Doors and Windows

DOORS

The door is an essential part of the building structure. It must have the right proportions: not so large that it weakens the wall of the building, and not too small either. People, goods, and equipment, according to the uses of the bu. ding, have to be able to pass through the door easily.

TYPES OF DOORS

Doors are classified as follows:

Ledged and battened doors (Fig. 1)

Ledged, braced and battened doors (Fig. 2)

Panelled doors (rig. 3)

Flush doors (Fig. 4)

For an outside door which is exposed to rain and sun, it is best to choose a weather resistant door like a battened or panelled door. If the door is protected inside the building then a flush door made of plywood will be satisfactory.

SIZES OF DOORS

The size of the door depends on:

• Where it will be used (entrance doors will naturally be slightly larger than other doors, and bathroom doors will be a bit smaller).
• The materials which are available (plan the door according to the sizes of wood and plywood which are available).

A common door size is 198 cm by 76 cm. This is wide enough to allow most sizes of furniture to pass through. Nearly all modern furniture has one dimension which is 76 cm or less: a standard table, for example, is 76 cm high.

Living room and bedroom doors are sometimes larger for reasons of ventilation.

POSITION OF THE DOOR

Outside doors should always open to the outside. This makes them more weatherproof and easier to open in case of an emergency such as a fire, when you want to get out quickly.

Try to position the door so that you cannot look directly into the room from the outside.

FINISHING TREATMENT OF THE DOOR

All doors should be painted or varnished, or preserved in some way. A good paint job preserves the door from decay and reduces shrinkage and swelling, thereby lengthening the life of the piece.

Paint is especially important for flush doors. They should be well painted and the edges of the door should be soaked in paint.

LEDGED AND BATTENED DOORS

These doors consist of vertical boards called battens (Fig. 1, a) which are nailed or screwed to tha horizontal members, called ledges (b). Often the battens are a-bout 15 to 18 cm wide and 2 to 3 cm thick. Doors made with narrow battens like these have a better appearance.

It is better to use boards which are up to 30 cm wide. These wider boards are less likely to twist and warp at the ends (Fig. 2). The boards should be well seasoned so that they won't crack at the ends.

The width of this door is usually the width of 2 or 3 boards (Figs. 3 & 4).

Grooves can be made in the wide battens, to produce a pleasing appearance as if the door were made with narrow battens (Fig. 4). The grooves should not be made from both sides of the door at the same spot, above each other, because this will make the door weak (Fig. 5).

The ledges should be as long as possible to prevent cupping of the battens, and to provide a solid attachment. The length of the ledges will be the width of the door minus the depth of the two rebates or beads in the door frame, and minus a 1/2 cm allowance on each side (Fig. 1). The ledges are usually 2 to 3 cm thick. When this construction is used for an external door, the tops of the ledges should be bevelled (Fig. 1).

The ledged and battened door is the simplest type of door. It is often used for narrow openings. It is relatively cheap to construct, but unfortunately it tends to sag because of its weight.

JOINTS FOR LEDGED AND BATTENED DOORS:

We use special types of joints to connect the battens of this door. These joints are known as matchboarding joints.

A matchboarded door will have a good appearance even when the boards have shrunken and the joints are opening. Matchboarding joints are not glued like ordinary widening joints. They are left loose so that shrinkage can take place, and the battens are held together by the ledges.

In Rural Building we use two different matchboarding joints: the loose tongued joint (Fig. 1), and the rebated joint (Fig. 2).

The loose tongued joint has a tongue made of plywood. It is glued into only one side of the groove so that shrinkage can take place.

There are several possible ways to make the rebated joints used in battened doors (Fig. 2).

When you assemble this joint, put a strip of wood in between the battens with the same thickness as the gap you want. This keeps the gap between the battens open as the door is assembled.

Any batten-type door made during the rainy season should be assembled with the matchboarding joints closed. If the door is assembled during the dry season, then the joints should be kept open (Fig. 2). There should be enough allowance between the battens to allow them to swell up to 5% of the width of the board (for a 30 cm board size the gap will be up to 1-1/2 cm). If this is not done the doer will start to warp when it swells in the rainy season.

