companionway doors

[frameshop]

I would like to build doors similar to the ones at the following address. I have built paneled doors but the combination of panel and louvers seems to be a challenge. Anyone know of an information source for building these?
http://newimages.yachtworld.com/1/2/1/6/9/1216971_2.jpg

[ 08-23-2004, 10:36 AM: Message edited by: frameshop ]

[Bill Perkins]

Because louvered doors are used in closets ashore ,I think you'll find good info in Fine Homebuilding or a search on Tauton Press . I,ve seen soon good articles . Though the doors in your pic are very fine , the installation seems clumsy, especially the surface mounted hinges . Why ? For securing the doors in the open position , a 1 in. hook ( I'd choose bronze ) and eye would hold the door without those hideous bumpers on the door and hull. I don't think the people responsible for building the nice doors did the installation .

[capt jake]

I saw a feature of 'Norm' (New Yankee Workshop)where he built a jig to use a router to set up the louvers on a custom bar cabinet he built. It seems pretty involved, but these things must be done to achieve the final result.

Maybe search TLC or Discovery channels. ? smile.gif It was a recent episode.

[JimConlin]

There's a good article in WB #90.
I recollect others, probably in Fine Woodworking.
All of these involve building a jig to guide a router for cutting the mortises for the slats. The rest is pretty straightforward.
Dave Fleming- Has your router guru friend published some guidance on this subject?

Jim

[Spissgatter W-9]

"Don't hesitate to tackle a louvered drop board or door." Fred Bingham, Boat Joinery & Cabinetmaking Simplified pgs 216-218. Seems pretty straight forward as he explains there. You might do one for practice before using pretty (expensive) wood. Looking at the pic you provided, I'm tempted to try myself. I can hardley wait to see your work :D

[Ron Williamson]

I've done a few,and they weren't too difficult.
Stile thickness can be a limiting factor because you want the louvres to lap each other but still have enough material left for integrity.The doors shown have louvres flush to the outside,which is good as they are less likely to be damaged.Sometimes they are extended past the face of the stile and are diminished where they turn into tenons.

You will need two mirror image router jigs or one that can be turned upside down.
IIRC the angle is about 15 deg.
It also helps to be pretty anal about your louvre material,(straight grain please)cuz warped ones look really stoopid.
Have fun
R

[sangraal]

here's another way to approach louvres which foregoes the hassles of the blind mortice.
rabbet out the back edge of your mortised stiles for stop moulds, after mortising for the louvers,on the router table/shaper. assemble frame/panels of your door, then add the louvres. the stop can be decorative. i rabbet the rails also and the stop is 4 sided/mitered. for balance i prefer to work the panel(s), if any, the same way- with stops, instead of fixed in the standard dadoed edge.
the rabbet&stop approach allows you to rout the mortices on the router table since one edge can be open .i made jigs R & L hand that slide in the 'T'slot to rout the mortices, similar to making box joints, but with a stop on the table corresponding to the 'blind' end of the mort' on the front edge of the stiles.
the reason i like this approach is it allows repair of louvers, easier assembly, and you can make nice stop moulds for the inside which enhance the door. it is not great for large doors however as the weight of the part is high, so then the template jig is better for the mort's.
just another route to get to the same destination.

[paladin]

Frameshop...those are fine lookin' doors...but some idiot screwed the pooch with the really crummy install with those hinges...as I recall...someone...one of the fancy teak companies or similar sell all the precut parts to assemble your own version of those doors...

[Steve Schulz]

I built these last year for my boat:

http://home.comcast.net/~schulzsj/newdoors.JPG

I used a jig based on the one in "Woodsmith", issue #37. You can Google them up and order a back copy like I did, but it's not too tough to figure out what's going on here:

http://home.comcast.net/~schulzsj/Woodsmith37.BMP

It's a two part jig, one piece is your indexing board with evenly spaced holes along the edge. You clamp this in your vise alongside your rail stock.

The other part of the jig needs to be reversible since once you cut slots on one side you have to cut mirror image slots on the opposite rail. You have a 3/8" angled slot on the jig and use a 3/8 guide bushing with a 1/4" spiral upcut bit to cut the slots. The slots are open on the back side which makes assembly a lot easier since you can glue up your door frame first and then slide in the slats from the back side. You then put a small molding or a frame w/insect screen around the opening in back to hide the slots and keep the slats in place.

It took a fair amount of tweaking to get the spacing, angles, and slat width right.

Steve

[Dave R]

There's a good article with a jig in
http://www.woodenboatstore.com/store/images/325107.JPG
available from our sponsor.
Look here. (http://www.woodenboatstore.com/store/prodinfo.asp?number=325-107&variation=&aitem=30&mitem=31)

[Buddy]

Steve Schultz, where do you keep your boat in Savannah? I just bought a place there ( my home town, SHS class of 1966) and am moving my Marsh Cat there.

[Henning 4148]

When having doors on a boat, it's a good idea to have hinges or to secure the hinges in a way, that ensures the door can not fall off the hinges when the boat is on its side.

[kc8pql]

I cut louver grooves on a radial arm saw. A router jig is a good way to cut louvers if you have a lot of them to do, but if you only need one or two it will take longer to make the jig than it would to make the door. I just finished this one. It's my foward cabin door.

http://tinypic.com/a0eq9

I cut a rabbit on both sides of the door where the louvers go with a router. Then I lay out the slots for the slats and cut them with a dado blade on the radial saw. Then I glue a piece into the rabbit on one side, slide in the slats and glue another piece into the rabbit on the other side to fix the slats. It's still a bit of a pain to do but I only make louvers once every blue moon. With this method I can make the angle and slat thickness whatever is best for the job.