On Dec 30 2008, 9:38*pm, Warbler wrote:
My house (vintage 1836) has a beat up exterior wood door that is so
drafty that during last week's cold weather, ice was forming on the
interior side. *Well my wife demanded that a new door has to rise to
the top of the long list of woodworking projects that never get done.
Hey I've been working on her buffet piece for nine months and still
not half way there. *But to my question. *Are there any good sources
(books?) that go into all the details on how to build a a top quality
wood door. *I remember seeing posters of all the classic doors from
Dublin & NYC and thougth someone has written on this subject with a
woodworker in mind.

Thanks for any guidance

Does the existing door have any historical value?

If it does, it might be worth rehabbing it.

If it doesn't, it might be worth a visit to an architectural salvage
company to look for a door appropriate to the period and style of the
house.

Have you thought about putting a storm door over the existing door?
You can get a thin frame door with store door insulating glass that
will allow the old door to show while giving you some of the energy
savings you are looking for.

Rehabbing old doors means taking them entirely apart, cleaning up the
glue lines of the joinery, repairing splits and structural flaws,
etc. If it is a good old door, the exercise can be an education.


tom