Dutch doors?

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Dutch doors?

Postby tdthinker » Sun Jul 18, 2004 9:46 pm

I have a crazy idea but what do you all think about dutch doors for a tear? I dont really know a perpose but sounded like a fun project. Tell me all thoughts and feelings on this. thanks
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Postby DANL » Mon Jul 19, 2004 12:35 pm

I'm doing a sort of Dutch door on my current project. The door hasn't been built yet so I can't give you a picture--in fact, I just came up with the solution for my trailer yesterday after months of looking for a good solution.

What I am after is a door with a window that can be opened to reveal a screen window. Minnesota gets warm and sticky in the summer and, since we plan to be mostly dry camping (no electricity therefore no AC), we need all the ventilation we can get. I will be occaisionally sliding the camping pod off the back of the trailer so I can use the trailer for other things so I can't have any projections that would hit the fenders. I'll try a verbal description.

Imagine a door consisting of a frame of three-quarter inch pine stock and covered with a one-quarter inch birch ply skin on the outside. There is another, shorter, frame set into the first frame which contains a fixed lexan window. Both frames are hinged at the leading edge. The part of the hinge attached to the body of the trailer runs uncut from the top of the door to the bottom. The other part of the hinge is cut in two places to allow the window frame section to hinge independently from the main part of the door. They both pivot on the same axis.

The "hole" left when the window section has been opened is covered in screen on the inside of the door frame to allow space for the window frame to close. Additional framing pieces on the inside of the door provide extra strength and also provide a frame and "door stop" for the window section. The window section secures from the inside when desired.

Whew! That was windy. Hope it gives you some ideas for your project.
Last edited by DANL on Tue Jul 20, 2004 10:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
The tiny trailer in the avatar is designed to carry our recumbents and sometimes sleep in. We LOVE having a kitchen in the woods and a place for most of our gear.
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Postby Nick Taylor » Mon Jul 19, 2004 12:36 pm

Unless you have an unusually tall door, I don't know that it would be that useful. You also have to take into account the extra weatherproofing needed to seal it and also how you latch both halves.

Here is a German trailer with a dutch door.

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Postby tdthinker » Mon Jul 19, 2004 11:01 pm

I thought it would just be a nice little thing to have the to of the door open while eating at the dinett.
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