Continued:

Parts of a Door All of the parts are shown on another drawing , you may wish to view it now and print it or you can just look at it on the screen as necessary.  The drawing shows three horizontal boards between the stiles.  These parts called rails are named for their position within the door. The lower rail is sometimes referred to as the kick rail. The one in the center where the door knob and locking mechanism are mounted is called the lock rail . The highest rail is called the top rail.  Sometimes another rail is inserted into the door just below the top rail. It is referred to as an intermediate rail. (I'm not kidding and I didn't make these names up) When viewed from the front, this intermediate rail and the upper mullion appear to look like a crucifix.  Doors with that intermediate rail are often referred to as Christian or six panel doors.  The remaining parts of the door are the panels.  The panels on the door we are making will be made of wood.  You can also fill this area with glass, in which case the area occupied by the window is termed a lite.

Selecting the Wood More care must be given to selecting the stock for doors than cabinets, because the door can be seen from both sides. Defects in the lumber that can be turned to the inner side of a chest or cabinet will be in plain view on a door when it is viewed from the far side. The stock you need must be sound and of the highest grade in the species of lumber you chose. When you visit the lumber yard to select your stock, tell  the yard manager what you are going to use the lumber for.  Often they have a special place for storing the best woods and will help you make the selection.

When building a door, you can choose from a wide variety of materials. Woods such as Maple, Mahogany, Oak, Cherry and Pine have all been made into beautiful doors.

The stock for the door shown here is Red Oak.  Note the large areas of straight grain on the lock rail shown above.  Framing the panels with straight grain lumber gives a balanced look to the finished product.

Any questions or comments contact me.