Barn door construction questions (what timber sizes to use)

[julianf]

I need to build up a door for my garage / workshop.

It currently has a metal doorframe, which is approximately 2m wide, by 2m high.

The workshop isnt supposed to be pretty, but it will be heated. I just need a functional door.

Im thinking of using these (or similar) so as i can adjust the angle of the door -

...and then building something out of timber.


I've got an agricultural timber yard in the village, so id like to use what they have.

Below is their "menu" -

Im thinking my quickest, easiest option is some sort of ledged and braced? But what should i use to make it?

I was eyeing up the TGV 125x19x4200, as it looks nicer, but just plain tannelised is a bit cheaper.

Im tempted to make the ledges and braces out of 2" timber, and wedge in a load of cellotex (which i have) but im not convinced thats a good idea.


What would you do? Its not meant to be a dining table, but, if im spending some money and making it, id like to do it well. Again, the rest of the building will be heated and insulated (cellotex on walls and roof, but concrete floor), so thats a consideration.

Thank you.

 

[Cabinetman]

Several thoughts come to mind, Had you thought about building a smaller personnel door into the big door, this would allow you to secure the large one from the inside and a smaller door is easier to make secure. They used to fit them to warehouse doors, with a 12” high step/ threshold and the door was only big enough to stoop through.
Construction, I think if it was me I would use something like 6”x 2” and mortice and tenon the frame together with a groove running around so you could glue 18mm ply into the frame, this would really stiffen it all up as well as making it difficult to break through (Say compared to shiplap). I think I would just cover the whole of the inside of the door with Cellotex. Bolts through the hinges as well as fitting jamb bolts for extra security. Ian

 

[Ozi]

Much as above, except I'd fit the ply on the outside of the frame so that by fitting a thinner cheaper sheet to the inside I could create an air gap to fill with rock wool. I would have a mid height 4" by 2" to carry a lock plate and cut 1" by 1" out of each of the uprights at the point they meet to give an overlap. That's my basic barn door where I want a bit of security. Never built one with a sally door but agree it would be a good idea. I built a slightly bigger pare with a central post 8" by 4" because that's what I had and had that de-mountable for getting bigger items through on the odd occasion, makes for a very strong closed edge as I can padlock top bottom and middle.

 

[PerryGunn]

If it's only 2m x 2m it's not really practical to fit a smaller door into the main ones, but you might want to consider making the two door leaves different widths e.g. 1.3m and 700mm as this will allow a 'normal' width door for pedestrian access.

It's not a garage door but I did this with my driveway gates - they're roughly the same height as your garage door but wider

I split them 2/3 and 1/3 and made the outside look like 3 identical sections. They're not fully closed in the photo below as it was before I fitted the electric rams

I have one photo of the inside taken at the same stage - again partially open so the heights look off (but they aren't).

All the stiles and rails are 6x2 with half lap joints glued & screwed so the rails are a single piece of timber. there are additional 1x1 rails fitted to the inside of the 'triangles' to allow for infill with more featheredge on the inside

Final result for the inside looked like the side gate I'd made previously - but without the 'cat portal'

 

[Jameshow]

I'd use 18mm ply backing for security.

Then lapped 4x2 tannalised frame, insulated.

followed by cladding..

 

[Ollie78]

My garage door is about the size of what your doing. It is 44mm thick with 20mm vertical face boarding. A pair split in the centre. It uses regular 100mm door hinges.
Works well.

Ollie

 

[Tris]

I expect you are way ahead of me here but timber from an agricultural merchant tends to be rather damp, will that cause you a problem on a door with heat one side?
Also, those hinge mount pins are available as 'pin to weld' as you've got a metal door frame. I'd be tempted to use the sort that are drilled to take a roll pin that stops the eye being lifted off. Where I work we have to use those to stop the field gates being nicked.

 

[julianf]

Somthing like this?

Shown with 2x4 because a) i don't want to spend a whole load of cash, and b) the door really isnt that huge.

I never remember which way up the braces go - i think ive got them correct?

The small door is 650 wide, so slim, but that's exactly a third, and i think 650 will be fine. We have a doorway (to a laundry / boiler room) in our home thats about that, and its never seemed excessively small. (there is a larger door on the other side of the workshop that will be the one in use most of the time - the small one will probably stay closed until bin day)

 

[julianf]

I expect you are way ahead of me here but timber from an agricultural merchant tends to be rather damp, will that cause you a problem on a door with heat one side?
Also, those hinge mount pins are available as 'pin to weld' as you've got a metal door frame. I'd be tempted to use the sort that are drilled to take a roll pin that stops the eye being lifted off. Where I work we have to use those to stop the field gates being nicked.

