Raised panel doors and yacht varnish tips for the weary.

[Phil Pascoe]

Overthinking again!!
10 minutes with coarse sand paper and a soft brush, 20 minutes with Aluminium primer and you are half way there.
Varnish, stain, polish on such a cr ap door is just a waste of effort and will still look horrible. Just put some ****ing paint on it! That's what it had on before, use the same colour if you are worried - a nameless shade of brown.
PS you can't fill cracks with glue. Rub putty in after the primer is dry. Takes seconds.

Totally ............ except use two part filler, it's dry in minutes.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

You seem to have a throwaway attitude to expensive timber ...

It isn't. It's meranti or some such. It's a garage door, not the front door of La Scala.

 

[Jacob]

.......

You seem to have a throwaway attitude to expensive timber, which to me is more than money, ......

What expensive timber? The installers didn't think it was - they painted it brown!

 

[Ttrees]

These doors are made from Iroko, , expensive yes, but more importantly
it's a blood timber in my book, so regardless of the value of these,
for twofold, they indeed serve an important purpose for security.

Let's not write off these doors yet!
The "installer" seems to be the problem here, not the manufacturer.

Been doing a bit of cleaning up tonight, and now I have some time to give a proper inspection, seems I was a bit quick to plough into the whole job so far,
and could infact have spent more time thinking about the whole thing. lol.

If I'm right about my findings tonight, then I do hope I will get away with all the work I've done so far.

Have a look at these photos folks before you slate the manufacturer!
I've never seen an iroko door which had separated like this.
Most of the iroko doors I've scavenged (probably 20 or more)
have required drilling those tenons out, as they have been well tight,
and I've never been able to simply drop a hand saw in-between.

Really getting the impression now, that the hinge installation is the reason for all this.
This could be just the ticket...should I be able to remove these screws without them snapping, my fingers are crossed.

Seems I might get away without having to spend a penny, but more importantly
not compounding this issue further.
That just seems wrong to me, as the only filler I've ever encountered on an iroko door
(meranti and idigbo included) has been for an upgraded lock.

Big gaps at the hinges

But not at the top rail...

The other door is the same deal

Not even a hint of a gap at the top, which if I can undo these screws suggests they might just nestle back into position...
Provided I can remove any existing fillers if present

Seems like a good idea would be to apply glue before removing these middle hinges

Thankfully the only ones need removing are the centre ones

Getting the impression these might just end up a Mac'daecent job!

Seems I may need glue a strip in the centre should they go back together
I did notice differing widths when offering up the poor mans storm guards,
More of that get her done attitude was likely to blame for that.

Seems I may have to remove a screw or two from those the weather bars before
attempting the glue and hinge removal.

I do hope I'll be a lucky SOB and the doors will remain flush, whilst the stormguard and spud job will be acceptable also.
A lesson learned, too much rushing, I'm nearly as bad as the "installer"
Shoulda cleaned the place up beforehand, but was a bit "weary" from turning the shed upside down.

Eager to see if I can remove these screws,
but will have to wait until daylight to see if those tenons are contaminated.


Lots of things to think about, are these panels going to self repair
Hopefully so, but guessing some carp will be inside the cracks....
Maybe some caustic soda might do the trick there if so?

Thanks for all the advice folks
Hopefully some more good advice or tips on anything might make life a bit more pleasant for this peasant!

Caustic soda can be exciting stuff, as it will cause blindness and burns skin on contact, especially if some hot water is involved.

I'd like to know more regarding using the stuff for the cracks on those panels and wherever else.

Something I've never heard of, so will wait patiently should I not be able to find out more.

Thank you for that @Droogs
Hopefully I can buy it down the road, and not have to go to the co op.

It might just tie in well with my Martin Brennan t-shirt theme,
regarding my wary concerns, lol

Thanks again
Tom (in the wild west)

 

[Inspector]

Tom is it possible that the door was made with short tenons like the cope and stick/stile and rail router bits for cheap doors etc? If so then that could explain why they let go at the hinges. The stub tenon doesn't have enough surface area. If so one possible fix would be to get as much glue into the joint and clamp across the door to pull them tight again. Then drill from the edge for a couple three long dowels or structural screws, GRK is a brand sold here.

The other thought I had is that the jamb is not plumb/straight and the middle hinge is pulling it apart. Straighten the jamb or pack out the hinges. Fix the door too.

Hey! Vacuum up those cobwebs. People are going to talk.

Pete

 

[Ttrees]

I've never found an iroko door with short tenons @Inspector, guessing the other old front door whats possibly there for centimental reasons, might be from the same manufacturer, I had a good look at it, just to see if the hinges were being driven into the lock rails (embarrassed that I didn't know the terminology regarding most thing doors)
I guess that would be doubly unlikely seeing as these are 3 panel doors
(sorry if that's not correct terminology, I must be peeing plenty of knowledgeable folks right off)
Cheers for making me look up what a jamb was! lol

Ps how very dare you knock my workshop insulation! ☹

Tom

 

[Jacob]

These doors are made from Iroko, ,

Doesn't look like it and very unlikely.
Also not well made/designed.
You are trying to make a silk purse from a pigs ear and creating problems for yourself.
Just slap some paint on and leave well alone!

 

[Jacob]

I've never found an iroko door with short tenons

I'd be surprised if you'd ever found an Iroko door at all! Least of all under brown paint.

I guess that would be doubly unlikely seeing as these are 3 panel doors

12 panels - you can count them, no need to guess!

