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Reclaimed Slab Doors

4/7/16       
Richard

Hello All,

I am designing a utility room cabinet for a customer who would like to have slab doors made from reclaimed wood that she is supplying. She has given me the attached pictures as a guideline of what look she wants.

My concern is that the doors will be quite large, in particular there is a broom closet with a door that is approx 17"W x 102" H. How would you prevent a door like that from warping?

Any thoughts are welcomed.

Thanks

Richard


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4/7/16       #2: Reclaimed Slab Doors ...
Edi Silva  Member

Website: silvawoodworking.com

Richard

We just finished a project that we use some reclaimed wood for the back of the island and for a Barn door between kitchen and mudroom. The material we used it was 3/4" thick so we end up making the the door 1 1/2" thick by gluing two layers with the Vacuum bag. Works perfect, they door came out nice and strait.

Edi

http://www.houzz.com/photos/48205427/NEW-CANAAN-CT-contemporary-
kitchen

4/7/16       #3: Reclaimed Slab Doors ...
Dennis Bean  Member

Website: http://www.saliceamerica.com

Hafele offers a product called "Planofit" especially for the purpose of stabilizing large cabinet doors. The stabilizer is installed to the inside surface of the door to add rigidity and to prevent warping. here is the link to Planofit.

Hafele Planofit

4/7/16       #4: Reclaimed Slab Doors ...
JOHN Member

Richard,
In my experience, the moisture content is key to making sure that door stays straight. Get it to 8% and seal it right away. and at 102" tall, you would need perfect conditions for reclaimed wood to stay straight. Ive made over 2000 tables from reclaimed cedar, pine, doug fir, and white oak, and I've come to realize that you cant fight mother nature when it comes to old growth wood. It does what it wants, and doesn't care about your project.

4/7/16       #5: Reclaimed Slab Doors ...
David R Sochar Member

Why will the wood warp?

Wood warps in response to changes in moisture content. If you are the responsible party, then it is your job to insure that the wood purchased is at the proper MC, or you will have to do what is needed to get it to the proper MC. 2 weeks on the job acclimating will not give the assurance I think you will need. Meter each and every board in several places before you start the project. One board that is not at your target MC can cause problems. Proper MC and EMC can be determined by charts as found in Bruce Hoadley's book Understanding Wood.

Solid wood doors as in the photo usually have horizontal battens on the backs that are fastened to allow wood lateral movement. Surface mounted or inlaid, dovetailed or decorative, they should be considered essential. The doors will still move with the unavoidable seasonal variations in relative humidity, so you will need to know that range so as to plan gaps and clearances correctly.

4/7/16       #6: Reclaimed Slab Doors ...
rich c.

Make sure they kiln dry the reclaimed wood to kill bugs before you get it. If they don't, you may get a call in a few months asking about the little piles of sawdust on the floor under the doors. Powder post beetle eggs love to hatch out in the nice warmth of a home.

4/8/16       #7: Reclaimed Slab Doors ...
pat gilbert

Rip and Flip others will discount this, just saying technically it has to alleviate warp.

4/18/16       #8: Reclaimed Slab Doors ...
Richard

Thanks All.

David, I like the idea of doing some kind of decorative inlaid battens do you have any more details or thoughts on how this might be achieved?

Thanks

Richard

4/26/16       #9: Reclaimed Slab Doors ...
David R Sochar

Rip and flip was a strategy that came about as a way to deal with boards cupping across their width as they responded to changes in environmental humidity. The rest of the story also mandated that no piece of wood be wider than 3". This was during a time when most wood was air dried or in the early dries of kiln usage.

The 'rule' was extensively promoted by Jerry Metz as a keystone of "Metz Rules" that he offered in 25 years as a columnist for a woodworking journal.

I feel that current thought is that the two steps mentioned in the old saw are no longer needed, since cupping across width is not a problem with solid wood that is used inside and dried properly.

As asked above - Why will the wood warp? Understanding this will help a woodworker concentrate their energies and resources where needed instead of blindly adhering to uneccessary and outdated rules.

4/28/16       #10: Reclaimed Slab Doors ...
rc

did a run of doors like that recently
resawed the weathered surface off old pine boards------> sanded to 1/8" in ----->layed up on perimeter internally banded3/4" mdf cores, doors came out of press @ 1" thick, very flat , the freshly milled perimeter wood(edgebanding) was finished as a weathered grey


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