Door and Home Construction Equipment

A brief introduction to specialized machinery designed for door manufacturing. September 20, 2008

Reprinted with permission from MLS Machinery, Inc.

Door making covers a very broad range of equipment. Some of the door making equipment has already been discussed under other categories or will be handled under other sections to follow. Doors need routers, double end tenoners (categories on their own to be discussed later), clamps for solid wood doors as previously discussed, particle board laminated doors with veneers or Formica would require presses (to be discussed). There are hollow frame doors, normally found in homes - these are pre-manufactured frames laminated with pressboard or masonite; the frame is assembled in a press as previously discussed and laminated on a hot or cold press.

There are certain companies that specifically make door making equipment. These machines will mortise oblong holes, or drill various holes, rout various slots in the sides or fronts and backs of the doors for the handle locking mechanisms and hinges. In the case of a mortise slot, the machine used is called a mortising machine, which can do either multiple slots at the same time or a single slot with a single head machines. Some of these machines might also be known as an oscillating slot mortiser, and can do a vertical or horizontal slot.

There are special machines which slot or rout small sections on the rear edge of the door for the hinges so that they can be installed flush with the door. These machines are normally called pre-hung door machines. There are also machines called door lite machines, which cut out a hole or holes where a window or windows might be installed. For large production door manufacturing some companies will use a door sizer. A door sizer is basically two double end tenoners in line which will size the door to the correct dimension, bevel the edges and in some cases sand the sides as well.

Stair routers and stair trench machines - these are specific machines for the stair industry. They make the cut out for the stair stringers and backs; that is the part you actually stand on.

Round arch screw presses and profile wrappers are used in the window industry.

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