Custom Front Door Build and Installation

A huge thanks to RealCraft for sponsoring this video - working with them on this video was a terrific experience! These are really great people making outstanding doors.
Learn more here realcraft.com
Need inspiration for a door of your own?
/ realcraftusa
Catch the full interview with Don on the podcast or EC2
Free Guide - 100 Tools Every Craftsman Must Have bit.ly/EC100tools
Second Channel (Podcast video, family, misc content) bit.ly/2n4HCLG
Formsetter Hammer: www.essentialcraftsman.com/fo...
If you are going to hire a contractor for a big project PLEASE read our ebook first!
amzn.to/2v6qZ6j
T Shirts, Hoodies, and other Merch: bit.ly/2C7JFRv
Instagram / essentialcraftsman
Twitter / ecnatwad
Facebook / essentialcraftsman
Amazon Affiliate Links:
Amazon Store amzn.to/2pcUk8G
Makita 18v Impact amzn.to/2R9uamN
4 ft level amzn.to/389qsQa
Utility Knife amzn.to/2RjVRJL
Palm Nailer amzn.to/2LhvTTd
Spencer Tape amzn.to/2EQWxPy
Carpenter Bags amzn.to/2XeBaC1
Belt bit.ly/3MsdijV
Hammer amzn.to/31y4q66
Tape Measure amzn.to/2WYg23Q
Skil Saw amzn.to/2UcQyLi
Video Equipment and Misc.
Main Camera amzn.to/2WG9qSC
Secondary Camera amzn.to/32tS2Vx
Microphone (for narration from office) amzn.to/2WquPnM
Wireless Microphone amzn.to/2IGpNto
Other Wireless Microphone amzn.to/397VmxJ
Tripod amzn.to/2XOJcOd
GoPro amzn.to/3znHgTA
GoPro Tripod amzn.to/3aL8pFH
Battery Bucket amzn.to/3GVR9cV
ActionPacker amzn.to/2l7Msqv
www.essentialcraftsman.com/

[@apostema]

It is inspirational to see so many master craftsmen in one short video. Cheap and shoddy materials and work are so common these days. You really want your home to be crafted with excellence. It's worth it.

[@alldayfitness]

What's even more common is that the majority of consumers don't want to pay thousands of dollars for a door

[@c0mputer]

For the landscaping, if you have an aesthetic for the vintage elements, perhaps a 60’s v6 dodge dart with no windshield up on cinder blocks with bullet holes in it finished with a shou sugi ban treatment. Would be a nice touch I think.

[@arresthillary9502]

lovely home that you can be proud of. i would have kept the blue spruce

[@rilloroc]

My uncle made a damn good living building doors. Based out of Cedar Creek, TX through the 70s and 80s. All he did was make custom doors and got rich doing something he enjoyed.

[@mikebabs3408]

I built my first door for a sauna this year. Used Hemlock. All done with basic woodworking tools and a router for mortise and tenon. I learned a lot. Made mistakes. But I love that I made it. I was scared to try but the results were satisfying! 😁

[@johnalexander2349]

A double length top hinge is normal here, on heavy doors. One hinge, double length. Also, it's easier to line up perfectly, because a middle hinge that's even 2mm out of line causes the hinges to fight each other, and twist the door and frame every time it's opened and closed.

[@mertonallowicious]

I have made a few doors for customers over the years, couple traditional solid wood stave core and hybrid laminations…all w pretty basic portable Makita contractor table saw and power tool set- I’d say a decent planer is most important if you want a “factory” finish and shapers help if you want molded designs. I happen to like shaker and craftsman style and those are simple and easy. Of course lots of clamps!! Ken’s entire door group should be at least 20k

[@mattdevaud]

The hinge placement (2 up high, 1 down low, nothing in the middle) is a thing I saw a lot when I was living in England. Would also see 4 hinges equally spaced too. Doors always sag and then get fitment issues, always on the high side. Great idea

[@dr.kraemer]

The yard needs an inviting, not too straight, foot path that leads from the front of the lot (maybe a nice guest parking patio?) to the door. Think about the approach on Ken's house - the way reveals itself as you move through it, and there's an impressive reveal. You can't get the same gradual reveal out of the flat landscape here. But you don't want guests to get to the house by walking up the driveway right to the garage and making a tight left. Imagine a gently curving path that leads you through the landscape with a narrative of place starting with bigger, wilder-looking plants and starker lighting, into a more softly lit plant-enclosed garden area around the door.

