# Building Entry Doors Out Of Aromatic Cedar?



## Koa (Aug 22, 2011)

Well, I wanted to make my shop entry doors " http://lumberjocks.com/Koa/blog " out of Aromatic Cedar, but I have concerns about the long term stability of the timber. Is it tough enough to withstand the abuse entry doors go through on a day to day basic? I think I will be ok with the stability, has anyone had any experience using it to build windows and doors? Any help or input anyone can offer would be appreciated!


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## WDHLT15 (Aug 15, 2011)

It is very stable wood, and that is good for doors. It is soft, however, and may get dinged up more than say oak or maple. However, many doors have been made of pine, and it is softer, too. Just design them to be stout, maybe a little thicker, and I bet that they will be beautiful.


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## PRGDesigns (Jan 25, 2012)

You might also consider a sandwich type construction of alternating layers to get thickness you need for the doors. Think of a sheet of Plywood on steroids.


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## lwllms (Jun 1, 2009)

I made a swing set of aromatic cedar for my daughter when she was little. She's 26 now and I took it down a couple years ago. It spent years outside and was still solid when I took it down. It had a play house above the swing set and the ladder took a lot of abuse over the years. It was still solid but looked pretty rough.


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## Koa (Aug 22, 2011)

WOW . . . 
Thank you all for you feed back, GREAT INPUT. If anyone else has any experience using aromatic cedar I would love to here from you. I think I will began the planning possess for the doors. HOPE they turn out ok . . . I will post pictures when I get them completed. . . .

Thank You


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## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

It trends to have a lot of knots that will cause problems w/ the joinery, no doubt. I'm sure it could be done though.


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## HalDougherty (Jul 15, 2009)

I made my shop door from 1X6" poplar boards. The outside frame is made from two box frames with a center spacer that I glued together after fitting the panels. The joints at each corner alternate so there's support after they are glued together. I cut a 3/8" rabbet all around the interior, then made 1X6" boards with an alternate rabbit on the top and bottom and a matching 3/8" rabbit on the ends. I made the outside from poplar only and on the inside, I put 1X6 Eastern red cedar boards. Then I glued the two 1" frames together to make a door with floating panels on each side. It was a one day job and all of it was cut out with a skill saw so there's a few places where the fit isn't perfect, but it's a door to an unheated garage. It's functional and looks better than the rest of the garage.


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