Doors and Doorways 



97 



amply clear of rugs, mats, etc. Exterior door sills should be rabbeted on the 

 tread or top to prevent rain and other moisture from entering the house. 

 These door sills are best made from 2-inch stock. 



Of the softer woods, clear 

 white pine makes the best door. 

 Whitewood doors are cheaper 

 and frequently take stain well, 

 but they should be avoided on 

 account of the way in which they 

 warp and twist. The ordinary 

 door is usually of i^ to 2-inch 

 stock. It is not advisable to 

 make even closet doors less than 

 the former. Some closets de- 

 mand it, but a thin door is gen- 

 erally too thin for the mortise 

 lock, and every door should have 

 a lock of some kind. The solid 

 hardwood door is not to be 

 recommended on account of the 

 high temperature of our houses; 

 anything but a veneered door 

 will warp. The solid door is 

 also heavy. Sometimes hard- 

 wood doors are made of two 

 thicknesses; this is not as good 

 as the three-piece veneered type. 

 It is better to make all doors, 

 outside of pine, of the veneered 

 type; those of the interior can 

 be made with ^-inch veneer on 

 panels and |-inch on stiles and 

 rails. The panel mouldings 

 should be solid, while the jambs 

 or edges should be of from ^ 



to f-inch stock, all of which should be built upon a core or body of white 

 pine. This is the three-piece door; a five-piece being constructed by the use of a 

 double layer of veneer on each side, in which case the grains of the wood 

 should run in opposition. 



The five-piece door is, of course, more expensive and naturally better, and 

 is to be recommended for outside doors, where the heat on one side and the 

 cold on the other are sure to do things with the most carefully planned of 

 man's contrivances. If the core of the outside door be made of "staves" or 

 strips glued together instead of the solid core, it is better. In the building of 

 all veneered doors care should be taken to see that the panel moulding fully 

 covers the joint between the veneer and the door (see Fig. 14). If this is not 



An interior doorway influenced by the style of Louis XV. and XVI. 



