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comment by WanderingEng
WanderingEng  ·  406 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Pubski: August 23, 2023

I'm toying with the idea of trying woodworking. It started when looking at my crappy hollow core doors from the '80s. Could I build my own doors? I kind of think I could.

I also want to replace trim, so that means miter saw anyway. Just need to add a planer and jointer for big tools. It's all expensive but after replacing my roof nothing feels that expensive anymore.





uhsguy  ·  406 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Doors are pretty complicated I don’t think I’d start there. But trim is easyish. The big issue with both of those is accounting for humidity based expansion and finishing everything nicely takes at least half the time

WanderingEng  ·  406 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Yeah expansion and warping are concerns. Seems like higher quality wood at least helps that. I've seen comments that people will leave the wood inside for a few weeks since my house temperature and humidity will be different than the lumber store.

uhsguy  ·  405 days ago  ·  link  ·  

The cut of wood matters (which part of the trunk) that changes how the wood moves but ultimately all wood will expand and contract with the seasons. Good designs and practices account for wood moving and provide it space to move without creating ugly gaps.

humanodon  ·  406 days ago  ·  link  ·  

A guy from back home got really into making doors and today he makes a living on instagram/renting out the tiny homes and cabins he builds (featuring cool doors!). Anyway, my friends from back home that got into woodworking when we were kids are all still at it and having a blast doing it. Give it a whirl, no need to go any deeper than it being fun!

WanderingEng  ·  406 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Thanks for the encouragement! I've never tried anything quite like this, but I've tried other things I'd never done that worked out well. I figure an average hand built wood door is better than the decades old generic ones I have.