Glass doors HUH?????

I would make my doors no bigger than 48”. Making a door that tall is asking for problems. It would be hard to keep a door that tall from warping. We always use 1/8” glass in our glass doors and apply a 1/4” X 1/4” strip behind it and they seem to work fine. Been doing this for years with no problem.

-- Jerry--A man can never have enough tools or clamps

291/4×70” is a big door. LOL. Put some glass in there and it will be a big heavy door. I’d say ad a stationary shelf and split the door and make it 35” tall or so. You don’t have to split it in the middle but I wouldn’t go any bigger then 40 or so. I agree 100% that a door shouldn’t be over 24”, in fact most companies don’t even guarentee a door bigger then 24”. 1/8” glass is standard. Instead of making a pair of doors why not have 6 doors ~ 20” x 35”

-- ~ Inspiring those who inspire me ~

I”m with both guys 1/8” glass and split the door in to two doors. Use some strong joinery M&T ,halflap or saddle joinery, It would’nt hurt to pin it also.

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop, custom furniture ,maker, woodworking school, heirloomwoodshop.com

You should also strongly consider tempered glass so in the event it breaks it won’t throw off long shards which could cause serious injuries or death. There may even be some obscure law to that affect.

Need to have a serious discussion with your local glass purveyor.

-- Joe

Can it be done successfully? Sure.

Check what Todd says in the third picture’s caption over here in the FWW Gallery.

I quote (sic):

”The large opening and the door hardware made for a technically challenging install.

The meticulous planning and tedious work paid off in the end.”

Is it a sure way of making your life harder? Of course it is!

But life wouldn’t be the same without those challenges, wouldn’t it? I say go for it but take your time to plan carefully. By the way, don’t hesitate to contact Todd and ask him about the technical challenges of such a job, I’m positively certain he’d be glad to help you through it. I don’t know any other person more willing to help spread the knowledge of his craft than him.

I also second Joe’s advice, I wouldn’t do it with any other kind of glass. Think about liability and your insurance coverage.

-- Jojo, shopless in Kyoto · http://twitter.com/kagushokunin

We frequently make glass doors taller than 48”, but I don’t like to. I would not make one that wide. Often we put a rail in the center to help stability and stength, but it does not help warping. We won’t guarantee large doors, except to guarantee they will warp, more than likely.
That said I pretty much agree with what has been said already

-- Kent Shepherd * The goal is-----More Tools!

Looks like everyone has covered the topic. I just want to repeat the caution about using tempered or safety class for a door that big. It will almost certainly get broken some day. Also tempered glass is harder to break. I’m not sure you can get it in 1/8” however.

-- Les B, Oregon

I am going to make pinned mortise and tenon joints so that is not a problem there. Kolwdwrker how would I make it with 6 doors. Not following you there. Would a bi fold help or hurt? It still has alot of pressure on the hinges if not more.

-- My philosophy: Somewhere between Norm and Roy

Instead of having you partition centered, off center it. You could even have 2 partitions, but it’s not necessary.

-- ~ Inspiring those who inspire me ~

I happened to be in a glass store today and they can make tempered glass in 1/8” thickness. The edge is still fragile so it would definitely need a frame to protect it.

Have you considered having sliding glass panels?

-- Les B, Oregon

I make any size door I want. Try 6 inch stiles and 12 inch rails. Then again if I want the doors to all have the same size rails and stiles then the 2X4 guide line works.

-- http://www.woodsongsfurniture.com