MAKING A (NAILED) LEDGED AND BATTENED DOOR:

• a. Study the drawing.
• b. Prepare the cutting list.
• c. Select the wood.
• d. Cut the timber to the right size, leaving a 1 cm allowance in the length of the battens for finishing off.
• e. Plane the timbers to size. Mark the boards.
• f. Plane the matchboarding joints.
• g. Paint or varnish the edges of the battens.
• h. Fit the battens together. Use a wooden or metal sash clamp to hold them.
• i. Mark the positions of the ledges.
• j. If the door is to be an external one, bevel the tops of the ledges.
• k. Paint or varnish the inside faces of the ledges and battens.
• l. Nail the ledges lightly to the battens (Fig. 3).
• m. Turn the door over put three pieces of wood under the ledges for support during nailing (Fig. 4).
• n. Drive the nails through the battens and ledges and punch the heads under the surface of the wood.
• o. Turn the door over and clench the nails. Remove the nails used in step "1" to nail the ledges lightly to the battens.
• p. Cut off and level the battens at the top and bottom.

REMEMBER: To avoid splitting the wood, always blunt the nails and drive them in a staggered pattern (Fig. 4). Clench all the nails to prevent them from being pulled out if the wood warps or swells. For clenching, the nails have to be long enough to go through the wood and out the other side by about 5 mm.

LEDGED, BRACED AND BATTENED DOORS

This is a ledged and battened door to which braces have been added to prevent sagging (Figs. 1 & 2). These braces must slope upwards from the hinge edge of the door, and they are housed with a skew notch into the ledges.

The skew notch helps to distribute the force from the weight of the door, so that the ledges have an even pressure on them. To achieve an equal distribution of the force, the angle of the short shoulder of the skew notch has to bisect (divide in two) the angle between the ledge and the brace (see Fig. 3, angle "x" = angle "y").

The skew notch should start from a point 5 cm from the end of the ledge, to prevent shearing off. The depth of the skew notch will be 1,5 cm (Fig. 3).

This type of door construction may be used for large openings because of its greater strength.

The sequence of operations to make this door is the same as for the ledged and batiened door. The braces are fitted to the door after the ledges are nailed lightly to the battens (step "l" in the construction).

MAKING A (NAILED) LEDGED, BRACED AND BATTENED DOOR:

Proceed in the same manner as for the ledged and battened door, until you reach step 'l". Continue as follows;

• m. Place the braces on top of the ledges (Fig. 1).
• n. Mark out the skew notches on each end of the braces.
• o. Cut the braces according to the marks.
• p. Place each brace in position and mark out the positions on the ledges (Fig. 2).
  
• q. Chisel the notches in the ledges (Fig. 3).
  
• r. Paint the skew notches.
• s. Nail the braces lightly to the battens.
• t. Turn the door over and place three pieces of wood under the ledges for support during nailing.
• u. Drive nails through the battens, ledges and braces, and punch the nail heads under the surface.
• v. Turn the door over and clench the nails. Remove the nails which were used to hold the braces and ledges lightly to the battens in step "s".
• w. Cut off and level the battens at the top and bottom.

PANELLED DOORS

These doors (Fig. 1) consist of a frame made up of stiles (a), a top rail (b), a bottom rail (c) and sometimes an intermediate rail (d). into this framework a plywood panel (e) is fitted. This panel may fit into a groove or a rebate.

GROOVED-IN PANEL:

This construction can be used only on doors which will be protected from the rain. If water enters the groove, it will not be able to dry out and can cause the plywood to rot (Fig. 2).

If the door will be painted or varnished, the edges of the plywood ,xmel and the inside of the grooves should be treated before the door is assembled.

The depth of the grooves is usually 1/3rd of the thickness of the members. The grooves are made as explained in the Basic Knowledge book, page 136.

The joints for this kind of door will be a haunched stub tenon for V top and bottom rails (Fig. 4), and a stub tenon for the intermediate rail. Note that the width of the tenon a to b reduced by the depth of the groove (Fig. 4, arrow) and the mortice is reduced accordingly.