[@TpetPlayr]

Great take. I second the lighting. Landscape lighting is really under-utilized, and lends A LOT.

[@jonhill373]

You can get a lot through a 42” door. More so than a 36” door. It may not seem like much, 6”, but it is.

[@cousin_JACK]

Moment of silence for the blue spruce, man that was a nice tree

[@Cobra-vq6qr]

Wooden doors use to be made with hand tools. Today's doors made by master craftsmen with precision machines are far superior. Thank you for pointing me to Real Craft. I don't know if I'm ready to tackle doors.......yet. God bless you and your father for these videos. It's nice to finally have Godly male role models on the Ole you tubes.

[@matteberry58]

The door is timeless and beautiful. The wide open frontyard is great for the kiddos and friends to play soccer, football and play catch. If thats not a concern I recommend using a well respected landscape designer to create a plan that will give you a look and feel that can be enjoyed for decades.

[@marcberm]

I guess the hinge positions intuitively make sense in terms of force distribution. It's sort of like how wooden water tanks have more and increasinly more closely spaced reinforcement hoops as you get closer to the bottom.

[@psidvicious]

Concrete formwork is always beefier, the lower you go, for the same reason. This hinge arrangement is a first for me.

[@kennethvogt9379]

Ken is my namesake, my fellow stroke traveler, and my inspiration.

[@jasperrodrigues7026]

Sad to see that Spruce go. I know it's not as big a deal out west where trees almost grow like weeds, but still sad. A spruce like that would easily take 40 or 50 years to grow over here. Joys of the Canadian plains. Awesome video as always.

[@bcbloc02]

That door looks just like the one on my 1870s farmhouse. My 1830s main house has a massive 48” wide front door that has been hanging from the same 2 6” hinges since it was new. It seems to work fine.

[@tomjensen618]

Vinyl curbing just looks cheap. Rounded concrete lawn edging looks good and lasts. Nice house Nate!

[@JasonLeiter13]

I built an entry door almost 20 years ago. I barely knew what I was doing back then, but it turned out great, and as far as I know, it's still there today. I would really love the opportunity to do more of them. I should mention that I used basic carpentry tools: table saw, miter saw, and thickness planer.

[@ryanrichards4636]

I did the double top hinge on all my doors I built for my house because I loved the look. Never exactly knew the reason. Till now

[@psidvicious]

Huh, that hinge detail/arrangement is a first for me. I recently stumbled on a YT channel where an English carpenter is currently working on a new custom front door entry surround. Amazing level of detail going into it. The channel is Bradshaw Joinery

[@apostema]

Excellent story telling here and composition. Great to see Kenny!

[@BusyPoppy]

I truly admire the beautiful wood doors Don builds because in my past working life I worked for 38+ years in a wood stile and rail door manufacturing plant where we built a great variety of door styles. Mid way in my career we/the plant started building custom products to meet the demand similar to Don's it was a very exciting time to see our plant evolve into a custom manufacturer.

[@waltermatthewberg]

That does look like a smarter door hinge layout. I think I'll steal it thank you very much.

[@dusty7264]

Nice house, I’m pretty much retired now, I framed, then did finish carpentry and then into building furniture, cabinets and architectural woodwork. I have made some front door. The special machinery is the speed, I have cut the mortises and tenons by hand it’s much slower but it works great. I have done a door out of Purple Heart and even one out of Rosewood, I agreed to build the doors so I could as part of the bid to get the cabinets and the library’s and interior woodwork. In the house.

[@masterricon]

Hey Nate, I'm a landscape architect and would be happy to give you pointers for the landscaping. I am from another part of the US, so my specific plant knowledge is limited for the PNW. I would recommend steel edging for a durable, budget friendly option. The plastic stuff doesn't last long enough IMO.

[@trenholmfamily1206]

Wonderful door and house! White oak is beautiful, it is much more dense and less porous than red oak making it good for windows and doors.

