the setting sun on the shed in the final photo. What a great shot, Dan.
Second, sliding barn-style doors … swoon!
Third, you said these were easy doors to make, but by the time you got to the pocket notches, I was in awe. It seems to me that being a wood-worker is equal parts magician.
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Thanks Joanne. You can thank Maddie for the photo you like, she dragged me outside at that time.
Maybe “easy” wasn’t the right word, but certainly easier. I’ve been doing woodworking for almost 50 years, and I’ve seen a lot of advancements. Pocket screws, when they won’t be seen or won’t detract, are super fast ways of connecting boards with a very strong joint. That’s the heart of a door. Where these took about 10 minutes to drill, the mortise and tenon joints I cut on those closet doors took several hours. The tools make the magic possible.
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You make me wish I had studied carpentry so I could work magic with wood too.
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Always enjoy the DIY posts, Dan. Great job! Also jealous that you haven’t had to use the snow blower yet. It’s currently snowing like mad right now…
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Thanks Wendy. I love these projects. I’m sorry for all the snow you’ve had already. I need one more weekend to get ready and it looks like we’ll be in the mid-40s so I should be fine.
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Simple, functional, and attractive. What’s not to like, Dan? :-) Happy Thursday.
janet
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Thanks Janet. Simple, functional and attractive was the goal with these. I mean, it’s a shed. I used the doors on Sunday, while cleaning up leaves, and they are a big improvement over the ones they replaced.
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You are one talented do-it-yourselfer!! Doors look perfect on the shed. I love the way you take us through the process step-by-step. It’s fascinating. No doubt those doors will serve you well for years to come. —-Ginger—-
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Thanks Ginger, The only downside is that I have to keep them painted. But they aren’t too hard to paint, so maybe I’ll be able to keep after them. I do like the way they function.
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Always amazing, Dan. do have one question. i couldn’t tell from the pictures. Did you fill the joiner holes? Your work is always so precise and intriguing. I don’t think I will be doing any joiner holes soon but the question did come up. Thanks.
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Thanks John. I do have the plugs they make to fill the holes, but I didn’t bother with them on these doors. I can always add them later. I was fighting the clock on these. For the most part, the holes aren’t easy to see.
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No wonder I couldn’t tell one way or another.
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Is there any concern that a high wind would damage a hanging door? I am considering a slide door for my milkhouse/sauna but worry about the wind. It really gets strong coming off the Minnesota Mosquito Refuge.
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I have a similar door on my workshop, and it’s been hanging for well over 10 years without any issue. I think the key is holding the door to the wall. The workshop door is held from inside (when locked). The shed doors are held at the edge where they close by a pad that they slide under. The bracket with the (caster) wheel on it holds them at the trailing end. There are trim boards under the long sides and weatherstripping behind that, so the wind can’t get behind the door. The smaller door has a weatherstrip threshold and the wider door will have weatherstripping at the bottom.
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Dan, I believe you’re the only Thursday Doors participant who actually MAKES his own doors. And I think that’s pretty cool. If you haven’t been travelling, hey, no problem — whip up an entry without even leaving the house!
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Thanks Paul. These were fun to make and enough people like the D-I-Y aspects. So, even thought I only had two doors, it was a full post.
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They look amazing. Now I want some like that!
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Thanks. The sliding doors are so easy to use. I don’t know why I didn’t do this earlier.
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Nicely done Dan. Those look solidly built and I’m sure they’ll hold up well.
You’re giving me the itch to get back into the workshop and make something.
Excellent post!
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Thanks Norm. I didn’t get to make any furniture this year, so the woodworking behind the hanging shed and all these doors was my shop time. You can probably appreciate how good it feels to use leftover material instead of having to find a place to store it.
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Impressive Dan ! Quite the collection of tools. Almost makes me want to start on my shed door repair. Almost. It will keep till next spring. Though I might take a few pictures. That is if it does not slow me down getting back into the garden. So how many sheds does it take to store all those tools ! ? 8)
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Thanks John. I’ve been collecting the tools over a long period of woodworking. My workshop is 12×16, and I borrow a 10′ section at the back of a 22′ wide garage. I’d love more space, but I’m planning to make the 10′ that I borrow a permanent arrangement. I hope to partition off that portion of the garage so I can keep sawdust in the shop, and so I can afford to heat the shop space.
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By the looks of it, not a door I would like to bang my nose against. Much too solid for that, I’m afraid :)
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These are solid. I’m hoping they can last for the long haul. Thanks!
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Looks like the weather is holding for your project! My husband has an abundance of tools but I can’t pry him away from his model train layout for honeydo projects. Woe is me…
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That might be why I don’t have a model train :-(
PS, you’re not helping my cause…
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Nice! Charlie loves it when he can make something AND use “scraps” to do it. I love cooking that way, too. Your doors look very classy. Hope they turn out to be tall enough.
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It’s a good feeling not to have to waste something. In the garage or in the kitchen. The doors are more than tall enough. The opening they are covering…not so much. But I can fix that :-)
Thanks
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You do great work!
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Thank you Sandi.