 

[Bingy man]

I've never found an iroko door with short tenons @Inspector, guessing the other old front door whats possibly there for centimental reasons, might be from the same manufacturer, I had a good look at it, just to see if the hinges were being driven into the lock rails (embarrassed that I didn't know the terminology regarding most thing doors)
I guess that would be doubly unlikely seeing as these are 3 panel doors
(sorry if that's not correct terminology, I must be peeing plenty of knowledgeable folks right off)
Cheers for making me look up what a jamb was! lol

Ps how very dare you knock my workshop insulation! ☹

Tom

How do the doors feel when you close them , if they are hinge bound ( if that’s the correct term) then it’s no surprise the tennons have pulled apart. Either way look for the root cause of the problem before you start any repairs.

 

[Ttrees]

How do the doors feel when you close them , if they are hinge bound ( if that’s the correct term) then it’s no surprise the tennons have pulled apart. Either way look for the root cause of the problem before you start any repairs.

Thankfully the hinges aren't set too deep that that is happening.
I've seen that before for sure, but not on on iroko doors.
I suppose I would have even more iroko stock from doors and frames if that were a regular thing.

I shoulda mentioned they were not fouling against the frame to begin with.
Cheers
Tom

 

[Ttrees]

I'd be surprised if you'd ever found an Iroko door at all! Least of all under brown paint.

12 panels - you can count them, no need to guess!

Lots I don't know about doors, hopefully they will turn out nicely.
We'll see what timber they are made out of when the scraping commences.
My money is on iroko, as they don't appear to be soft like meranti.

 

[Bingy man]

Thankfully the hinges aren't set too deep that that is happening.
I've seen that before for sure, but not on on iroko doors.
I suppose I would have even more iroko stock from doors and frames if that were a regular thing.

I shoulda mentioned they were not fouling against the frame to begin with.
Cheers
Tom

Sound it was just an afterthought regarding the loose tennons , at least you have plenty of options.

 

[Ttrees]

Sound it was just an afterthought regarding the loose tennons , at least you have plenty of options.

Spot on, I was under the impression that the hinge installation was fine, and that the banana rails was just bad stock/reaction wood/Friday evening special.
I'll be taking a photo with the straight edge beforehand for documentation of this to see if those rails may straighten up.
Might be of use to someone else which may have the same deal.

Only one may be the correct way though, and that suggests the lock rail hinges.
Be nice if they fixed themselves,
I doubt I'll get any shots of that, as it seems like it may be indeed a challenge.
Will be attempting to do a mock up of one at a time, but with this weather it may still prove difficult to get those tenons home without glue drying.

Anyone reckon which may be better for this specific job of these weathered tenons (which I've yet to check for contamination)
Cascamite was likely used originally, so whether either
Gorilla glue PL adhesive, or Evo Stick waterproof might be the choice,
it would be interesting to see which folks recommend.
(I don't have cascamite glue, nor any other reputable waterproof glue for the job)

Cheers
Tom

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Semforite or Everbuild D4.

 

[Bingy man]

I’d go with a decent quality w/ proof glue like titebond or similar, I think Jacob advised drilling and adding dowels to reinforce the tennons and I would definitely recommend this as a belt and braces approach. I’ve never used casamite glue so it’s waterproof for me and get as much as possible into the joint ( blow out any loose dust etc and bobs your uncle.

 

[Jacob]

Lots I don't know about doors, hopefully they will turn out nicely.
We'll see what timber they are made out of when the scraping commences.
My money is on iroko, as they don't appear to be soft like meranti.

Iroko is an expensive heavyweight hardwood equivalent to teak. Nobody would dream of using it on cr ap garage doors unless by mistake.
There's lots of other vaguely mahogany-like imported hardwoods, much cheaper, and it will be one of them

 

[Jacob]

......

Anyone reckon which may be better for this specific job of these weathered tenons

Ignore them.
Paint over all the faults and/or fill them with putty
Could have done the job in the time you've spent talking about it!

 

[Ttrees]

Thanks for the recommendations @Phil Pascoe
I am absolutely skint after doing the drainage job.
(can't afford new boots, and currently back to using ones that look like they were dipped in a chip pan)
The Semforite looks like the same thing as cascamite,
which I think might be the best job
Think I used it before as a kid, that's about the only experience I have regarding that type of adhesive.
It does seem gap filling, which might be the best approach.
I think Evo Stick is a premium D4, might go under a different name in UK
I cannot remember the other name what I've seen it referred to here.

I can only imagine that there maybe loose tenons now from erosion,
or from previously applied fillers which might have needed a clean surface to bond to.
I may or may not require gap filling properties, going to check soon.

@Bingy man
I'm no stranger to iroko, it's rather brittle compared to say oak, and I don't get the impression that that particular method suits the timber.

Droogs has mentioned this already, and I was going to go through all the replies individually, but am learning more stuff as I bumble onwards, and the new information may well make one who suggests the same thing to change tack.

Thanks
Tom

 

[Ttrees]

Iroko is an expensive heavyweight hardwood equivalent to teak. Nobody would dream of using it on cr ap garage doors unless by mistake.
There's lots of other vaguely mahogany-like imported hardwoods, much cheaper, and it will be one of them

Have a look at Munster joinery for example.
Likely the largest manufacturer of doors on the island.
Nonsense what you are saying here.

Ignore them.
Paint over all the faults and/or fill them with putty
Could have done the job in the time you've spent talking about it!

And it would look like a dogs dinner, not to mention making matters worse regarding jamming,
whilst making it more appealing for the cartel when the putty would fall off.

Tom

 

[Jacob]

Oh well have it your own way!
Show us the snaps when you've finished. Best of luck!
PS They aren't well made at all and are doomed to sag and catch on the floor. I wonder if you could buy little trunnions to bear the weight - fitted close to the opening?