[@davidquirk8097]

I started fitting three hinges to all the doors I hung or re-hung and the additional hinge just seems to add an extra feel of solidity to the install. I've also found, with Parliament hinges, that you need to recess the top ones deeper than the bottom ones in order to overcome the tendancy of the top hinge to twist. I'll have to try moving my 'centre' hinge closer to the top hinge to see if it stops the twisting.

[@shreyansdoshi]

KEN!!!!!!

[@hungry_arch]

A deer resistant plant bed in front of that walkway with some inexpensive landscape lighting would make a world of difference

[@Gary-pogi]

My 1 meter wide mahogany front door has the same hindge layout only with the forth hindge in the middle, yours is perfect, mine slight overkill but thats how I build.

[@BananaFromHellPS3]

A planter with a random assortment of flowers and plants that do well with butterflies and bees. Brings some literal life to the front of the house

[@danieltodd3668]

I think a wooden raised bed planter with a rock topping would look great.

[@AdmiralReesR5]

Awesome seeing my uncle's work on the channel

[@horneygeorgeforge7079]

landscaping, the clean look looks awesome too

[@user-wv7yf5yu7h]

WOW!!!! Absolutely amazing and beautiful place!!!! Thank you guy’s!!!

[@joshdillingham1598]

Am I the only one disappointed that we didnt get to see the build for Ken Jordan's front door?

[@c.maltese3939]

You're not alone. Very much disappointed for this to turn into a long ad for some company instead of being about Ken and his door.

[@AJFixie]

Some nice craftsmanship.

[@trevelynbrown4444]

The hing position makes sense.

[@kendavis8046]

I've self-installed several doors, but never had the nerve to build one. The examples shown are beautiful indeed.

[@dcrog69]

I agree with your choice on the blue spruce, I grew up with one in the front yard and the needles are pretty hard on bare feet.

[@suddeneye9836]

How cool is it to have a grandson sitting on his grandpa‘s knee as he’s taking care of the front of the house inside the back hoe.

[@kathleensmith370]

beautiful work

[@jimfeaster4837]

Super video!😊

[@jimfeaster4837]

Great craftsmanship...

[@tryonco]

I’ve built a bunch of doors over the years. My favorite, like yours, solid wood, say 1 3/4” to 2” thick, mortise and tenon with pegs and glue, no screws or nails. Actually, pretty easy to do, but you need a table saw and jointer, or a track saw, and a mortiser. Fun to do!

[@JahLuvzU]

If Your kitchen is close to the front door, I would use the space next to the pathway to grow herbs and spices for use in cooking. I have rosemary, oregano, thyme and other spices near my front door, comes in useful when making a nice omlette.

[@corcoransullivan1562]

Very cool, very impressive. That’s a quality carpenter. I’ve installed plenty of doors but I would be really nervous installing such a nice door, good work!

[@michaelcarroll991]

Nate love your videos. Keep em coming.

[@lucusblackett8347]

Great work!

[@williamcox8491]

House is looking great, Nate

[@TinManKustoms]

Beautiful door and house If it was me I'd be doing a rock bed and edge along the sidewalk and driveway with some nice greenery/flowers. The thing I would do would be a nice rock garden in appropriately the same spot as the tree was with flowers and greenery mixed in with a bird bath or fountain

[@N8-T]

I like your comments on the not necessarily needing high end tools to build a door, it's true, depends on the standard you are aiming for! I worked for a custom door shop, we built doors on veneered core, it was partially for stability and also did make it a little cheaper having a pine core vs solid white oak! We doeweled our doors together, which you could do in a home shop with a drill press, you could also build a square sticking door with a table saw. A router table would be great, but really, a table saw and a drill press, and you can build doors...a Planer for thicknessing would be kinda necessary too. But it is surprisingly doable in your garage

[@giovannifiorentino8947]

Zone allowing, I would plant mangoes all the way😂. And keep them prune short for ease of harvesting.

[@finders-keepers1518]

Would look good with a stone pier with light somewhere by the driveway/sidewalk. Possibly even tie some shorter stone walls into it to border the concrete.

[@timleduc1493]

Instead of curbing a low fence along the driveway, maybe 30" high utilizing either split rails or solid logs would look pretty interesting and probably not all that expensive if you can find a source of materials. I live in SW WA and there's a pole yard near us that I get trimmed end from that would make a great looking fence, perhaps there's a yard like that somewhere near you. Would be a great tie in with your custom, and really beautiful, custom door.

