80, Front Door, part 11, (the last!). Leadlights, part two.

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In order to speed up the cutting of the pieces of glass for the borders, I set up the simple jig, seen in the above photo. It worked very simply and was able to produce very accurate cuts. When it came to the curved pieces, needed for the arc on the tops of the upper panels, the ruler was exchanged for the red bar shown. The difference in the curvature of the inner and outer radius's required was barely perceptible and the right hand side of the bar was filed to their average. The pieces only needed trimming to length and virtually no clean up of the edges was required, as I achieved an accuracy of about 0.2mm.

My soldering was far from perfect, but I was very happy with the results nonetheless. The joints looked very lumpy and obvious, but after completing the puttying and polishing, as seen on the left hand panel above, they became very inconspicuous.

The puttying was a horrible, messy job, but the results were speaking for themselves. I found that I had to wait a few days after doing the first side, before tackling the other. This was to allow the putty to harden sufficiently and prevent it from being forced back out.

Jumping back to the start of this part of the project, much deliberation was carried out when selecting the glass colours. In the above photo, I set up this mock up using pieces of glass that we already had. I felt that the overall look may turn out to be too dark and gaudy, so opted to source some paler shades for the lighter colours.

The almost completed entry!, only a bit of touching up of the paintwork on the glass beadings to be done.
As happy as I am with the finished product, with hindsight I regret the decision to lighten the colours. They looked very nice on the work bench, but when installed and with backlighting, to me they appear very wishy washy against the rondels and red borders. They are not actually as bad as they appear in this picture though, the best I have been able to take so far.

78, Front Door, part 9, Painting.

In preparation for the painting and to avoid trying to mask the stone around the complex shapes, I slipped sheets of 'greaseproof' paper between the frame and the limestone. The curved 'Ovolo' moulding, to trim the head was left off and painted before it was fitted.
A coat of primer was then applied, grey behind the darker colours and white for the remainder.

With all surfaces needing at least 3 topcoats, it was a long drawn out process. The intricacy of the detail and amount of cutting in meant that I was unable to use anything larger than artists brushes for most of the work.

Difficulty in neatly priming the door with it in situ had me remove it and it spent some considerable time on stools as the details were picked out.

Unforeseen and not noticed until the second glossy topcoat, was the machining marks in the timber. Prior to painting, the wood felt silky smooth and it seemed that minimal sanding was required. Much elbow grease was expended and a lot of sandpaper was clogged, trying to rectify the problem. The above photo was taken afterwards, the corrugations in the light green, closer to and within the frieze still bearing testament to my ignorance.

In an effort to simplify the painting, I had one trial of the use of masking tape. For this purpose I purchased the best quality tape available from the local 'Bunnings' store, but as expected, from all my previous experiences with the stuff, it was a waste of effort. Despite the most meticulous care in positioning it and ensuring that the edges were firmly pressed down, much 'bleeding' still occurred. To increase the frustration, in a couple of spots, some of the underlying paint also lifted when the tape was removed. From then on, a steady, (of sorts!), hand was used for all the 'cutting in'.

The finished product, it was a huge relief to complete the last brushstrokes!.
I am very happy with the result and are in 2 minds as to whether to highlight some more detail. I had intentions of colouring the rings on the columns red, but fear it may be too much. For now I'll just leave it as is until I have completed and installed the leadlights.
The colours used are; Deep Bronze Green, Deep Indian Red, Eau De Nil, (Light Green) and Eggshell, a Haymes colour.

76, Front Door, part 7, the Door.

To individualise the door I chose to embellish the lower panel in a similar fashion to the shamrocks on Foynes; http://www.winkieg.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/67-front-door-part-1.html.
Lots of ideas passed through my head, but my love of the Quercus genus and the slowly expanding plantation of these here for my Truffle venture, had me settle on the carving of an Oak leaf.

