The onset of winter means bringing into the house all the tools I think I might need in the next few months. If I get it wrong, I can always crawl into the shed through a tiny hole in a side wall. Wonderful. The solution was obvious to me, but it took a long time to get here. Replace the swinging door with a door that slides like a barn door. A sliding barn door.
I timed the project for when my mother would be here, since hanging this thing will be a two-person job. What I didn't anticipate was all the stops and starts. (Silly me - this happens every single time I try a project that I have no idea how to do! I should build 3 trips to a hardware store into the plan.) First it was finding a window. Then it was buying another piece of tongue and groove, since the 8-inch pieces are really 7 inches wide. Now it's finding some sort of clamp to pull these pieces together.
It's times like these when I really wish for a handy male. My ex-husband did this sort of thing really well.
As you can see, I haven't started to fabricate. Even though I think I've got everything now, there may still be a store trip or two left in this project.
yes, it does seem that somewhere there could be a man who would like your goats to mow his lawn, while he does the door. I could send my uncle, but he's headed to Alaska on Monday with my aunt to see his new grandbaby. He would be a good neighbor to have.
ReplyDeletePipe clamps and Gorilla Glue to hold the tongue and groove together. Do 2-3 pieces of the tounge and groove at a time instead trying to glue it all up at once. It will make it less likely that it buckles under the pressure of the clamp – or just put a weight on the whole things when clamping. Once the T&G is all dried, cut your door to size, then mount the whole door on a same sized sheet of plywood (1/2 to 3/4 CDX). Use glue and screws through the plywood into the T&G to hold the two pieces together. This will make for a much heavier, but much sturdier door. The T&G will face the outside – plywood is the inside.
ReplyDeleteNext, cut the hole for the window. Mark the hole for the window on the plywood, drill a 1 inch holes in a corner of your tracing all the way through the door, then use a jigsaw to cut the hole to size for the window.
Make sure the shed framing where the track is going to be mounted is really sturdy. This will be a heavy door and you want to make sure the track is mounted squarely in solid wood.
We did barn doors inside our house. You might take a look at those on my blog to see what we used to hang them and secure them at the bottom. Look under "farmhouse". There are a couple of posts that show them. For me a picture speaks a thousand words. I admire you for tackling it yourself. Before long you will know how to do everything!
ReplyDeleteHi Kim - I saw your beautiful house, barn doors and all a while ago and again today. What an opportunity to create the perfect farmhouse from scratch! I love some of the creative things you've done!
ReplyDeleteYes, a nice, sturdy working door beats crawling through a small window hands down! Isn't it always the case that a project takes one extra tool that you don't have. Of course, I l.o.v.e. tools, so look forward to any excuse to get another! I bet your mom is finding her stay less than boring!
ReplyDelete