[@tommybounds3220]

Thank you for the video.

[@johnpauldekeyzer8899]

Just beautiful, im glad to know there are plenty of people who still value craftsmanship and expensive materials like this. So many homes are made with complete junk materials. Not this one.

[@tonysikich4383]

I love it.. We go with simple but elegant...in the summer we have flower pots on the concrete and small bushes in between the pots

[@davidflaugher7340]

I made my first set of doors just a couple weeks ago for a loft storage space above my carport. I made them like a shaker style kitchen cabinet door. I made the stile and rails out of rough sawn hemlock and the panel out of 1/2 CDX plywood. I doweled the corners and used titebond III wood glue and then gave the whole thing a coat of Dark Half tung oil. I used a hinge mortising jig by milescraft and a router much like the one the guy was using on Nate's door. I really liked this hinge jig and hope to use it more on future door projects much more accurate then chiseling out the hinge mortises by hand.

[@TheSeriesofTubes]

I'll take lvl or stave core with a 3/16" veneer over solid wood any day. great video guys

[@joezeigler1064]

Landscaping ideas Use native plants Build “rain gardens” or swales to capture water from downspouts. Water tolerant native plants in bottom and less water tolerant as you go up sides

[@garrett6371]

Two lanes for the scooters was an important touch. I'm glad you thought of it! You can't have too much concrete to ride on!

[@vcurtis2061]

Beautiful door

[@jerryminyard7460]

Congratulations your house looks great

[@rockscho1]

Door hinges on top make sense

[@ra4yu]

For the landscaping its important to account for how much you enjoy gardening. If i assumed you arent they kind of person who likes fussing over a garden all the time id recommend some medium to tall flowering hedges, you could even weave a few hedges or hedge-able plants together for effect. They will typically need a heavy cut once or twice a year and usually look good even when not flowering, they should also tolerate all the tree leafs falling on them. If you really like gardening(or want to) id raise up some beds or put a brick border and plant more annuals, ground covers and break them up with the odd shrub. Also good gardens typically take 3-5 years to get established so have some patience and dont write yourself off as bad with plants.

[@sixpotshot]

Having the skills (and the tools) anyone can make ONE door...I mean one GOOD looking and solid door. To make several doors a day (or more...) then not everyone can do that as the machinery needed takes on a different scale. Building wise (therefore excluding very fine furniture...veneers, inlays, bends, curves, polishes, finishes...these guys are top game and in a different level/leaague) in my opinion it is not doors but windows that currently carry the most complex techniques and even here a skilful professional having all the basic tools needed (namely routing stuff) can make a pretty good looking triple glazed sash window

[@HalfManThirdBiscuit]

Whatever you plant out front, my opinion is: keep it native.

[@MarcusMussawar]

Down under (in Australia) Coopers doors are incredible guys and they make an incredible solid product

[@bhami]

You rarely see this sort of attention to a door any more. One block from me is an 1890-built Victorian which has a sliding interior door that disappears into a wall.

[@kirkyorg7654]

first time seeing that type of hinge set up in 40+ years 7 a few hundred doors hung most have the three hinges top/mid/bot with the size of hinge dependent on the size of the door

[@hunterhall8795]

I like to use my grass as a natural curbing when butting up to a mulch bed. I think it makes the area look more natural and it’s easier to edge with the weed wacker. I dig down where the grass meets the bed about 3”, and slope it so it’s a true looking border. When looking at it from afar it still gives that perception that the bed is level w the grass, but when you trim it, the lower area gives the weed wacker string somewhere to go without kicking up dirt. As far as rock beds, DG, ect. goes I like to use a thicker concrete edging. I’ve seen guys spruce it up by laying flagstones on the top. The thicker edging prevents the rocks from sneaking their way into the grass, but for some reason they always find a way to long jump over that border! It’s just less so when thicker. When grass or any bed touches the concrete I don’t use any type of edging.

[@TheUncleRuckus]

I could build that door without using a single power tool, yeah power tools make it a lot easier but it's not needed. A handful of chisels, a few different hand planes and a saw is all you really need on top of the know-how.

[@michaelchurchill1889]

Bevel hinge side and latch side 2degrees and door will fit like a cork -with close margin and won’t hinge bind.