As we were now well into Autumn, there was plenty of leaves on the ground, from the myriad of variety's of Oak planted all around the property. I picked through the piles, collecting as diverse a range of leaf shapes as possible for a final selection.
For me, the best example that represented the Genus, that was also of pleasing proportions was the smallest one in the above photo. It belongs to Quercus Robur, the English Oak, probably the most widely planted variety in Australia, hence the familiarity. I photocopied the leaf and enlarged the image until a suitable size was attained for tracing on to the panels.
Some of the other leaves shown are a selection of American variety's, with the deeper lobes, Canary Oak, in the centre and some Mediterranean variety's, with the serrated edges.

The door was to be made entirely from Lebanese Cedar. I formed all the panels in the same way, laminating various pieces together to make up the widths and then applying bookmatched veneers to the inside faces. The bulk of the waste was then removed from the front. The edges of the raised section on the panels were routed to the finished profile with extra thickness allowed for the patterns.
Using various templates and jigs, a rough outline of the leaf shape was routed out. This ensured a flat and even background was attained. The leaf was then more finely carved to profile with chisels and the surface was veined and lightly contoured, to give it a bit more life.

The shield patterns on the upper and intermediate panels were routed using mdf templates and a bastardised rounding over bit. I couldn't locate a suitably profiled bit from the local suppliers, so the nearest alternative I could procure was carefully ground on the bench grinder, until it was close enough to the right size.

The door was assembled using the normal methods of wedged mortise and tenon joints. I ran a large quantity of bolection mouldings, more than sufficient for all of my external doors. This was owing to the amount of setup required, for the multiple passes over the router table, to achieve the desired finished profile. From memory these totalled about 7, not including the initial sizing and the final rebating. The rebates are matched to suit individual doors, dependant on the depth of the finished panel from the face.
Once completed, the hinges were sunk and the door was hung and lightly trimmed to suit the opening. The inside face was finish sanded, then, as per the frame, was also stained and lacquered before final installation.

A suitable mortice lock for the door proved rather difficult to source. Currently, the lock ranges available, incorporating a brass finish are very limited, the common response from suppliers was that it's now "out of fashion". The combination of a long case, to provide a greater visual separation of the handle from the key barrel, and the correct 'backset', left only one available option, which had to be ordered from the manufacturer in Tasmania. Unfortunately though, the supplied striker plate, the only that was available for this model, was a universal fit that looked rather flimsy and daggy with it's one long slot. Visits to a couple of restoration supplies found nothing else suitable, so I sourced some brass plate and made my own!.

The hole is finally plugged. Plywood was cut to temporarily fill the glazed openings until the leadlights are designed and made. 

The shameful self promotion couldn't be helped for this external shot, the ladder is lashed to the scaffold in that position, for access higher up!.
The only thing left to be done now, before painting, is the carved Brackets, (or Modillions), which sit above the capitals, the subject of the next post.

75, Front Door, part 6. Installation.

Monday, the 13th of May, was a bit of a highlight for me. The frame was finally ready to be installed. All the loose bits were taken off and put aside, then, with the aid of a number of ropes and shackles, I lifted  it off the stools and dropped one side to the floor.

Resting on the reveal, I was then able to slide the unit through to the entry, where, using the ropes again, I lowered it flat to the floor. The temporary frames were left in the corner sash openings to help avoid any damage.

With the bottom positioned on the cill, I reattached ropes to the head and via shackles, fed it up to the rafters and back down to within easy reach. I was able to lift it up in stages by hand, holding it, after each grunt, by the rope. Owing to imperfections in the hand hewn bluestone cill, which I felt would be too hard to copy to the timberwork via measurements or templates, I opted to leave the frame slightly oversize and mark scribe lines on it, once in position. This, thankfully, worked satisfactorily the first time and I only needed to lower it back down once for trimming.

I was more than happy with the fit, just like the proverbial glove. The sides were screwed, through the reveals, into trimmers bolted to the stonework.

The stone cill already had holes sunk into it from it's previous life and I was careful to make sure that the mullions would cover them when designing the frame.

