Dismantling panelled doors

[geraldthehamster]

I’m hoping someone can suggest a clever way to dismantle panelled doors.

I have a random collection of old stripped pine doors, which I intend to dismantle, for materials to create a panelled room. In my experience, dipping doors has a tendency to weaken the joints, so I’m envisaging knocking the mortices and tenons apart by judicious application of a lump hammer and a wooden drift, after removing the mouldings. I’ve had some success with this before, albeit on fairly knackered doors.

However, I’m wondering if anyone has any ideas for a more technical way to do it, by using some kind of jacking or leverage to force the stiles from the rails. Something like a cramp, but in reverse.

I know the one-handed clamps can be reversed, but the plastic handles aren't going to be up to applying the pressure.

 

[Nige F]

Drill out the tenons?

 

[foxhole]

If you only want panels just cut them out.

 

[geraldthehamster]

Drill out the tenons?

Thanks. I'm considering that. I think I will have to for some of them at least.

I'm now thinking about one of those ratchet farm-type jacks. I might know someone who has one.

 

[geraldthehamster]

If you only want panels just cut them out.

I intend to use the rails and stiles as well

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Traditional frame and panelled doors were made using either foxed or wedged tenons and mortises. The actual function of this is to keep the structure of the door together even if the glue in the M&T joints fails. This is particularly important as the most commonly used glues up to the 1930s were animal hide glues which as you have discovered break down when exposed to caustic soda solution - in fact even repeated application of steam will have much the same effect, albeit slower. I;m with Nige F on this one. If you drill and chisel out the tenons the doors will knock apart quite easily - a heavy cramp on some of the mouldings found around panels would just crush the fibres - and a tenon can always be replaced by a loose tenon later on if needs be

 

[geraldthehamster]

Thanks JobAndKnock. All taken on board. I am planning on removing the mouldings first (the doors have separate mouldings). My thought had been to place a jack or similar against wooden spreaders placed on the insides of opposite stiles where the mouldings had been, and prise each joint a little at a time.

But yes, drilling. I think some of the doors will knock apart with drift and lump hammer, and I'll move to drilling after that. Will report back

Cheers
Richard

 

[Gerrydelasel]

I'm curious, what is so special about these door panels that you are going to such trouble, rather than using new wood for panels?

 

[geraldthehamster]

I'm curious, what is so special about these door panels that you are going to such trouble, rather than using new wood for panels?

Fair question. I was originally going to use MDF and paint the panelling. Then I decided I fancied oak, which I was going to attempt with veneered MDF. However, as the doors in the house are all stripped pine, I decided to match that.

The first reason for using doors as a source of material is to match the existing doors, in a way that staining new timber wouldn't. The second is cost, as carefully sourced batches of doors were cheaper than buying new timber (don't buy from salvage yards). The grained panels will be trimmed to a uniform size and fitted between rails and stiles from the doors, which I will rip down as appropriate.

Not happening till next year but I'll post some pictures when done.

 

[geraldthehamster]

Update: I tackled the 6 rickety doors first. These came apart using a lump hammer and a block of wood. The 7th door needed the wedges drilling out from the tenons first. The 8th stayed solid even after drilling, so rather than faff about drilling out all the tenons completely, I removed the outer stiles with my circular saw, whereupon the rest of the door came apart fairly quickly. This will be my preferred method for dismantling the rest