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Doors that can’t stay closed are a nuisance, especially for one who is familiar with good carpentry work! There are certain things laymen just don’t think about. Showed hubby your earlier doors (I think the ones of last week), and asked him why they were higher than ground level, he looked like he saw water burning. “You can’t open a door when the snow is a foot high!” What a revelation:):)
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He’s right. The sliding doors also require less shoveling since I only have to dig a slot. Before, I had to shovel enough room to swing the doors all the way open.
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I hate it when others are right (in jest!). What was so comical was his immediate shocked reaction, like why is that even a question. The upside is: hubs thinks I know “everything!”
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🙂
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Shed shed. Lol. You ARE the Master Woodcrafter Dan. They look great and you will be beaming with satisfaction the first time to have to go for that snowblower. 👍🏻
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Thanks Cheryl. I’m looking forward to sliding that door open and blowing my way into the yard. It should be less for me to shovel.
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Shed shed. Win win. 😀
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They look really good. Sliding doors also save having to shovel snow from in front of them to get them open. :)
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Exactly! I can come out of the shed with the blower doing the work 🙂
It’s funny because I’m making sure I have the area I used to have to shovel marked for the machine. Thanks!
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Sometimes, if we get a dump of snow or the wind blows right we have to shovel for the door to slide but that is much less work.
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That’s what I’m hoping will be the case. It can’t be worse than what I have been dealing with.
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Well done! i really like your design. Quite the handyman, sir.
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Thanks. I’ve always enjoyed woodworking.
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They look great! You make it look easy, and the light of the setting sun, and rising moon look wonderful on your shed and doors. Hope the Snow blower cab and all fits now and you can get in and out easier.
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Thanks Deborah. Hopefully, next year, it gets s new roof and fresh siding to match the garage. Maddie dragged me out to sit with her when I took that photo with the moon.
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She, Maddie has a great sense of timing and lighting. :)
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Apparently that’s one of her talents. So many of my “nice” sunrise/sunset shots were taken while walking around the back yard with her.
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This is exactly how I imagine you every day all day long. :) Well done.
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Thanks. Unfortunately, most days, I’m stuck behind a desk. But I live for days in the shop.
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That looks so complicated, I think we’ll be buying our doors, Dan. There are some good second-hand ones available – as long as we measure carefully we should find the right one. Thankfully we don’t need snow blowers where we live. :)
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Thanks ! It was easier than the pictures make it look, Jean, but interior (hinged) doors are complex little projects and rarely end up less expensive than buying them. That only makes sense when you have a need for something that’s truly custom.
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good point about how sometimes it is the same price or cheaper to maybe go and buy certain things – hmmmmm
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such a great resource to add to the blogosphere, Dan.
and you are right, some of us knew this was coming….
it looks a little difficult and makes me grateful for door makers…. if that makes sense.
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Thanks Yvette. Most doors today are made in highly automated shops. The makers of reproduction doors and custom doors are still craftsmen (and women). It’s an art form and an engineering problem rolled into one, doors are always under stress.
These were pretty easy to make, because I had the tools required. I hope they hold up to a New England winter, but I think they will.
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oh I hope they hold up too :)
and the right tools are key, eh? I have heard some mechanics say this – sometimes a unique fix is needed that is easy – but the tool to do it is really expensive and so it is sometimes better (cheaper and easier) to pay someone to do it because of the needed tool
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True. I will buy the tool if I think I will use it on a regular basis. Otherwise, it’s not worth it.
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:)
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That’s a beautiful door meal you’ve made. :)
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Thank you !
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Nice doors, Dan. Our shed doors need some kicking at times, yet I hadn’t thought of sliders. Perhaps a spring job.
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Thanks Jennie. Spring would have been a better time for this, but that lumber had to go somewhere.
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Yes, it did.
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Major pat on the back and a job well done, Dan! Fantastic idea and fantastic doors! I hope your wife knows the brilliancy that sits in you. To make these doors out of scrap oh yeah …. inspirational! I need to nudge hubby in this direction to show him what Dan did and how, and um, gee, if he can do it working a full time job, then he can too (who is not working a full time job but always has the “age excuse” to fall back on). If I showed you a pic of all of our scrap wood in the basement and all the repairs we need to do (hubby mostly), you’d get why I would love to have hubby get some inspiration to rub off on him. And oh … now you don’t have to worry about critters getting into your barn. Or snow. Or rain. And you can get your snow blower out with ease. NICE!!!! I’m impressed! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
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Thanks Amy. I was a benefactor here, too. First, the doors help me. Second, that wood had to go somewhere.
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I LOVE these doors. You were very creative here, and gave us all food for DIY thought. I can just see that snow blower rolling right out to make Maddie’s hill. :-) Applause to the craftsman, and thank you for sharing.
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Thanks Judy. I’ve been using them this weekend and I do like them a lot. I think they’re going to work well.
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This is the “purtiest” and most useful shed ever, Dan! I am very pleased you showed us the final sunny, hanging barn doors. Then, the painted white details really show how evenly patterned the lines are. Nicely measured and great presentation!
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Thanks Robin. I am enjoying the doors. this weekend included some outside work and these were a pleasure to walk through.
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They are remarkable doors, Dan. You show why you were able to run and do craftsman quality woodworking when you had that large warehouse space. You can tell you love these hands on projects.
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Perfect solution…looks great and what an awesome job creating them….
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thank you nofacilities
Fantastic blog
good luck to you
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Thanks!
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