Grooves were chiseled in the base of the frame and the pedestal backing block to accommodate a stainless steel bolt. The bolt was then epoxied in place, sandwiched between the timbers with the head located into the rearmost hole.

With the frame all secured in place, the sashes were trimmed and fitted and a start was made on the attaching of the appendages.
First up, the pedestals were boxed out and capped. The Lebanese cedar that I used for these and the upper portions of the plinth, came from a tree removed From Kardinia park in Geelong. The poorer, slower growing conditions there, other than that at Daylesford, from where the rest of my supply originated, created a tighter more attractive figure in the timber. The difference is quite apparent in the above photo, where a comparison can be made with the infill panel. For the lower, larger portion of the plinth, I used Celery top pine, which, being much more dense, should cope better with any knocking or scuffing.
During assembly, I am placing the "grease proof" paper behind the timber, to avoid getting paint all over the stonework. Hopefully it can simply and cleanly be pulled out later.

72, Front Door, part 3.

Having some time elapse since my attentions were drawn away from the door frame construction proved to be rather advantageous. The Celery top pine, on the dry fitted assembly, which I had assumed was very stable and had been sufficiently seasoned, shrunk somewhat in the dry summer heat.

The worst affected area was the joints on the large transom rail, where it crosses the mullions. The shrinkage caused the joints to open, creating an unsightly 2mm gap. This seemed quite excessive, but, given the width of this rail, the amount of movement was less than 1%.
Fortunately, with the inside face of the rail needing some form of embellishment, the fix was rather simple.

Firstly, I routed a 100mm wide rebate out along the centre line, 18mm deep, then sawed the piece in half.

When reassembling the frame, the two halves were wedged apart to tighten the joints. Then neatly cut infill blocks were inserted, to line up with the mullions.

Lebanese cedar veneer was then laminated to some 3mm ply, which I placed in the bottom of the rebate before the application of bolection mouldings. It did seem a pity to hack into such a nice section of timber, but as mentioned earlier, it needed some form of decoration.
With the main frame now permanently assembled and prior to inverting the whole unit, the inside face received a light staining and a couple of coats of clear lacquer. This would save any extra flipping of the heavy unit and protect the surface from any moisture damage. My main fear at this stage is from the risk of the resident "leaky" possums, who enjoy scurrying around on the exposed joists overhead. These, I am unable to exclude from the house, until the door and frame are completed and installed.

The joining of the lower rails to the mullions and jambs needed to be very solid. They would need to withstand any movement  generated by the swinging and slamming of the door. To keep it all tight I drilled right through from the outer edges to within about 20mm of the door rebates on the mullions.
Pockets were drilled in from the outside face to intersect with the ends of the holes These allow for the fitting of washers and nuts to10mm threaded rod, which was pushed through the hole from the opposite end and they will later be covered with the frame pedestals.

68, Front Door, part 2.

With the main components prepared, assembly of the frame could begin. The curved joints on the Head were first. I figured that these would be the hardest to form and get the shape right. Once I was happy with them, I was able to set out and mark the rest of the pieces.

The Transom was halved over the Mullions and rebated into the Stiles

After two and a half weeks and much routing, chiselling and trimming, all the major components are finally dry fitted together.

The sashes were next on the agenda, then, with these ready, I was able to move on to the machining of the external embellishments. That was when the trouble started, the thicknesser refused to power up, with the main motor only producing a loud humm.....I was about to head off sideways again.....

67, Front Door, part 1.

Now that most of the "holes" in the walls had been plugged, I was now able to divert my attention to the the big opening, in the front, for the main entrance. This, I wanted to be "special" and had, for some time, been scouring my photo collection and the Internet, as well as taking every opportunity to ply the streets in search of inspiration and suitable examples.

The most favoured of all the designs that I came across belonged to "Foynes" and "Eastcourt", A pair of extremely beautiful houses located on the hill, on Powlett Street, East Melbourne. This pair of adjacent dwellings were built during the late 1880's, the construction of both being overseen by the same architects.

