Door problems **FIXED**

[Steve F]

Just got on to making my second door and found that the wall has a slight bow in it, not enough to see but over the height of the door it means it wont line up at the top and the bottom and is not flush with the outer wall. It's causing me all sorts of dramas when trying to make a door, especially since mine are not rectangular.

Anyway, my thought was to laminate up a door. So basically attach the inner skin to the outside of the camper overlapping the door opening all the way around. Tack it on with some thin plastic underneath. Then get another piece of ply and glue this over the inner skin and keep going until I get to the outer skin, glue that on let it all dry and take it off again. This will leave me with a thick chunk of ply with an inner and outer skin to match the TD with the same bow as the outer wall. Then I can cut the hole for the window, trim it to fit the door opening and call it done.

Will this work, will it be too heavy, will it loose it's shape once it's removed from the wall?? The other option is to not attach the inner skin or outer skin in this and basically make up a laminated frame, then cut away some to lighten and fill with insulation and then attach the inner and out skins.

Any other suggestions or does this sound like a good idea?

Cheers
Steve

[Gage]

What happened to the piece you cut out of the side for the door opening? That piece should be used to make your door. If the side is bowed in that area, also will your door and they'll then match up.

[Steve F]

What happened to the piece you cut out of the side for the door opening? That piece should be used to make your door. If the side is bowed in that area, also will your door and they'll then match up.

The outer skin is only 7mm thick, including the piece I cut out, the bow must have been in the frame so the piece I cut out is nice and flat now its removed from the wall. Hope that makes sense.

With hindsight I would have framed the door while it was still attached to the wall and then cut it out to ensure it was a perfect fit.

Cheers
Steve

[Gage]

<snip>
The outer skin is only 7mm thick, including the piece I cut out, the bow must have been in the frame so the piece I cut out is nice and flat now its removed from the wall. Hope that makes sense.
With hindsight I would have framed the door while it was still attached to the wall and then cut it out to ensure it was a perfect fit.
Cheers
Steve

If I'm reading you right, you framed your teardrop instead of using a solid piece of thick ply.

Anyway, my thought was to laminate up a door. So basically attach the inner skin to the outside of the camper overlapping the door opening all the way around. Tack it on with some thin plastic underneath. Then get another piece of ply and glue this over the inner skin and keep going until I get to the outer skin, glue that on let it all dry and take it off again. This will leave me with a thick chunk of ply with an inner and outer skin to match the TD with the same bow as the outer wall. Then I can cut the hole for the window, trim it to fit the door opening and call it done.

This is good but I think I would try and work from the outside in. Your concerned with the match up on the outside skins and really don't care how close the inside is. Mainly because no one will see the inside except yourself.
Sure wish you had a picture posted somewhere, or did I miss it? Sorry, I lost my train of thought and my mind has gone blank. Oh, you could still frame the door while in the door opening. That's the way I would try and rebuild the new door anyways.

[Geron]

<snip>
Sorry, I lost my train of thought and my mind has gone blank. Oh, you could still frame the door while in the door opening. [/i][/b]

So assuring to know that happens to others

Now back to the topic in hand -- this is not a Hi-Jack. Let's get Steve F.'s door fixed.

gac

Maybe build a jig with the curvature you want. Scribe it from the side.
Attach the door to the jig. Set the bend with Steam/hotwater.
Let it dry??? Nah! That's dumb since you'll frame the door anyway. Just glue the door to a frame that's been scribed to the curvature of the side.

7mm / .27559 inches -- should make that small a bend like a champ.
Lottsa builders put a "handle" on the inside (from top to bottom) scribed to make the door "fit" the side. 'Specially if you let it sit for a while the door can take a bend of its own from environmental conditions. This even works with 3/4 inch -- ask me how I know

JMO
g

[Nigel]

I'm with Geron with this. Make up a frame and shape it to fit the curve.

Maybe get some ply that is too big for the hole, screw it to the outside of the tear, making sure it deforms, then add in the frame parts - sanding them till the fit just right.

Or just get loads of filler and bodge it!

Nigel

[Juneaudave]

I had a boo boo on one of my doors that looked warped. Here's how it happened...

I took the outside skin from the cut out... and glued and screwed the framing right to it. Problem was I had a compounding of numbers of errors that ultimately made the door warped. It seems that I built in a little bend with the pocket screw joints, compounded that with an uneven clamping surface, and topped it of with a "not-so-quite" straight board. I didn't realize it till I fit the door in place.

On the bright side...the second try fit really well

[Sam I am]

My tear has straight sides but the door was bowed out at the top & bottom. I straightened it with a vertical stiffener made from a pine 1X2 screwed fast to the inside of the door. The side of the stiffener against the door was cut into a slight V shape - high in the middle and about 1/2" shorter on each end. When I tightened down the screws near the ends, it pulled the door nearly straight. Some springback occurred, but it's pretty close. I saw this idea somewhere on this forum. There was a photo of a door from a vintage tear that had remained straight for 50 years! In retrospect, I probably should have used a harder wood for the stiffener, maybe oak, or even a piece of metal.

[Steve F]

I think I'll try doing it by screwing an oversize piece to the outer wall and building a frame to fit from the inside. The bit that makes it harder is my door is not rectanguler. I might try making the latch side using several pieces of ply to laminated to make the frame and give me the slight curve I need as this is the section where the bow is the most obvious.

Anyway here is the offending door hole.



Cheers
Steve

[Gage]

Aw, have you thought about running 'T' molding around the door and then a rubber seal between the door and the side of the tear. That would help hide the imperfection and save the door you already have.

[Steve F]

Ok, finished a door, used tacks to attach an oversize piece of ply to the outside of the TD covering the door hole. Then I glued a frame to this with spacers around the edge to get the right gap. I used construction adhesive as it will fill the slight gaps between the hardwood frame and slightly curved door. I let this cure for 3 days and then added the window frame etc and some more framing and polystyrene in the gaps for insulation. Then I cut out the window in the outer skin, attached the inner skin with wood glue and small tacks, let it dry and cut out the inner window from the inner skin.

After it had all dried I knocked the door off of the side of the TD and cut it out using the frame as a guide with a trim bit in the router. Tidied up the interior skin the same way and I had a door. It matches the slight imperfections in the wall perfectly and is better than I could have hoped for

This shot shows how flush it fits



And some more





Now to do the other side

Cheers
Steve

[madjack]

...good job on the fix ..............................

[Miriam C.]

Wonderful fix. So glad you didn't have to rebuild.

[peggyearlchris]

My door has a small gap at the top.So I plan to use a weather seal to fix it.The fix that Gage said to do. Peg