The true skills and methods used in these plans need to be seen - do this by clicking the links to view diagrams to support the text

 

The Doors Stage:

The main entry door is one place where a table saw or a table mounted router will allow you to make a more sturdy door. I will give two methods, the first will not require those tools and the second method will.

Butt joint method
Check the drawing and cut two pieces of 1X2 trim to the heigth of the door opening minus 1/8 inch for clearence. Cut 3 stiles to the width of the opening minus 3 inches for the rails and another 1/8 inch for door clearence. For the door vent, cut two more rails 9 inches long and two more stiles 1/8 inch shorter than the door stiles. click for picture

Lay the seathing out and run a bead of glue along the overlap. Set some nails and lay boards along the seam to hold it closed. Check the dimension of the panel to see that it is 1/8 inch less than the opening on. This gives a clearence of 1/16 inch all the way around.

Layout the rails along the long edges flush against the edge of the panel. If you used a rotozip to cut out the panel, it may be necessary ro overlap the trim boards to get teh 1/16 clearence. Glue and nail the rails to the panel. Then set three stiles, one at the top, another at the bottom, both nailed and glued flush with the edge. The third stile is glued and nailed 9 inches below the top to make a space for the door vent. Set a screw through the rail into the end of the stile to strengthen the heavily used door.

Use a Rotozip to cut out the vent door opening or mark out vent opening by driving nails into the corneers of the rails and stiles. On the back side lay a straight edge against the nails and mark out the opening. Remove the nails then using a circular saw, cut out the opening just to the inside of the lines. Using the cutout piece, check to see that is fits into the opening with 1/16 clearence all around. Glue and nail the rails and stiles to the vent door.

Staple hardware cloth to the back side of the vent opening. The vent door is mounted to the entry door with hinges and a bolt latch after painting. The door is also mounted with hinges and a barrel latch after painting.

Stub tendon method click for picture
The second method requires either a table saw or a table mounted router. This method produces good strong utility doors that work well in all sorts of places. It uses 1/2 inch stub tendons on the stiles fitting onto groves in the rails.

Cut the rails to length and cut the stiles 1 inch longer than using the but joints above. Use either a 1/4 routher bit or a normal kerf blade in the table saw. Set the blade or bit 1/2 inch above the table and set the fence 1/4 inch away from the blade or bit. The fence will need fine tuning. Run a scrap piece of the rail to cut a groove one one edge. Flip the piece end for end and make a second cut in the first. Now the groove is centered onthe rail. Test with the sheating plywood to get a snug fit in the grove. If the fit is tight, move the frnce closer to the blade, if loose, move the fence away. Once the fit is like you want it, cut a groove on one edge of all the rails and stiles. Be careful of bowed lumber as it will make wide grooves. Use finger boards to keep the material tight against the fence.

o cut the tendons, set the fence just slightly less that 1/2 inch away from the outside of the blade or bit. Raise the blade or bit to 1/4 inch above the table. Make sure your miter guage is exactly square to the blade. Now pass the end of a scrap stile over the blade, cutting away the cheeks of the tendon. Make a pass, move the piece away from the fence the width of the blade, and make another pass. Do this until the cheek is cut away. It helps to have a dado blade but that is not absolutly necessary. Flip the piece and cut away the other cheek.

Set the test piece in the groove of the grove test piece. If the tendon is too tight, slightly raise the blade or bit, if too loose, slightly lower the blade or bit. Remember that you are taking off twice as much material because both cheeks are cut so nibble away to a snug fit. If the tendon is too long and bottoms out in the groove, move the fence closer to the blade. For a longer tendon, move the fence away. The tops of the tendon must fit tight against the sides of the gro0ve. With a square hold the test pieces aquare and examine the joint on both sides. If there is a wedge shaped gap, then the miter guage is not square to the blade or bit. Once teh test tendons are like you want them, cut tendons on teh ends of all your stiles.

Dry assemble the door and measure the inside ipening. Cut a piece of the sheathing just under one inch larger than the opening. Glue up the door with and trim to fit the opening. If you want to cover the visable grooves in the vent opening cut some 1/2 by 1/4 strips and glue them in place. Build up the vent door in the same manner. From this point hanging the vent door and entry door is the same as the but joint version above.

The groove is cut first. The following dimensions assume 3/4 material for the rails and stiles, and 1/4 plywood. It is easier to cut the groove with a full kerf saw blade, thin kerf blades will leave a small sliver of material between the cuts. This sliver is easily removed with a chisel. Raise the blade to 1/2 inch above the table and set the fence 1/4 inch away from the blade. Increase this dimension for thinner plywood and increase for thicker. It should be one half the difference between the thickness of the wood and the thickness of the plywood. Cut a groove in a piece of test material. The picture shows the groove after the first pass. click for picture

Turn the test piece end for end and cut another groove alongside the first pass. The picture shows the groove after the second pass. click for picture

Now test the fit of the groove against the plywood. You want a snug fit but not tight. If the fit is too tight, move the fence away from teh blade. If teh fit is too loose, move the fence closer to the blade. Remember that the fit will be changed by twice the movement of the fence. Move the fence in very small increments and test the fit after each move. click for picture

The next step is to make the tendon. Be sure to save that last test piece with the best fit. Lower the blade to be the same distance off the table as the distance between the fence and blade. Move the fence to 1/2 inch away from the outside of the blade. Cut the tendon as show in the image to make the shoulder click for picture

Make several passes to nibble away the tendon. If a flat top blade is used, the tendon cheek will be flat and will need little of no clean up sith a chisel. Flip the piece over to cut away the second side as shown in the picture. click for picture

Test fit the tendon in the test grooge. If the tendon bottoms out in the groove, move the fence closer to the blade. Move teh blade away fromt eh fence to lengthen the tendon. If the tendon is too tight, raise the blade slightly, too loose, lower teh blade. Remember the blade movements cut on both sides so make incremental adjustments and test often. The fit should be the same as the plywood to groove fit. click for picture

The tendon on the stiles go to the edge of the plywood. click for picture

If there is an angle between the rail and stile fit, the miter guage needs adjusted to be square to the blade.

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