Making Rustic Doors
- 1). Measure the height and width of your doorway and subtract at least 1/2 inch from both to allow room for the door to fit without jamming. Choose boards whose actual widths will add up to the width of the door you want. If they don't add up exactly, rip-saw or plane one of the boards to adjust the width.
- 2). Saw four 1-by-8-inch boards 78 inches long to make a 30-inch by 78-inch door, using a hand-saw or table saw.
- 3). Saw two 1-by-6-inch boards 30 inches long or the exact width of the four 1-by-8-inch boards when they're laid edge to edge.
- 4). Lay the four 1-by-8-inch boards side by side and lay the two 1-by-6-inch battens across them, 1 foot from the top and bottom. Place scrap wood under the door so you can nail through the boards without damaging the floor or worktable underneath. Use a carpenter's square to make sure the boards are arranged so the tops and bottoms are square and the battens are square also.
- 5). Nail the battens on, putting two 1 3/4-inch or 2-inch cut nails through the battens into each 1-by-8-inch board. Use cut nails that haven't been hardened or substitute non-hardened wire nails. Choose nails 1/4 to 3/8 inch longer than the thickness of the two boards.
- 6). Lay another 1-by-6-inch board diagonally from the top left corner of the lower batten to the bottom right corner of the upper batten. Trace a line on the underside of this board where it cross the battens. Remove it and saw on the lines so it will lie against the door, fitting tightly between the battens.
- 7). Place the diagonal board on the door and nail it in place with two nails in each vertical board.
- 8). Turn the door over and clinch the nails on the other side by hammering the protruding nail-ends at an angle until they bend tight against the wood.
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