Tyreman, I've gotten around to having a good read through the book, whilst I'm not quite sure what specific information you're after, I will say that the little book is a good one! It's an excellently laid out reference book on traditional methods much in the same way as Ellis' or Hasluck's books are. It pretty much covers everything you would expect about traditional door making, from simple ledged doors to multi-panel doors with various methods of construction. The same can be said of the window making part of the book, from very simple casement windows all the way to complex bay windows and triple sash windows. It is a shame the author was anonymous, he was very clearly a very knowledgable man.
Would definitely recommend it to anyone looking into making their own doors and windows, but also would stress that you will want to look into modern draught sealing :lol:
Mutley Racers":3i3bizv6 said:
So here is my attempt at a door.
Unfortunately there are gaps in some mortices due to tenons being too small. Holes where they went a bit off centre so not lining up spot on.
Is there a gap filling glue?
It looks to be a very good first attempt Mutley, I would say Andy pretty much nailed it on the head with his suggestion, pack up your tenons by gluing some pieces on and paring them back with a chisel until you're happy with the fit. If you want to head down the gap filling glue route you really can't beat cascamite powdered resin glue for it, it has a long open time and sets hard like rock once cured and is structural and waterproof. Polyurethane glues are gap
filling but it's basically just filling the gaps with soft bubbles which aren't structural at all, it's fine if you're gluing something that has gaps and you plan on filling the gaps later with wood filler but in something like a door joint I wouldn't trust it. Polyurethane glue, however, is a very good glue if you've got good fitting joints but is rapid setting so not ideal for the beginner.
Mutley Racers":3i3bizv6 said:
I found it really difficult to cut to the line with the tenons. All went a bit narrow or fat.
Just got the vertical cente onea now and a couple of panels.
I enjoyed the process but a lot more to just marking and cutting. Working out the materials list, size of tenons, etc was quite hard.
How have you been cutting the tenons? All by hand? If so I must commend you as it's not an easy job to rip to a line in such thick timber by hand. It may have been down to the saw rather than yourself, cheaper construction grade saws like the Irwin's or the newer Spear and Jacksons have a tooth form exclusively for crosscutting battens and site timbers, which makes them absolute rubbish for ripping. The difference between an Irwin and an old, sharp rip pattern saw with circa 4-6tpi is night and day. I would suggest if you were going to do it again with the same tools, start by making multiple crosscuts on the cheeks of your tenons down to your lines, and then knock off the blocks with a chisel and mallet, pare back to the line with a sharp chisel.
If you've ever got any questions, don't be afraid to shoot me a PM anytime.