I bought two sheets of laminated pine 2100mm x 900mm x 30mmand decided to see if I could make my own French doors for the bar instead of buying some. The cheapest second hand set was over $700. Then on top of that giving them a tidy up and making them fit. That bit rich in a single hit for this kid. But I can spread it out over a couple of pay days and buy the materials required and make at work.
So far I have spent about $350 and expect to pay in total around $450. I am lucky that I work as a plastic fabricator and got the acrylic at cost.
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- I bought two sheets of laminated pine 2100mm x 900mm x 30mmand decided to see if I could make my own french doors for the bar instead of buying some. The cheapest second hand set was over $700. Then on top of that giving them a tidy up and making them fit. That bit rich in a single hit for this kid. But I can spread it out over a couple of pay days and buy the materials required and make at work. So far I have spent about $350 and expect to pay in total around $450. I am lucky that I work as a plastic fabricator and got the acrylic at cost.
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- Then router out the rebate for the window… on all pieces first a 10mm cut, then a 15mm cut. We took turns.
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- Cutting part of the rebate off on bandsaw. Hayden did this while I hand cut the first part by hand.
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- Setting up the Dowl jig. You can also see the rebate
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- Dowl in… and glued ready for the full glue up. This was handy having Hayden to help.
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- Clamping…
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- The acrylic cut and test fitted. (ready for trimmings) and the peel the covers off. that the last thing we do. We have decided to make a minor alteration to help stop any warping. Then the doors will get treated and painted. I would like to thank Hayden for helping make the doors. Was handy with clamping having the second pair of hands.
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- Sanding … and sanding… there was more sanding… and that was just one side… three more sides to do.
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- Since these are out side doors I decided to treat the wood first with a product called “MetalX”. You brush it on like any other product and it just soaks into the wood. This will stop any rot etc. It does taint the wood but since I am painting them anyway it is not going to be a problem. This way if down the track the paint is wearing off the weather isn’t going to bother the wood because it is treated.
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- Applying the “MetalX” treatment… lucky I was in a well ventilated area… 2 Parts “MetalX” a 3 Parts Mineral Turpintine, give it a quick stir and brush on liberally. Allow to soak in for 30min apply second coat if desired (I did three coats and it struggled to take the last lot. Next I will do two coats of Primer / Undercoat and then the final top coat (maybe two coats). Insert the acrylic and treat and cut the trimmings and then paint…
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- Look at that join it is perfect… I won’t let on the others probably look like crap but look at that join… its perfect!!!
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- First side painted with primer.
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- Frame up mainly fitted… need to hinge and align properly …
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- Hinged…
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- View from the inside behind the bar.
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- Still have a bit to do… Have some minor adjustments to make via sanding. Then I can think about the next step and the acrylic windows and locks etc. Final paint and well actually there is heaps to do.
