Folks...getting ready to build the ash windows for my place and will have to migrate my existing OSB door to something a little nicer.

Am contemplating having a significant amount of window in the door but would still like some traditional design elements from the 1800's if possible.

Anyone have links to historic door pictures or ones they have built themself?

Have made it through a Canadian winter living in my TF and log home with just my wood burning fireplace, 2 dogs and 2 months of electricity!

Bruce

I am also interested in barn door designs. I am looking for the 1813 time period. I don't know if they ever incorporated windows into the barn doors. Any ideas?

The house I grew up in was built 1804-1811. Standard 4 over 4 center hall, timberframe (all hand hewn oak timbers, rough sawn 2x)hardwood floors added 1850's, Shipboard front, clapboard (cedar)siding. You can find this model or variations thereof from New England to the midwest. Most of the front door treatments had leaded sidelight and a leaded sunburst overhead. Many of the front doors in this era were massive 4' wide carved exteriors. Glass in the door did not appear in any great numbers until after 1890 or thereabouts. There are modern door replicas of the victorian glass inset variety available from small craftsmen as well as the major door suppliers. Most interior doors were cross and open bible design and also 3 or 4 feet wide. Narrow doors were found in the "back" stairs, resident staff apartments and such.
Only windows I have ever seen in early barn doors were small wooden shutter types, no glass.
There are probably a few exceptions but unfortunately I have not traveled everywhere (yet).

Hi all:

Windows In the pioneering time were small mainly because of the proceedure of manufacturing glass.

Glass was also very expensive and was mainly destined to be used in your first attempt at building a shelter or home. Sparingly at first with small lights (panes)and then as time went on mainly towards the end of the 1800's glass panes became larger, and more abundant.

The early 3 bay Barns had virtually no windows, and you wouldn't find any in the doors.

Many windows in a home meant that person had accumulated wealth, and It would show in their homes usually, at least here in Ontario Canada.

I hope this helps understand alittle the early use of glass in the pioneering homes
NH

This may be an earlier design element than Bruce wants; In the US some of the early colonial front doors have their outer faces patterned with an excess of nails. Nails were quite valuable so it's a demonsration of the prosperity of the owner.
As I understand it this is an adornment adopted at a time when all or most window glass (and other architectural hardware)in the "new world" was imported.

I'd like to see what you come up with as I'll be doing the same thing sometime this summer...
I have Jack Sobon's classic hall and parlor standing wrapped with a huge 4ft by 8ft hole where a front door needs to go.

There are two excellent books I have come across:

ISBN 080694840X & 0806965444 which are now out of print but my library had copies of both. I was after the second one for my sash window construction and is by far the best source of detail on making your own sash windows. Worth the read and I will be using my Freud router bits to make the sash but I needed details on the casement for the sash itself which this provides.

On doors though it has some excellent info as well. I went to my local Habitat Re-Fit store and picked up an interior door from the 1800's I was planning to reproduce for my interior doors as well and this book had similar doors in them! With construction details but they are pretty straighforward to copy anyways.

On exterior doors they had alot to choose from style wise and gave general principles on exterior door construction. I will basically take a sheet of 3/4" plywood. Edge trim it with 1/4" pine. Then glue/nail on 1x8 or 1x6 T&G pine flooring on both sides vertically. Will give a 2 1/4" door that is solid and dimensionally stable in all directions. Also gave details on adding lights to windows etc.

Worth looking at those books forsure. Out of print as there are not many of us interested in our door or window making!

Found a local source of 8/4 white oak for my door sills. Beautiful but not cheap!

Derek,

You don't want that DF plank so you better send it my way

Seriously unless it is sawn out of the center of the log you will likely get some wood movement you won't be happy with.

B.

Check out Fine Homebuilding issue #168 (December '04/January '05), page 86. This article, titled "Custom Doors, Done Easy", describes a simple, sandwich-style method for building larger, thick doors. As the author, Scott McBride, states "Building a door in layers gives the look of traditional joinery (stiles and rails that meet with mortise and tenon joints) with less of the fuss. The key tool for this technique is the pocket-hole jig . . ." "Strength and stability are important when you go beyond standard door sizes, and the layered constructions of my doors makes them strong, stable, and heavy." I plan to use this technique to build several oversize doors for my whole-house renovation. Good luck with yours.

I did check out the FHB article and preferred the books mention above due to the amount of detail in them.

Thanks!