REBATED FRAMEWORK:

When the panel will be fixed after the frame is assembled, a rebated framework is used. A rebate is made in the frame and the panel is secured with beads (Fig. 3)

Unlike the grooved-in panel door, this door can be used in places where it is exposed to rain. in that case, the plywood is set in putty so that water cannot penetrate inside, and the tops of the intermediate and bottom rails should be bevelled. The beads are also set in a thin layer of putty, then secured with nails.

If the door will be painted or varnished, the joints, edges of the plywood, rebates and beads all have to be painted before assembly.

The width of the rebate is usually 1/3rd of the thickness of the frame member, and the depth is usually 2/3rds of the thickness of the member (Fig, 3).

The joints for this kind of door will be haunched stub tenons for the top and bottom rails and stub tenons for the intermediate rail. Note that one shoulder of the tenon has to be longer to fill the rebate (Fig. 5, a). The widths of the tenon and mortice have to be reduced by the size of the rebate (Fig. 5, b).

TIMBER MEASUREMENTS FOR PANELLED DOORS:

Stiles and top rail: 3 to 4 cm thick, 10 cm wide

Intermediate rail: 3 to 4 cm thick, 10 cm wide

Bottom rail: 3 to 4 cm thick, 15 to 20 cm wide

HOW TO PREVENT A PANELLED DOOR FROM SAGGING:

Very often panelled doors will sag after a certain length of time. This is due to the joints drying out and loosening, and to the weight of the door.

The key to the door's ability to resist sagging is the plywood panel. For this reason the panel must be properly secured and fit tightly into the frame.

The tenons must also be well secured. If we can prevent the joints from opening we prevent the door from sagging. A good method of securing the joints is to nail through the joint and pinch o»f the heads of the nails. They should only be long enough so that they can be punched under the surface but do not come through the other side of the frame (Fig. 1b).

Note the staggered positions of the nails in Fig. 1a on the left. This prevents the nails from splitting the wood.

On the hinge stile of the door, the joints tend to pull apart at the lower edge. To prevent this, fix strips of sheet metal at the top hinge corner and at the lower corner opposite from the hinge stile. Use small nails to fix the metal (Fig. 2).

FLUSH DOORS

The flush door with a framed core (Fig. 1) is a type of door that we frequently make in Rural Building. This door consists of a frame which has stiles (a), top and bottom rails (b & c), and narrow intermediate rails (d). It is covered on each side by a sheet of plywood (e). Sometimes flush doors for the outside of the building are covered on one or both sides by sheets of thin metal, usually aluminium or galvanized iron. Plywood-covered flush doors cannot be used where they will be exposed to rain and sun.

Well seasoned wood is used for the frame. If the stiles are not wide enough to provide room for the mortice lock, then a lock block (f) is added. This block should be long enough so that does not restrict the lock position to only one spot. The location of the lock block should be indicated on the outside edge of the frame so it can be found later after the plywood or metal sheets are fixed.

When two additional members are placed between the rails (g), a pane of glass can be set in them to provide additional light for the room (Figs. 1 & 2).

To prevent damage to the top and bottom rails when the door is stored and moved around, the stiles can be left projecting past the rails (h), thus forming a rest for the door.

Ventholes can be drilled through each of the rails to ensure good air circulation within the frame. Take care that the ventholes in the top and bottom rails are not blocked by paint.

The joints for the flush door can be haunched stub tenons for the top and bottom rails (Fig. 3) and stub tenons for the intermedin rails.

LIPPING:

A strip of hard wood (Fig. 4) can oe fixed to the striking stile to prevent damage to the plywood edges. Lipping is always done after the plywood has been fixed. A thoroughly painted lipping can be added to the top of the door if necessary to keep water out. The lipping joint should be a mitre joint.