[@MayotheMaker]

This one’s gonna be awesome, calling it before I see it haha

[@Respect1st808]

Landscaping will really pop out the exterior of your home.

[@TheBuilderdad]

Looks like you could put a guest parking pad close to the street off the drive. Then create a walk through a garden to the entry.

[@user-py9on1fh1t]

Go with some mulch/ shredded wood. Plant some boxwoods by walkway? Install low to medium water plants with dripline and smart controller? Nice door 🚪

[@danielelse3914]

While the specialized jigs and such that you see in the video speed doormaking, I doubt that they are necessary. I've worked wood as a hobbyist for some 16 years and am confident that the process here is possible using quality basic tools in the hands of a master of the skill. I recently saw a magnificent mahogany door coming together on the worktable at my local millworks under the hands of a single superb craftsman. There was not a fancy specialized machine in sight.

[@clydedecker765]

My house has a door with only two hinges. Its over 100 YO and the door is strong but bowed because of that lack of resistance and keeping the door straight. (There is a wavy glass pane that occupies more than a third of the door.)

[@krenwregget7667]

It doesn't take specialty tools to build a door. All you really need is a table saw and a router and alot of experience in using them correctly. There are tools that make it easier such as a spindle shaper and hollow chisel mortiser and whatever but they aren't necessary. New Yorkshire Workshop (one of the best channels on KZbin) has several door building videos if you want to see the whole process.

[@Michael-Youtube98]

I'd love to see a long line of small (3ft high) box hedges lining the driveway roughly following the current grass-gravel line

[@ColeSpolaric]

That hinge configuration is typical of what you see in Korea

[@1shARyn3]

That double top hinge placement is an excellent idea

[@dr.kraemer]

Yeah, the idea is cool, and it maths out.

[@mackfisher4487]

Nate, nice to see your smiling face producing content again, being a KZbin provider and also maintaining you and your families personal privacy must be a hard balance. I hope you will record and air a house tour, and in this upcoming summer feature you’re landscaping projects. I personally miss your interviews and hope that you can intermix that into your busy schedule.

[@crpgap9595]

Lemon grass keeps the skeeters away. Pretty and functional.

[@elilimiblis5207]

I dont know why, but missing a flag pole on the grass for some reason. With a small patch of gravel / lava stone underneath. It can also double as a Christmas tree made out of lights in winter times.

[@Wood_Slice]

Greene & Greene style. Whats not to love

[@collinsmith9941]

The front door says everything about the house and inadvertently about the owner, even if it was inherited from previous owners. Edging must be steel or extruded aluminum, plastic doesn’t hold an edge , might as well do a shovel edge rather than plastic.

[@brentjenkinsdesigns]

There is a channel from the UK called Bradsaw Joinery. He's a young guy doing amazing wood joinery and massive door builds.

[@psidvicious]

I mentioned that too. I just happened to stumble on that channel recently. Amazing amount of detail he’s putting into that, especially considering it is paint grade.

[@williamdemilia6223]

I see your home was finished last year. I missed that, thought it was on going. Concrete porch ... good idea. I believe it would be less cost . I have compared a wood porch vs concrete. Wood is more cost plus you would have to protect from animals from making a home underneath. good call. nice house.

[@gregseguin5515]

what is the brand/make of your siding? I am looking to reside my home, and I really like what you chose. TIA!

[@mikev.1034]

👍👍

[@chartphred1]

Interesting how many American houses don't have perimeter fences. How do you keep pets in?

[@ghshomeimprovements]

The English landscape garden would look the best

[@khansk36]

Add a 4th hinge b4 it bows

[@greatitbroke]

That is an amazing door. It will last multiple life times must like the doors of old. Congrats on making that your focal point wise choice. As for your front yard? Its your front yard. I always love a raised berm along a side walk. A planter would take away from the front of the house a Berm would not. Your door is the show piece not a planter. I agree with the others keep with Concrete curbs anything else would cheapen the looks. IE vinyl yuck.

[@josiahamaze]

def need specialty tools

[@jaredramirez7827]

Why would you screw right through the jamb like that with trim heads?? Screw on the face of the jamb on an angle so it could be covered by trim and behind the weather stripping. Lowkey ruined it for me