Homemade Doors

[joramgiles]

Can anyone point me toward some good designs for DIY side doors? I plan to build my own and rather than reinvent the wheel I figured someone has come up with a proven design!
Thanks in advance.

[saltydawg]

Search the construction method forum, thats where they would probably be, and look in the build thread section.

Other wise, buy em they dont cost that much thru challenger doors.

[tony.latham]

On this last teardrop, I rolled my own.



Here's the seal system I worked out. And this is where the rubber meets the road with doors.



And what they look like on the inside:



I used latches from Vintage Technologies. I found the hinges on eBay. (Don't go cheap with these. Doors are heavy.)

Doors are obviously part of the wall. I highly recommend you build them in conjunction with the doors. Dry fit while on the bench.





They are a lot of work and not cheap. Hinges, latches, windows, plywood (1/4" and 3/4"), and the seals add up. I think they cost me close to half as much as factory doors.

There's a reason a lot of commercial builders use pre-built doors.

But... mine do not leak.

Tony

[working on it]

* My camper started out to be a "no/low budget" build, using whatever I could readily find locally, or re-purpose from parts on hand from other projects. I also decided to build it as a simple, angular squareback, using only straight cuts, and thick 3/4" plywood (with no insulation), so it would be very strong and easier? to construct. Certain design decisions I made (45 degree front sloped roofline, and a forward-of-normal door placement) made making my own doors a necessary choice. I cut them out from the sides, and used a method similar to Tony's, to seal them.

* As for using no windows in the doors: I enter the trailer headfirst, with my feet at the door end side, so windows there would've been subject to accidental contact, and possible breakage. And, I wanted awning-style windows placed up high (for more privacy, and security), so none could fit into the doors anyway. I tried making scale-model Wiley windows, but didn't like the way they worked, or looked, and finally bought the awning-style windows I had bookmarked as my first choice, 2 years before I bought them (the windows were bought/installed after the rest was 99% already finished). Here's the way I made and installed the doors and parts I used.

from another thread I used compression-type automotive doorseals, that I had leftover from restoring my old '69 Chevy C-10 pickup (I wish I still had it) in the late '90's. The seals are mounted on the 1/4" inner doorjambs of the oak bracing surrounding the solid 3/4" plywood doors (totally sealed with "the mix", and multiple coats of poly and paint), and the bottomside has an exterior doorsweep hanging down as a drip-edge, protecting the aluminum threshold there (no rubber seal there, just a wood/aluminum interface).

* Another thing about using those leftover seals from my truck restoration: they were really too thick to let the doors compress them and still remain flush with the sides, so I used scissors and cut about 1/4" width strips from the bulbs, nearest to the inner doorjamb, so they would still have plenty of rubber there, and fully compress. I nearly bought different ones, but the molded corners of the "factory-style" '67-72 Chevy C-10 door seals fit so nicely into the corners, that a little work on them was worth the effort.

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[aggie79]

I echo what Tony said. Building your own is expensive, a lot of work, and time-consuming. The upside is that you get the design you want. The downsides are that self-made doors can be hard to fit, can be prone to warping if not constructed correctly, and can be hard to seal/weatherproof.

Here's how I built mine:

http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?t=71854&p=1251022#p1251048

[working on it]

I echo what Tony said. Building your own is 1) expensive, 2) a lot of work, and time-consuming. The upside is that you get the design you want. The downsides are that self-made doors can be 3) hard to fit, 4) can be prone to warping if not constructed correctly, and can be 5) hard to seal/weatherproof.

* Though not typical of most doors in teardrops or squaredrops, due to shape, position, and simple/solid nature, my 3/4" thick, window-less, plywood "cut-out" doors were:
1) inexpensive (using what would've been scrap plywood, instead),
2) not a lot of work nor time-consuming,
3) not hard to fit (sanded 1/8" more off the edges, to enable flush closing...extra-thick seals were also trimmed for same reason),
4) maybe, a little, (but, it was because one door became slightly warped, before sealing with polyurethane & paint, due to "someone, not me" moving the door from flat, dry storage to standing it up vertically near an open garage door during a rainy week),
5) not hard to seal, if seals conform to door shape and are securely attached (and doors fully closed...ask me how I discovered the necessity).

* If I were to build it over again, for the same reason (my wife's security during solo camping)... examples to wit: I chose 3/4" plywood for the exterior as secure against most damage, used small windows placed higher-up on the structure, and employed multiple strong hinges and modified/custom locking devices, nothing would be changed. However, built for my personal use (as it turned out to be), tony.latham's or aggie79's doors would be preferable.

[Tomterrific]

My doors are cheap. They look nothing like manufactured doors but they are quick, easy and have not leaked. My camper has sat outside since I made it.

The doors are square and use the plywood cut from the opening. A 1 x 3 is glued around the door leaving a 3/4" overhang. The door is placed in the opening, it just fits perfectly, and a 1 x 3 is glued to the camper for hinges that are installed. The swing of the door is tested and 1 x 3's are glued to the camper side surrounding the door. All the 1 x 3's meet up close and this makes a labyrinth seal. I used aluminum siding J bead as a gutter over the door to funnel water to the sides. Locking screen door latches are used in keeping with the cheap door theme, $10 at the home center store.

A window can be installed later. It is easy to make a Dutch door too.

Tt, not a woodworking craftsman but can design stuff anyone can make.

[joramgiles]

Thanks for all the input. I should have been more clear on my OP. I am most interested in methods for sealing them against driven rain and water in general. Things like type of gasket, drip edges, etc. I am experienced woodworker and know how to fit doors etc. I'd rather build my own so that I can make it the shape I want though I am not ruling out buying one.

[tony.latham]

Things like type of gasket, ...

Here's the seal I used:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NL40XTK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Tony

[saywhatthat]

foam under glass is the easiest way to build any shape no BS t are p molding to buy are fight. If you get a leak. So what can not rot swell up. 3 steps make skin cut foam cover inside with glass . We do door blanks with willy windows for $30 are so by having window lower in the door helps with colder air coming a cross your face

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