ALL ABOUT WOOD & IRON DOORS

Of all architectural woodwork, wood door making is one of the most taken for granted, one of the most necessary, and one of the most complicated forms of construction. We open doors, we slam them, we beat on them, and we generally use and abuse them to the extent that we forget they are there. The only time most of us give any thought to the doors in our homes is when they refuse to open or close.

At one level, a wood door is a door is a door just a slab of wood that fills a hole-but that's only the start of it. While it is true to say that a door performs two simple functions it seals off an opening, and it opens and closes to allow easy entry and exit the secondary function of a door, some would say the most important function, is that it tells you something about the building.

The main entrance wood doors to our homes are traditionally built to make the biggest possible statement. Your front door might be painted a bright color to show that you are different from your neighbors, it might be made from exotic wood and covered in brass fittings to show that you have wealth, it might be covered in complicated locks to show that your house is especially secure, or it might be embellished with classical pillars to show that you have taste. And so it is with public buildings; the church, the synagogue, the bank, and the courthouse all have front wood-en doors that make a statement.

While wood doors undoubtedly needs to be attractive, it also needs to suit its purpose. Your front entrance door must be easy to open and close, nice and snug to keep out the weather, and strong enough to keep out intruders, and it must do all this year in and year out, without shrinking, twisting, cracking, or otherwise failing. The bringing together of all these needs and functions adds up to a uniquely exciting woodworking problem.

In Aphabetical Order | About Doors and Gates
A | B | C | De | Di | Do | Fl | Fr | Gr | Ha | He | In | Kn | Le | Me |Mo | No | Ob |Pla | Ro | Sh | Si | Th | Tr

ALL ABOUT GATES

Where would we he without all the fences, walls, trellises, palisades, and hedges that crisscross and parcel up our countryside? And what would all those boundaries be without the gates that give access to our neighbor,,' Maybe the country Would he a friendlier place with Out high walls, barbed wire, and the like, but the reality is that Without boundaries and barriers, we would all be in deep trouble. The plain and simple truth is that we all need our own little plot of personal space. We need fences to keep us in and them Out, and we need gates for easy access. Whoever said, "A fence without a gate is a prison, while a fence with a gate is a paradise," certainly knew what he was talking about.

Over the centuries, our forefathers have come up with all manner of gates. There are picket gates, wicket gates, tollgates, farm gates, country park gates, cattle corral gates, wattle-hurdle gates, and railway crossing gates. There are gates with fancy top bars, tall gates that keep people from looking out and looking in, gate, that shut themselves, and gates with spring catches. There are lych-gates, which are used during funerals as temporary shelters for the biers; there are kissing gates, bower gates that double as gazebos, and gates that allow easy passage for pedestrians but preclude horses and vehicles. If you want a gate-no matter the function or location-chances are that a gate has already been designed for just such a situation.

Although a gate should be pleasant to look at, it is most important that it be fitting and functional. A gate must open and close without undue hindrance, it must be Strong and stable, it must be designed so that it stays put when fully opened or fully closed, and it must function without tailing and without doing damage to life and limb. However, you have also have to be mindful that a gate sends a message. It may say, "Please come in Or "Stay out'" Or "Watch out for the dug'." or "Please close the gate behind you because there are hurses in this field." The Size, shape, and design of the gate say it all. For example, a low, white picket gate with an easy catch and flower border- to the side says"Welcome." A tall, solid gate with strap hinges a piece of razor wire On the top rail, and no visible catch must definitely says, "Keep Out` Yes a gate needs to open and close, but more than that, the gate must send the correct message.

In Alphabetical Order
Ba | Br | Fr | He | Jo | Pi | Ra | St