This is the impressive entrance to "Eastcourt", (which, at this time is undergoing some restoration work, hence the scaffolding). It has a lovely 'storybook' feel to it and had me captivated with the delicacy of the detailing. With this design though, a major concern for me, at my location, is the space between the twin columns. The local mud wasps would have this void filled within the first couple of weeks of their nesting season, not to mention the continuous "buzzing" as they incessantly achieve this!. The gaps between the Dentils could also present a problem in this regard, but they would be easier to clean out and omitting this feature from the design would seriously detract from the finished product.
Also of concern is the waist height Cornice on the tops of the Pedestals, although aesthetically pleasing, it protrudes into the door opening at least 3inches and, in practice, may lead to unwanted injuries. The one on the right hand, opening side, showed signs of impact.

The entrance on "Foynes" is much more austere, but the single columns tend to give it a more "grander" look.
I felt that I would be able to marry together, my favourite elements from both of these doorways.

With the design for the frame settled on, I was then able to sit down and prepare some working drawings. On my place, the opening dimensions of 1750mm wide by 2935mm in height, which I had allowed for, between the stonework, scaled down to very close to 10% smaller than both of these examples. This worked out quite well, with the original doors, being approximately 2300mm high, it suited a standard door height for me of 2040mm.

The entire frame was to be made using Celery Top Pine, mainly all the 1.5" thick stuff, set aside while preparing the frames for the windows. First up for the physical part was to sort through all the left over shorts and bandsaw enough of them, to a suitable curvature for laminating together to form the segmental arch head. To ensure that I maintained the correct profile, I formed this in stages. I glued and clamped the first four lamination's, as in the above photo, which I allowed to fully harden before building up the remainder.

When complete I cleaned the dust and cobwebs from the compass I had knocked up when making the frames for the back door, seen here; Joinery-part-one.
With the router mounted, I then trued up the piece, rebated it for the sashes and formed a beading on the inside arris.

With the head taken care of, the vertical components were then laminated up. The sticks I had, at close to 2.7m in length, were just barely long enough for the Stiles. The Mullions, though, were longer, so I joined them where they will be rebated at Transom height on the inside face and near the base on the outside, where most of it will be hidden behind the Pedestal.

The next major component for the frame to be done was the Transom rail. With overall finished dimensions of 286mm high x 68mm thick, (excluding all the cornices etc.), this chewed up a fair bit of wood and was laminated in 2 stages. Firstly, the wide sections were joined, before being planed flat and then the two halves were sandwiched together.
Once complete, the rebates were formed, arris beading's routed and the lower outside face was moulded.

The inside face of the Transom is quite broad, much wider than that which is usually found on Victorian entrances. The central glueline also detracted from the overall appearance and it was quite obvious that some form of embellishment would be needed.
Unfortunately, following many repeated and futile attempts to gain access to either Eastcourt or Foynes, I have not been able to view or photograph the interior joinery. The former almost appears to be uninhabited, with no responses to repeated door knockings or letters, (although a dog was heard barking inside on one occasion!), and with the latter, ingress has been denied by a very uncooperative resident!.
On the up side, I have been able to locate and view a few other examples of deep Transom rails around Melbourne.

This entry, in North Brighton, had decorative rebates carved into the sold panel. I very much liked the idea, which gave it very nice, individual "hand made" look. This would not be ideal for mine though, as the glue line would still be very obvious.

Doors on the Presbytery at St.Monica's in Footscray, (above), and at Flinders St. station, (below), had recessed panels, fitted with insert mouldings. At this stage this is probably the style which I will adopt. I will leave the machining of this until as late as possible, should an alternative become apparent.

Some other examples, I have gleaned from the internet include;

Labassa, at Caulfield, which appears to have applied mouldings,

Rupertswood, at Sunbury, with a lot of lovely intricate carving,

The Woodruff-Fontaine Mansion, from over in the States,

and this example, which was being sold on Ebay, which has a simple 'Cricket bat' shaped piece applied.