Entry door wood

[AlanS]

So, I have to build an entry door. 
 I am making this for my own home.  I am an experienced furniture maker, but have not made an entry door as yet.
 The wood supplier I used to use has closed (Long Island, NY).  I thus have to turn to my local lumber yard.   They carry 8/4 mahogany, so I can secure wood there.   How would you go about 'assuring' that you have selected the 'right' wood for the job?   I plan to look for the straightest, knot free lumber. For furniture, I have that skill/ knowledge base, but for a free hanging door...well...  Honduras Mah. species I have read is the 'right species' to use. 
One of my friends suggests that I 'stack' 4/4 and 5/4 to produce the thickness, rather than a full 8/4.  Would 'stacking'- having glued with West epoxy- create a problem? Or, as he suggested, it would 'solve' the movement problem?  If this is 'do-able', can I 1/2 lap the joints using the different thicknesses as my joint?  (is that clear?).   My current round top entry door that I am replacing has the radius section glued up with horizontal pieces (the grain runs horizontal) rather than sections cut with a 'running grain pattern' through the radius (several sections joined together to form the radius).   So, 1. Is there any advantage, disadvantage, to laminating two boards together to get my full 1-1/2"?  2.  The top section...grain horizontal or run the radius? 3. What is the widest I can make the bottom rail without fear of splitting/ issues? (current is now 11").

[JGrout]

While there are some species that are preferable for a door I have built doors from at least two dozen species I have no failures in 20+yrs except one that was doused with a misaligned sprinkler that sprayed water on the unfinished door for twelve hours .The wood failed not a single joint 

I expect the mahogany at the LY is likely Philippine mahogany.  Honduras is IME a special order at that level.  you may have to look around to find a supplier that will either deliver or within driving distance  

I have moved away from 8/4 stock unless I am able to pick my own stock as there is always defects that ruin the crisp lines of a well made entry door .

What I have gone to is laminating 4/4 stock using plain old T2 glue or plasic resin glue (I have never used epoxy of any sort for door construction other than to fill knots in rustic doors)  for the rails, this allows me the ability to use the cleanest faces for the exposed parts burying the defects to the inner laminated sides

For stiles I find the very finest looking stock and if building an entry door I resaw the stock to yield the best looking faces I can The thickness is based on the profiles of the sticking so between 1/8 and 1/4" for the core I use LVL ripped into pieces turned perpendicular and glued back together    with the native species glued to the core. then I laminate the resawn stock to the faces after preparation of the core and press in my vacuum bag agian using t2 or plastic resin glue if I need more open time 

As for the top I work out the details and build the arch as a triangle to start with using laminated stock similar to this drawing but only using two pieces instead of more as it shows 



the end result looks basically  like this 



the only thing different about this is that the arch top is attached to the top of the stiles instead of the sides From a strictly design standpoint this produces the most pleasing lines and is not that much harder to accomplish 

there is more to the build than this short discussion and I am happy to help if you want 

Joe

[jnesmith]

for the core I use LVL ripped into pieces turned perpendicular and glued back together    with the native species glued to the core. then I laminate the resawn stock to the faces

Joe, can you explain this further?  When you say "perpendicular", do you mean 90 degrees, or did you actually mean you rotate one half so it is 180 degrees from the original position?

Also, what do you do about the exposed edges of the LVL?  (You didn't mention it so I may simply be misinterpreting your explanation)



Thanks.

[JGrout]

I use LVL ripped into pieces turned perpendicular and glued back together    with the native species glued to the core. 

I should have wrote turned 90* and glued back together ( as the top piece in your photo shows so the laminations are vertical in the new core)  

And "with the native species glued to the edges of the core".  Then add the face skins to that. It amounts to a five piece stile. Two faces two edges and one glued up core. It is as stable as one could ever expect from wood. you do have to do some thinking to make the core the right size I just take my stile width subtract 1 1/4" from the width to get the final core this leaves me about 1/4" of stock to edge the stiles make them straight and parallel once the unit is assembled but before shaping the profile (ie 4 square)  You can also use regular 7 ply plywood if you are inclined not to buy LVL but I like the fact I can glue up a core 4 1/2" wide with 3 pieces using 1 1/2" thick LVL I may have to rip part of it off but by combining two and ripping in two I can get ~5 3/4" stiles to start which is perfect for 5" faces

 

[Alan S]

Joe:

That is a very interesting approach to glued up perfectly quartersawn stock that should be very stable -- and apparently you have found it to be.  I don't have an immediate need for it (the OP has no space in his username) but will stash this away for when I do need it. 

One quick question: are you doing this for insurance, or have you seen dimensional stability problems using LVL without the rip, turn, glue treatment?

[jnesmith]

Thanks Joe.

[JGrout]

I used to just cut them and use them but found I had an occasional issue with bowing albeit slight 

so yes more from experience than any thing else 

Joe

[AlanS]

Is there any concern about laminating the 'veneer' to the LVL in an exterior application?   I fear de-lamination.   Are you sure that the hinges will be secure in the LVL?   Can LVL be sent through the planer, following the glue-up of the several pieces to form a 5-1/2" wide board?

[JGrout]

Is there any concern about laminating the 'veneer' to the LVL in an exterior application?I have never had a delamination Just use good glue and plenty of it Remember LVL is long grain glued     I fear de-lamination.   Are you sure that the hinges will be secure in the LVL? I have 300 lb doors hanging on four 4 1/2" hinges none have fallen down to date   Can LVL be sent through the planer, following the glue-up of the several pieces to form a 5-1/2" wide board? I do it and quite often. LVL is sort of hard on my steel jointer knives but not the planer. I have a spiral head on my planer and to date all I have is normal wear. I do make an effort to scrape off any residual glue I introduce but even that is less than an issue these days with that head. The key is to get the native stock a bit wider than the LVL at glue up so you are flattening it and not so much the LVL Then let the planer take the brunt of the duties of finishing to thickness/ once you have the top face completely parallel flip it over and finish off the reference face  

[cputnam]

PM Joe Grout and see what he thinks if no response here.