Solid Entry Doors

Doors are the gateway to the home. Make a bold statement with shop-made entry doors.

- By Logan Wittmer

The door to any building is the first impression that someone has as they enter the structure.

Building your own entry door is not only a chance to make a statement, but to also show off your skills to visitors.

As you may have read in my editor letter, a friend asked me to build a set of French doors for their Serbian Orthodox church. The church was built in the 1850's, and the doors at some point were replaced with cheap, commercial glass doors. They leaked like a sieve, and the church was doing some work to the building to preserve it. If I must say, these doors really top it off.

Now, obviously, I assume that if you're reading this article and are interested in building an entry door, I assume you're not going to build doors for a Serbian Orthodox church. Honestly, if you are, cool. By all means. Just make sure you follow my example, and take payment for your work in delicious Serbian food. Seriously. I think they got the short end of the deal on this one.

In all seriousness, the intent behind this article is to show you the techniques required to build entry doors that will last the test of time; not to copy these doors exactly.

1 Cut the parts to length. The sliding table is a great way to easily cut them to length by yourself. A crosscut sled will do the trick too, but you may need a helping hand.

2 My doors feature an angled rail, also easily done with the sliding table.

Solid Foundation