MAKING A FLUSH DOOR:

• a. Study the drawing.
• b. Prepare a cutting list.
• c. Select the wood.
• d. Cut the wood to the right size. The plywood should be cut slightly larger than the door, so it can be planed to size later.
• e. Plane the wood to size, and make the face marks.
• f. Mark out the joints.
• g. Prepare the joints.
• h. Drill the ventholes.
• i. Glue and clamp the frame together.
• j. Fix the lock block. indicate the position of the block on the outside edge of the door.
• k. Plane the frame so the surfaces are flush.
• l. Glue the plywood on both sides of the door and secure it with wire nails to the rails and stiles. If more than one door is being made, the doors can be set on top of one another and weighted down until the glue hardens.
• m. Fix the lipping and finish off the door.

TIMBER MEASUREMENTS FOR FLUSH DOORS:

Top and bottom rails: 3 to 4 cm thick, 7 cm wide

Stiles: 3 to 4 cm thick, 7 cm wide

Intermediate rails: 3 to 4 cm thick, 5 cm wide

Plywood: 6 mm thick

Distance between rails: 30 cm

LARGE DOORS

Sometimes a large door is needed for a store or a similiar building.

Large doors can be constructed like panelled doors. in addition to this framework, braces are used. The braces slope up from the bottom of the hinge side to the top of the opposite side.

The frame can be covered with plywood on the inside, and with either sheet metal (Fig. l)cr horizontally fixed overlapping boards (Fig. 2) on the outside. If corrugated sheet metal is used, the top edge has to be covered to prevent water from entering between the sheet metal and the door frame (Fig. 1, arrow).

The frame used for this kind of door should be heavier than the one used for an ordinary panelled door. The timber for the frame should be no less than 5 cm thick.

Each large door should have 3 band-and-hook hinges. If T-hinges are used, the strap has to be long enough to overlap a part of the rails. If the hinges are fixed to the stile only, the door will tend to sag.

WINDOWS

The function of a window is to let light and air into the building. When closed, the window should be draught-proof, weather-proof and burglar-proof. The size of the window should be appropriate for the room.

In Rural Building, windows consist of a window frame into which louvres or casements are fitted.

Casements are hinged to open to the outside. This makes them easier to waterproof than if they opened to the inside. The hinges should lie fixed so that the casement opens fiat to the will. The frame of the window is pet flush to the outside surface of the wall (see installing Window Frames section).

Sometimes the hinges are fixed at the head of the window frame. This allows the casement to open upwards, thus providing shade for the opening and the wall. Refer to the Drawing Book, page 50, for ways to show the positions of hinges in the drawing.

TYPES OF CASEMENTS

In Rural Building, we derd with 5 different lands of casements:

Ledged and battened casements (Fig. 1)

Ledged. braced and battened casements (Fig. 2)

Panelled casements (Fig. 3)

Glazed casements (Fig. 3)

Flush casements (Fig. 4)

It is necessary to leave at least 3 mm of play on all sides between the casement and frame (more if the casement is made during the dry season) so that the casement can open freely. This allows for expansion and shrinkage in the frame and casement.

BATTENED CASEMENTS

Both types of battened casements are constructed in the same way as the corresponding type of door.

Matchboarding is also done in the same manner as for a door. Depending on the size of the casement, usually only two ledges are needed.

PANELLED CASEMENTS

These can be made with grooved-in or rebated frameworks, in the same way as panelled doors.

Usually the panels are made from plywooJ, Be sure to cut the bottom rail of the casement according to the slope of the cill.

The measurements of the members can be 5 to 7 cm wide and 3 to 4 cm thick.

The overall size of a panelled casement equals the inside measurement of the window frame, minus the allowance of at least 3 mm all around (Drawing Book, page 75).

GLAZED CASEMENTS

These are made with a rebated framework. The construction is the same as for a panelled door or casement. instead of a plywood panel, a pane of glass is installed in the framework (Fig. 1).

Select the wood for this casement very carefully. It should be well seasoned and straight grained, so that the frame will not twist and cause the glass to break.

The joints are usually haunched stub tenons. Paint the joints and rebates before assembling the frame. The glass pane is always fitted after the frame has been assembled. The rebated framework is used because it permits the replacement of broken glass.

There are different ways of securing the glass in the rebated framework:

• By using beads, where the casement does not have to be waterproof (Fig. 1a)
• By using putty, to make a waterproof seal (Fig. 1b)
• By a combination of a thin layer of putty and beads.

