It has been some time since I mentioned the external french oak doors project, so I just thought I would post a little update and a few photos for you while some wood glue dries…

Well the frame is pretty much completed now, and I am on the doors themselves.  At this stage I am carefully trying to make all routing and drilling procedures easier for myself by doing them before gluing into (inevitably awkward to reach) configurations.  This has involved a good lot of exciting playing about with the new router.  I have made a few router guides and jigs and am still experimenting, but it has already proven to be soo useful.

In the photo below I have routed out most of the recess for the central lock/latch keeps (the bit the locking bolt goes into) and strike plate.  So this is the so-called ‘passive’ of the double doors.  I left the squirmy ‘router worm’ shapes so that the router base had something to rest on, and did not fall into the very recess it was making (which would involve digging too deep).  The little bits left are easily removed with a chisel.

This is a keep for one of the two multi-point-style hook locks.  Another plate fits on top and is adjustable left and right – so you can tension the door up nicely against the weather seals.

As I plan to have four hinges per door, I made a quick hinge routing jig from some of the scrap oak.

What a mess I am making on the bench ;)  Here you can see the frame – in the background (there is not much space left to put it).  All four hinges  on this door done…

I have also been using the router to make some of the joints.  After sawing off the bulk of the wood, I use this little home-made jig to rout out some accurate half lap joints (which you can see ‘fulfilled’ in the photo above).

So yeah, it is coming on… I will soon have to continue writing the full step-by-step of this project.  For now I am off to do some euro-lock cylinder routing.

Posted: 03|19|10 at 7:17 pm. Categorically squeezed into: Woodplay.
Tags: Door, French Door, Oak, Router, Window
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