Yeah, the timber will be sodden. I was probably going to go with the "screw it all together wet and hope for the best" plan... : /

Have you got a link to the hinges you mention?

My casual plan was to buy some galvanised, soak the male part in caustic, and weld it to the frame. Ill get the frame hot dipped then with the male part attached, so it will get recoated then.

I wanted to buy the female part (the bit that screws to the wood) pre-dipped, as the plant here is trouble, and id really rather not complicate things by giving them small parts. 3 parts of a door frame i think im safe with, but little bits, im not so sure....

 

[PerryGunn]

Somthing like this?

I never remember which way up the braces go - i think ive got them correct?

Yes, braces go down towards the hinge side - to transfer load they shouldn't be at less than 45 degrees (they can be steeper), this is why I divided my larger gate into two sub-sections

 

[Jameshow]

Somthing like this?

View attachment 123245


Shown with 2x4 because a) i don't want to spend a whole load of cash, and b) the door really isnt that huge.

I never remember which way up the braces go - i think ive got them correct?

The small door is 650 wide, so slim, but that's exactly a third, and i think 650 will be fine. We have a doorway (to a laundry / boiler room) in our home thats about that, and its never seemed excessively small. (there is a larger door on the other side of the workshop that will be the one in use most of the time - the small one will probably stay closed until bin day)

I would go for a triple panel just looks better imho.

Cheers James

 

[julianf]

I would go for a triple panel just looks better imho.

Cheers James

I dont care too much what it looks like - its a functional door out of a 1970s prefab concrete section building onto an access lane.

 

[Tris]

https://www.ironmongerydirect.co.uk...LUR0FDrtAVB8EPjkw0iCMQBMb8H_UJ7kaAtKaEALw_wcB
These seem reasonably priced, Screwfix do them for 4.99 each, Toolstation a bit cheaper.
I expect mole valley would have them too, our local ag merchant does.

 

[eribaMotters]

I dont care too much what it looks like - its a functional door out of a 1970s prefab concrete section building onto an access lane.

In an attempt to meet functional and heating requirements, M & T a simple frame out of 95 x ? thickness to match your insulation out of tanalised softwood. Glue and pin a 9mm skin to the inside, add insulation and clad outside with vertical T & G boards.

Colin

 

[mikej460]

I expect you are way ahead of me here but timber from an agricultural merchant tends to be rather damp, will that cause you a problem on a door with heat one side?
Also, those hinge mount pins are available as 'pin to weld' as you've got a metal door frame. I'd be tempted to use the sort that are drilled to take a roll pin that stops the eye being lifted off. Where I work we have to use those to stop the field gates being nicked.

Or simply do what farmers do and fit the top hinges upside down but on the inside face otherwise they could be simply unscrewed or ground off

 

[mikej460]

In an attempt to meet functional and heating requirements, M & T a simple frame out of 95 x ? thickness to match your insulation out of tanalised softwood. Glue and pin a 9mm skin to the inside, add insulation and clad outside with vertical T & G boards.

Colin

This would be my preferred method except I'd fit the T&G diagonally from top side to bottom middle.

 

[Oakay]

I need to build up a door for my garage / workshop.

It currently has a metal doorframe, which is approximately 2m wide, by 2m high.

The workshop isnt supposed to be pretty, but it will be heated. I just need a functional door.

Im thinking of using these (or similar) so as i can adjust the angle of the door -

...and then building something out of timber.


I've got an agricultural timber yard in the village, so id like to use what they have.

Below is their "menu" -

View attachment 123173



View attachment 123176


Im thinking my quickest, easiest option is some sort of ledged and braced? But what should i use to make it?

I was eyeing up the TGV 125x19x4200, as it looks nicer, but just plain tannelised is a bit cheaper.

Im tempted to make the ledges and braces out of 2" timber, and wedge in a load of cellotex (which i have) but im not convinced thats a good idea.


What would you do? Its not meant to be a dining table, but, if im spending some money and making it, id like to do it well. Again, the rest of the building will be heated and insulated (cellotex on walls and roof, but concrete floor), so thats a consideration.

Thank you.

This large gate project I did in the summer worked out well.

6x1 for tongue and groove boards.

 

[Peter Sefton]

I have a similar sized opening on the end of my workshop, I found a double glazed set of patio doors and frame that was being thrown out. I fitted this on the inner leaf the building and left the original outer door for security. It now means I can open the outer door to gain the natural light into the workshop whilst retaining the heat, and gives me double security.

 

[johnnyb]

my take on this is make the from stiles from 9 by 3 unsorted cut to any size over 4 inch( top rails to). thickness 2 inch or more. 20mm tandg. 30mm(+) mid and bottom. all wedged m and t. barefaced mid and bottom .