The glass should always be cut 2 mm shorter in the length and the width, to make it easier to fit in the frame.

The sections of the frame members will be: 5 to 7 cm wide and 3 to 4 cm thick.

FLUSH CASEMENTS

These are constructed in the same way as flush doors. Flush casements can be covered on one or two sides with plywood or sheet metal (aluminium or galvanized iron).

Flush casements should only be used where they will be protected from the rain and sun, for instance on a verandah.

Plywood should be glued and nailed to both sides of the casement, not one side only, to keep the casement rigid, straight and strong. For outside work, use waterproof glue.

TIMBER MEASUREMENTS:

Top and bottom rails: 3 to 4 cm thick, 5 to 6 cm wide

Stiles: 3 to 4 cm thick, 5 to 6 cm wide

Intermediate rails: 3 to 4 cm thick, 4 to 5 cm wide

Plywood: 6 mm thick

The lower part of the bottom rail must be planed to fit the slope of the cill. The distance between the rails is approximately 30 cm.

JOINTS

Note that in the construction of window frames and casements, different methods of framing are used.

For window frames, the horizontal members (heads and cills) have mortices, and the vertical members (posts and mullions) have tenons (Fig. 2, a).

For the casements, the vertical members (stiles) have mortices and the horizontal members (rails) have tenons (Fig. 2, b).

The same system applies for door frames and doors.

LOUVRE WINDOWS

INSTALLING LOUVRE WINDOWS:

• a. If there will be mosquito wire on the window, you will have to be careful to set the louvre channels so that the louvres will be able to open without touching the wire.
• b. Mark the position of the channel on the wooden frame, at the 3«de where the operative channel (the one with the handle) will be fixed.
• c. Grease the moving parts on the inside of the channel (with grease, not oil).
• d. Fix the operative channel with one screw near the top.
• e. Plumb this side. Secure the channel firmly with screws (the screw size will be 3 x 30, round head screws).
• f. install the non-operative channel, parallel to the first channel.
• g. Secure this side loosely near the top, leaving the bottom free so it can be adjusted later.
• h. Put in the louvre glasses, starting from the top and working down. Close the clip ends to secure the glasses in place.
• i. When all the glasses are installed, close the louvres.
• j. Move the bottom of the non-operative channel until the louvres fit tightly together and are parallel.
• k. Now secure this side firmly with screws.
• 1. Check the installation (screws, clip ends, etc.) and operate the handle several times to make sure that the louvres move freely.
• m. Fix the waterbar (either a wooden bead or a ready-made aluminium bar) at the head (outside the glass) and the cill (inside the glass), so that it is just touching the glass when the louvres are locked.

INSTALLING A SELF-MULLIONING LOUVRE WINDOW:

If two or more louvres are to be set across the window frame, the metal channels can be fixed together with screws, to form a metal mullion. The metal mullion is installed before the other channels.

• a. Mark the centres of the head and cill. The width of he window frame has to correspond to twice the length of a louvre glass, plus 3,8 cm for each set of channels, making 7,6 cm for both sets.
• b. Mark out the position of the metal mullion on the head and cill. Keep in mind the position of the mosquito wire (Fig. 1).
• c. Fix the bottom spacer on the cill (Fig. 2) at right angles to the face of the frame. The frame must be painted before the spacers are fitted.
• d. If the cill is sloping, bend the lugs of the spacer so that they are upright. The bottom end of the louvre channel should be cut to fit the slope of the cill, so that it fits tightly (Fig. 3).
• e. To position the top spacer, place a louvre channel against the bottom spacer and plumb it with a spirit level. When it is straight, fix the top spacer exactly above the bottom spacer.
• f. Take the non-operative channel and fit spacers into it at the places indicated by holes; these serve to stiffen the mullion.
• g. Attach the non-operative channel to the spacers at the head and cill of the frame (Fig. 4).
• h. Attach the operative channel to the non-operative channel with the special bolts and nuts.
• i. Check the installation and operate the handle several times.
• j. install the other louvre channels to the window frame as in the previous section on installing louvre windows.
• k. Make sure that all the channels are the same distance from the inside face of the window.